Michael DiBerardinis, Secretary DCNR

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis appeared before the House Appropriations Committee this week to answer questions about Gov. Rendell’s 2006-07 budget request for his agency.

Secretary DiBerardinis noted the Bureau of State Parks received a $2 million increase in funding and his agency is working hard to reduce costs without laying off staff. He said he did not anticipate having to close parks to make up for any budget shortfalls.

DCNR’s Pennsylvania Wilds initiative to expand eco-tourism and quality recreational experiences in a 12-county area in Northcentral Pennsylvania has been a success, increasing hotel occupancy rates in 2005 by 5.7 percent.

In the coming year, DCNR should be able to offer $65 million in community recreation, open space protection, rivers conservation, heritage tourism, greenways and trails grants. In addition, DCNR has announced an investment of $31.5 million in Growing Greener II bond issue dollars to upgrade State Parks and improve State Forests.

Secretary DiBerardinis also highlighted the TreeVitalize initiative to restore tree cover in the five-county Philadelphia region, saying private and public partnerships resulted in tripling the investment made by DCNR in the initiative.

With respect to deer management, Secretary DiBerardinis said, “Simply stated, there are more deer than the habitat can support in many of our forests. And when we improve the habitat, we’ll be able to carry more deer.

“To bring the deer heard into balance, we are going to need the help of hunters, since hunting remains the most effective tool to control deer. Our hunting heritage must continue, not only to protect a culture that helps define who we are, but also because the state desperately needs hunting as a wildlife management tool.”

Secretary DeBerardinis mentioned the ongoing project with the Game Commission to get census information on the deer herd to help manage both the forests and deer effectively. (See separate Aerial Survey article in this Digest.)

The Secretary concluded by saying—

“During my visits to our beautiful natural areas and open spaces, I often reflect on the leadership and vision of the men and women who’s enthusiasm and foresight built our legacy of 117 State Parks and more than two million acres of State Forests in Pennsylvania.”

For more information, go to DCNR’s 2006-07 Budget webpage.

2/24/2006