The agenda for the July 24 DCNR Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council includes presentations on the proposed Penn’s Parks For All Strategic Draft Plan and the plan for making up lands lost to drilling in State Forests.

Penn’s Parks For All Draft Plan

In 2017, DCNR launched the Penn’s Parks for All Initiative to ensure Pennsylvania’s award-winning state park system will remain as relevant and valuable to future generations as it has been to current and past generations.

Among the questions asked in the planning process and in a public survey were--

-- Should we change the current outdoor recreation opportunities or experiences?

-- Should we enhance overnight accommodations in our state parks?

-- How should we pay for our state parks?

-- How can we protect our state parks?

-- Should we provide more modern conveniences within state parks?

-- How is visitor satisfaction with park services and facilities?

-- How appropriate are certain facilities and activities in our state parks?

Paul Zeph, Bureau of State Parks, will present the Penn’s Parks For all Strategic Plan draft to the Council for discussion.

Replacing Lands Lost To Drilling

In May, DCNR invited public comments on a draft Environmental Assessment recommending the recreational value of State Forest land lost when it was leased those lands for drilling from 2008 to 2011 be replaced with land it is purchasing in Chester County.

DCNR estimates 138.37 acres of land used for natural gas development in State Forests-- 17 natural gas drilling well pad sites, field compressor stations and 2 associated roads-- and bought with federal Land and Water Conservation Fund money has lost it recreational value.

Under the terms of the Land and Water Conservation Fund purchases, that value must be replaced and approved by the National Park Service.

As part of the public comment process, the PA Environmental Defense Foundation advised DCNR that in its opinion the replacement proposal does not meet DCNR’s obligations under the Environmental Rights Amendment.

Tom Ford, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, will give a presentation on Land and Water Conservation Fund conversions.

Also on the agenda is a discussion of DCNR’s 2019-20 budget and a report by DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn.

The meeting will be held in Room 105 of the Rachel Carson Building starting at 10:00.

For more information and available handouts, visit the DCNR Conservation and Natural Resources Advisory Council webpage.  Questions should be directed to Gretchen Leslie, 717-772-9084, gleslie@pa.gov.

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[Posted: July 19, 2019]

7/22/2019