On May 3, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn visited Moraine State Park in Butler County to tour the park and to call attention to the park’s infrastructure need, also highlighting how pandemic recovery funds could be used to address outdated facilities and public safety preparedness across the state.

“DCNR strives to maintain safe infrastructure on public lands and that requires investment in critical infrastructure,” Dunn said. “To that end, the use of recovery funds are key in addressing the infrastructure needs of our state forests and state parks as we work to serve the public and to maintain safe recreation opportunities to our visitors.”

Moraine has more than $20 million in infrastructure needs at the park including replacing and repairing sewage lines and pumping stations, roadway repaving, constructing of new comfort stations, replacing the bike rental concession building and public restrooms, and rehabilitating the docks and bulkheads at Davis Hollow Marina.

Dunn noted Gov. Tom Wolf’s $1.7 billion plan to help Pennsylvania recover from the COVID-19 pandemic includes designating $450 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars for conservation, recreation and preservation.

[There is also a bipartisan, two-bill package that would allocate $500 million from the same source to the Growing Greener Program that supports local environmental improvement projects and state park and forest infrastructure. Read more here.]

[On May 2, the Department of Revenue reported Pennsylvania collected $6.5 billion in General Fund revenue in April, which was $1.8 billion, or 38.7 percent, over estimate, and the most tax revenue ever collected in a single month.

[Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $40.7 billion, which is $4.5 billion, or 12.4 percent, above estimate.  Read more here.

[Over the last 17 years, the General Assembly has diverted over $3.6 billion in funding from environmental programs to fill the black hole that is the state budget. Many of those transfers were declared unconstitutional by the PA Supreme Court-- twice-- but they keep making them. Read more here.]

DCNR has a documented need of more than $1.4 billion for infrastructure repairs and improvements. Issues such as addressing wear and tear, extreme weather and climate change impacts, and a high demand for outdoor recreation require investments, which also allow incorporation of sustainable design and energy efficiency.

Pennsylvania made its last major injection of funding for conservation and outdoor recreation in 2005 with the Growing Greener II initiative, which funded hundreds of trail projects, conserved thousands of acres of threatened and open space and helped with hundreds of water projects to reduce pollution and flooding.

Statewide, outdoor recreation is a multibillion-dollar industry that directly supports 150,000 jobs.

[In April, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership released a new economic study which found outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania, including hunting and fishing, generated $58 billion in 2020—that’s 26 percent more than in 2016.

[The state’s wealth of natural resources and rich outdoor traditions also supported more than 430,000 jobs-- up 10 percent-- with Pennsylvanians earning $20 billion in salaries and wages. Read more here.]

For every dollar invested in state parks, $12.41 returns to the Commonwealth.

DCNR manages 121 state parks, 2.2 million acres of state forest lands, and is tasked with conserving and sustaining Pennsylvania’s natural resources for present and future generations’ use and enjoyment.

Full of gently rolling hills, lush forests, and sparkling waters, Moraine State Park disguises a land that has endured the effects of continental glaciers and massive mineral extraction.

The central feature of the park is the 3,225-acre Lake Arthur with 42 miles of shoreline. Each year, more than one million boaters, picnickers, hikers, bikers, horseback riders, cabin renters, and swimmers visit the 16,725-acre park, yet never realize that many people helped restore the park after prior coal mining and oil and gas drilling practices.

For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog,  Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

Related Articles This Week:

-- April State Revenues Highest Ever Collected - $1.8 Billion Higher Than Estimates; Never Been A Better Time To Invest In Local Conservation Projects

-- EPA Announces $40 Million From Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding For Chesapeake Bay Restoration; PA Receives $5.59 Million+ 

-- USDA Announces Additional $22.5 Million In Chesapeake Bay Restoration Funding

-- Bay Journal: EPA Ramps Up Clean Water Inspections After PA's Plan Fails To Meet Chesapeake Bay Water Pollution Reduction Goals - By Karl Blankenship, Chesapeake Bay Journal

-- DCNR, Agriculture Join Chesapeake Bay Commission Members At Planting In Lancaster County To Highlight Role Of Stream Buffers; Learn How To Buffer Your Stream

-- Lisa Daniels Now Serving As DEP’s Acting Deputy For Water Programs Overseeing Chesapeake Bay, Other Water-Related Initiatives

-- CBF, Stone Independent School To Plant Over 2,000 Trees In Lancaster, York Counties May 7, Volunteers Welcome

-- CBF Blog: Acid Mine Drainage - The Legacy Of Coal Mining A Key Source Of Harm To Pennsylvania's Headwaters

Related Articles - Budget:

-- Two Bipartisan Bills Just Sitting In Senate Waiting To Address Record Number Of Water Quality Impaired Streams Reported In 2022

-- WeConservePA Urges General Assembly, Gov. Wolf To Boost Conservation Investments - There Has Never Been A Better Time

[Posted: May 3, 2022]

5/9/2022