Pennsylvania Grand Canyon

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is inviting the public to two public meetings in November to seek comments on proposed future plans for the Pine Creek Valley in Tioga and Lycoming counties.

The meetings will be held on November 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Wheeland Center on the corner of Locust and Cemetery streets in Jersey Shore, and on November 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Pennsylvania College of Technology campus on Route 6 in Wellsboro.

Pine Creek Valley extends from Ansonia at U.S. Route 6 to Jersey Shore, where the creek empties into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. In this 68-mile section of Pine Creek, a majority of the land is publicly owned and managed by DCNR and the Game Commission.

The first 17 miles of Pine Creek Valley is commonly referred to as the "Pennsylvania Grand Canyon."

Included in the recommendations prepared by contractor Fermata, Inc. are:

· DCNR should work with Jersey Shore and Wellsboro planners to extend the trail to their downtown areas and focus development of accommodations and services in these trail towns rather than in the Pine Creek Valley;

· Promote all DCNR facilities in and near Pine Creek as a package of outdoor recreation experiences, and improve connections for the visitor from the Pine Creek Trail to them, to better distribute visitation and encourage longer stays in the region;

· Improve informational and interpretive signing on DCNR lands in the Valley, in part to communicate the history of the region's forests, its lumber days and the rebirth of the modern day forest in the region;

· Target market the valley and its many resources to specific outdoor recreation segments that should provide a low-impact, high economic yield for the area; and

· Develop a DCNR revenue strategy for Pine Creek and watershed facilities.

The meeting will include a presentation about the recommendations, followed by the opportunity for attendees to make comments. Written comments can be submitted until November 23 to Joe Fiedor, DCNR, Rachel Carson State Office Building, P.O. Box 8676, Harrisburg, PA 17105, or by email to jfiedor@state.pa.us .

For more information on the Pine Creek and the Pennsylvania Wilds portion of Pennsylvania, visit the PA Wilds website

9/23/2005