Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced Friday that a series of studies conducted over a two-year period is now complete, and a preliminary report is available for public comment regarding the future of Pennsylvania’s state parks.
Dunn explained the studies covered topics from pets in campgrounds to trail and beach conditions, with thousands of people weighing in on their hopes and concerns for the park system.
“This information shaped recommendations that will help in the creation of a strategic plan to ensure the Pennsylvania state park system remains as relevant and valuable to future generations as it has been to current and past generations,” Dunn said.
The studies the report is based on were conducted through various methods and included questions for park users, Pennsylvanians and questions that were posed during the surveys for the previous plan for the park, Pennsylvania Parks 2000.
In 2017, 10,186 adults responded online and 4,090 answered surveys at parks. A 2018 statewide telephone effort reached out to 1,650 Pennsylvanians; and an online survey the same year targeted 1,131 Latinos, Asians and African Americans. These various methods of contact were intended to ensure that the sampling of answers was representative of all state residents and not just those who enjoy visiting the parks.
A message from the director, John Halles, director of the Bureau of State Parks, included in the report’s first pages, explains
“The goal of the Penn’s Parks for All strategic planning process is to help guide Pennsylvania’s state park professionals in carrying out the important work of caring for the 121 state parks in our system for the next 25 years.”
Some highlights of the survey results include:
Suggestions for improvement of the parks, which are included in the report, include the following:
Land acquisition, managing park resources, paying for the needs of the various parks (maintenance, administration, transportation infrastructure, water and sewer infrastructure) and the improvement of both services and facilities in the parks are also topics addressed in the report.
In response to the release of the preliminary report, the Bureau of State Parks’ website now features downloadable information detailing survey findings and includes a public comment tool to address recommendations suggested as a result of this input. Also, in a continuing attempt to gain public feedback, a meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Nov. 4 at Kinzua Bridge State Park Visitor Center in the office classroom.
Public comment on these survey responses and resultant recommendations will be accepted online and in writing until Dec. 31, 2019. The report can be found by visiting https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/PennsParksforAll/Pages/default.aspx. Comments are also being accepted through that site.
Seeking additional information, scheduled stakeholder meetings will be held at state parks throughout the state this fall and early next year. A final report is planned in summer 2020.
Pennsylvania’s 121 state parks total almost 300,000 acres. Together with DCNR’s state forest system, they are one of the largest expanses of public lands in the eastern United States. For state park information, visit www.dcnr.pa.gov.
