Environmental Heritage- DCNR At 15: Erie Bluffs State Park Added To System
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In December 2003, the largest tract of undeveloped land remaining on the Lake Erie shoreline was purchased by a Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, with the intention that it be turned over to DCNR to become a state park. The “Coho tract”—a 540-acre parcel of shoreline in western Erie County—was acquired from Reliant Energy. The project was made possible with the help of grants from Richard King Mellon Foundation and DCNR. The Conservation Fund provided bridge funding for the acquisition through its Great Lakes Revolving Loan Fund.

           After the tract was named in June 2004, it became a state park in December 2004. In December 2005, DCNR produced a master plan for the park, which included a proposal to develop a trail network with lake-view observation points for visitors, as well as overnight accommodations that incorporate a small nature inn and group camping, with remote primitive camping provided for backpackers and paddlers.
            Since then, the Wild Resource Conservation Program has been active in taking an inventory of the park. Erie Bluffs is widely recognized as an ecological gem; it contains over 400 acres of forest and woodland habitat and represents one of the largest natural areas between Erie and Cleveland, Ohio.
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10/18/2010

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