The following was provided by PA Parks and Forests Foundation President Marci Mowery--

Pennsylvania House Bill 218, the budget bill for fiscal year 2017-18 which passed the house and has set the tone for the Senate----seeks to severely under-fund of the Departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

The passing of this budget would send us backwards as it relates to operating our more than 2 million acres of state forest and 121 state parks and protection of the environment.

DCNR is the agency charged with managing our 121 state parks and 2.2 million acres of state forests, as well as investing in community recreation, trails and open space. They also provide information on our ecological and geological resources.

DEP protect Pennsylvania's air, land and water from pollution and to provide for the health and safety of its citizens through a cleaner environment. Both agencies play an important role in our ability to live a healthy life.

As an advocate for our state parks and forests, I urge you to support sustainable and adequate funding for operations of our state parks and forests, for investments in community recreation, and for protection of our environment by signing this petition to inform our members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly that we, the people, support investment in conservation, recreation and environmental protection and to remind our decision makers that parks, forests and open space are essential to both human health and to a viable economy for the state.

We have all witnessed the passion Pennsylvanians have for their parks and forests, as well as the needs that exist both on our public lands and for environmental protection. We know the important role our parks and forests play in supporting surrounding communities and the role that a clean environment plays in keeping Pennsylvania’s citizens and economy healthy.

Our state constitution, Section 27, Article 1, states that "the people have a right to clean air, pure water, and the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all people."

We, the undersigned, urge the General Assembly to keep Pennsylvania a tourism and industry leader by protecting those assets that make Pennsylvania a great place to live, work and play.

Invest in our Departments of Conservation and Natural Resources and Environmental Protection as part of the 2017-2018 budget negotiations with funding that allows full operations and keeps our parks, forests and environmental protection moving forward.

Click Here to sign the petition.

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[Posted: June 21, 2017]

6/26/2017