The following editorial first appeared in the Scranton Times October 1, 2022--

Throughout its history, Pennsylvania uniquely has been endowed with visionaries, from religious freedom advocate William Penn, to Benjamin Franklin and his fellow Founders who launched the American democratic experiment in Philadelphia, to environmentalist Maurice K. Goddard.

Succeeding leaders have not always honored those visionaries’ dreams. Some, for example, try to restrict, rather than ensure, broad religious freedom and voting rights that undergird the republic.

The state has been far more consistent, however, in honoring Goddard’s legacy.

Following World War II, as secretary of the Department of Forests and Waters, and later as secretary of the Department of Environmental Resources, he laid out an audacious proposal to vastly expand the state park system so that at least one would be within 25 miles of every Pennsylvania residence.

The state did not reach that goal during his lifetime. But it added 45 parks before he left office in 1979, and more by the time of his death, at 83, in 1995.

Today Pennsylvania has one of the nation’s largest state park systems, with 121 parks covering more than 300,000 acres, and more than 2.2 million acres of state forests.

Pennsylvania residents have embraced Goddard’s legacy. The parks hosted more than 41 million visitors in 2021, demonstrating the parks’ value as refuges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recognizing that public support, the Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf have committed $695 million in federal pandemic recovery funds to improve state parks.

And now, the administration has announced the creation of three new state parks, including the first in Wyoming County.

The state will acquire the 669-acre Howland Preserve, just west of Tunkhannock, from the North Branch Land Trust, to become Vosburg Neck State Park.

It’s a tremendous development for Northeast Pennsylvania that ensures long-term preservation and public access to the land along the Susquehanna River.

The state also will acquire 1,700 acres in Chester County, and 1,100 acres in York County to create two more state parks, raising the state total to 124.

The acquisitions tie modern Pennsylvania to its Penn’s Woods legacy, honor the work of an environmental visionary, and ensure a Pennsylvania connected to nature far into the future.

[Learn more about Maurice Goddard’s accomplishments by visiting the PA Conservation Heritage Project website.]

Related Articles:

-- Gov. Wolf Celebrates Creation Of 3 New State Parks In Chester, Wyoming And York Counties  [PaEN]

-- DCNR Celebrates Addition Of New State Park In Chester County

-- DCNR Celebrates Addition Of First State Park In Wyoming County

-- WeConservePA: New Vosburg Neck State Park Highlights Partnership Between North Branch Land Trust, DCNR

-- WeConservePA: New Big Elk Creek State Park Realized In Partnership With The Conservation Fund, And Others

-- LancasterOnline - Ad Crable: How The New State Park In York County Was Secured By The Lancaster Conservancy

-- Bay Journal: Pennsylvania Creates 3 New State Parks In Chesapeake Bay Watershed - By Ad Crable

Related Articles This Week:

-- Northeast PA Environmental Partners Announce Award Recipients, Recognition Dinner Nov. 3  [PaEN]

-- Sand County Foundation Announces PA Finalists For Leopold Farm Conservation Award  [PaEN]

-- Stroud Water Research Center Honors Dr. Michael E. Mann, Climate Scientist & Author, At The Water's Edge Gala On Nov. 3  [PaEN]

[Posted: October 1, 2022]

10/3/2022