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Governor's Hunting, Fishing, Conservation Advisory Council Opposes Hawn’s Bridge Peninsula Development At Raystown Lake

The Governor’s Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation sent a four-page letter to the US Army Corps of Engineers on August 31 expressing opposition to the private development of Hawn’s Bridge Peninsula at Raystown Lake in Huntingdon County by a developer from Texas.

The Council made the recommendation as part of a public comment process on the proposed revision of the Raystown Lake Master Plan.

The Council said they strongly encourage carrying forward the language in the 1994 plan which pledges complete protection of the Hawn’s Peninsula. Their hope is that the Terrace Mountain’s designation remains a Low-Density Recreation Area.

The Coalition to Protect Hawn’s Peninsula, formed to oppose any development on Raystown Lake especially the Hawn’s Bridge Peninsula, expressed their appreciation for the support the Governor's Advisory Council has given in writing this letter.

The Coalition group is made up of concerned citizens who want to preserve the unspoiled landscape around the lake. Raystown Lake is known as Pennsylvania’s Crown Jewel precisely because of its unique natural landscape.

“Let’s keep it that way,” the Council said in a statement.

In the letter, the Council thanked the Corps for the opportunity to provide comment in the update of the 1994 Master Plan, as required by Section 1309 of the 2016 Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation Act.

The Raystown Lake Master Plan is the strategic land use management document that guides the comprehensive management and development of all projects recreational, natural and cultural resources throughout the life of the water resource development project.

The Governor’s Council interpreted “strategic” to mean a long-term view and approach to managing the Raystown Lake Project and its natural resources and regionally unique values.

The Council’s view of the 1994 Master Plan relating to conserving the Project’s unique habitats, low-density recreational opportunities, and stellar scenic and aesthetic qualities is that it is as valid today as when it was originally conceived.

The Council said they believe the expansive and largely undisturbed viewshed offered from the lake, or high atop Terrance Mountain, is the most significant attribute this remarkable destination offers and should be preserved.

The letter goes on to address the various wildlife, ecosystem, shale barrens, boating capacity and safety on Raystown Lake.

The Advisory Council is a group of twenty distinguished volunteers appointed by Governor Wolf to deliberate on a range of issues, including all forms of outdoor recreation, the preservation of our environment, and our hunting, fishing and trapping heritage.

Spokesman Robert B. Miller, Jr for the Governor’s Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation has given permission to share the letter with the public. Miller can be contacted by sending email to: robmille@pa.gov.

Click Here to read a copy of the Council’s letter.

For more information on the Hawn’s Bridge Peninsula issue, contact Kathy Gates, Secretary, The Coalition To Protect Hawn’s Bridge Peninsula, by sending email to: savehawnspeninsula@gmail.com or calling 814-386-7501.

(Photo: Hawn’s Bridge Peninsula at Raystown Lake.)

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