HARRISBURG — In an ironic twist, Pennsylvania’s state park system — imperiled by 2009-2010 budget proposals — is one of four finalists for the 2009 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management.
Even as the park system receives national praise, state legislators are wrangling over a proposed budget that could slash funding for parks and result in the closing of 35 of the state’s 117 parks — including Raymond B. Winter, near Mifflinburg.
The state’s parks have become pawns in the give and take between political parties, the Legislature and the governor to produce a budget.
The state House Appropriations Committee on Monday rejected a $27.3 billion Senate Republican budget proposal that — like spending plan proposals from Democrats, including Gov. Ed Rendell — included deep cuts to programs. The budget deadline is June 30.
On Thursday, Rep. Russell Fairchild, R-85, of Lewisburg, said the state House and Senate are waiting for the governor to announce his cuts to balance his budget.
“Our hands are tied until he takes that step,” Fairchild said. “Once that’s in place, the process can begin.”
Fairchild said the Legislature will look over the governor’s proposed list of additions and deletions from his February budget proposal and negotiate for services such as state parks.
Fairchild was skeptical that the governor would close state parks.
“It’s running its course and backfiring on the governor,” he said of the uproar over the proposal to close a third of the state parks.
Despite the political maneuvering under way, state park and state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources employees are pleased that their work has received national attention.
“We’re doing innovative things,” said Chris Novak, DCNR spokeswoman. “We’re reaching out to young people, to people in the cities.
“Our staff is excellent. We owe a debt to the conservation leaders and visionaries who have gone on before us. We want to maintain and improve our parks. We want them to have a future.”
Novak said a video highlighting Pennsylvania’s programs is being prepared for submission to the National Recreation and Parks Association in advance of the award presentation next fall.
The Gold Medal Award is given by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association.
The winner will be announced at the association’s annual meeting in Utah in October. The other finalists are the state park systems in Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina.
The award honors excellence in long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development and professional development.
Pennsylvania has 117 state parks and three conservation areas. The system’s nearly 300,000 acres and 1,800 full- and part-time employees play host to more than 35 million visitors each year.
Some of DCNR’s new state park programs include the Get Outdoors PA program that offers hundreds of activities annually for people to learn about outdoor recreation such as kayaking, fishing and hiking, and learn about how we protect our natural resources, their role and why they should care.
To increase exposure to natural experiences for children in urban areas, the Bureau of State Parks teamed up with city parks and recreation programs and youth organizations to create the Adventure Camp program for teens. More than 150 kids attended camp in eight metropolitan areas last summer.
DCNR launched a green parks initiative in 2007 to address climate change and energy consumption in parks. The goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of parks by 20 percent over the next five years.
Construction is under way on the system’s first nature inn at Bald Eagle State Park, to expand overnight accommodations and attract new visitors.
“We see ourselves not only as land protectors and recreation providers, but also as a model of best practices, conservation advocates, and educators of our future stewards,” John Quigley, acting secretary of DCNR, said Thursday.
News
Related Photos
-
Matthew Harris/The Daily Item
Discussion
Threatened state parks up for honors
- News
-
-
Cases involving gas station drug sales advance to Montour County Court
DANVILLE – Three people charged with selling heroin and Oxycotin tablets during two separate transactions at a convenience store lot Jan. 2 will face court action.
-
Danville school options aired with borough council
DANVILLE — After borough officials pledged to work with school officials toward a decision on the flood-damaged middle school, council members voted not to give or sell any farmland it owns. The purpose of the unanimous action by the council Tuesday night was so the district knows that rumored option to move the school won’t happen. The borough owns a farm across from the Danville Primary School.
-
Five watershed projects receive $873,000 in state funding
NORTHUMBERLAND -- Five Valley watershed projects will get nearly $873,000 from the state Department of Environmental Protection, which announced funding for 73 projects to improve watersheds, stormwater runoff, acid mine drainage and educational programs, among other environmental efforts.
-
Dispute turns into gun threat, troopers say
After an argument in which his wife threatened divorce, William Warren Woolsey, 36, grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and told her to meet him in the bedroom, saying he would kill himself, state police at Milton said.
-
Mom allegedly beat toddlers with brush
MIFFLINBURG -- A 22-year-old Mifflinburg mother has been charged with beating her two toddlers with a hairbrush until they bled from abrasions all over their faces and bodies, state police at Milton said. The abuse came to light when Brittany Morgan Sullivan's parents came home and found the wounds on their grandchildren, according to police.
-
Commissioners give disabled Sunburian a chance
SUNBURY -- A 22-year-old disabled man asked the Northumberland County commissioners a life-changing question last week. "Can I have a job?" Giuseppe Bua, of Sunbury, was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a genetic disorder in which bones break easily. Sometimes the bones break for no known reason. The disorder also can cause weak muscles, brittle teeth, a curved spine and hearing loss.
-
Trucking firm to add 25 drivers
MILTON -- The president of Watsontown Trucking Co. said Tuesday that his firm will be hiring 25 truck drivers in addition to several diesel technician and management positions, all due to expansion. President Steve Patton said the company, which has been in the Milton Industrial Park since 2004, bought 14 additional acres in the park, adding 10,000 square feet of office space and maintenance facilities. Construction on the new space, he said, will begin shortly and is targeted to be completed by June.
-
Mayor wants trucks to help fund roads
SUNBURY -- Mayor David Persing is frustrated with truck traffic entering the former Celotex site on North Front Street, and he wants to do something about it. Charge an impact fee. Gas companies have paid millions to repair roads damaged by trucks in the Marcellus shale region, and Persing wants to levy a fee to compensate the city for damage to roads caused by trucks hauling drilling waste through the city. About $25 per truck per visit, he said.
-
18-year-old dies in truck crash on Routes 11-15
LIVERPOOL -- An 18-year old Selinsgrove man was killed when his pickup truck collided with a tractor-trailer on Routes 11-15 in Perry County.
-
Reactions to budget plan mixed
SUNBURY -- Reaction to Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2012-2013 budget came from all directions Tuesday.
-
Proposal alters school funding
HARRISBURG -- Gov. Tom Corbett has proposed steady funding for K-12 basic education in his $27.1 billion budget for 2012-13. But how school districts get their money will change as four line items will be combined into one block grant for most basic education funding. That has made for some debate about any actual increase to basic education.
-
High school roundup: Rosini pin lifts Ironmen over Tigers
DANVILLE -- Steven Rosini's pin over Connor Houseknecht in 37 seconds in the final bout of the day at 132 pounds prevented disaster for Danville as the Ironmen pulled out a 40-36 Heartland Athletic Conference crossover victory on Tuesday.
- More News Headlines
-
Cases involving gas station drug sales advance to Montour County Court
