Outdoor enthusiasts have comments, questions
Serving diverse population a key focus; final plan expected by summer
Hikers, naturalists and other outdoors enthusiasts from Berks and Chester counties discussed balancing competing interests and needs to improve state parks in a public input session held recently Dec. 11 at French Creek State Park.
The session on Wednesday night was one of several held across the state for feedback on a draft state parks plan, the first in 20 years. About 30 people were there.
Comments are being accepted until Dec. 31 at www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/PennsParksforAll. The plan is expected to be final by summer, then groups at individual parks will create implementation plans.
Officials said the plan will set the direction for spending and conservation of the 295,000 acres in parks that draw about 39 million visits a year. They’ve already spent two years surveying 14,000 residents about what they want in their state parks.
The 47 recommendations in the draft plan flow from the opinions of those surveyed.
A phone survey focused on black and Latino residents, which were underrepresented in the online survey relative to the total population of Pennsylvania.
“What we tried to find was what people really care about and what does that mean for a change in the way we do business within state parks for the next 20 to 30 years,” said Paul Zeph, planning section chief at the Bureau of State Parks. “How should we change what we do. So what this is mostly focused on things that we want to do a little differently or thing that we havent’t done before.”
Zeph was asked about the interests of niche groups.
“In your survey how do you account for the diversity of smaller groups — that they may be a small group but they are residents of this state and they want the opportunity to go somewhere to do a particular thing?” an audience member asked. “How do we balance the desires of the equestrians with the mountain bikers and the desires of the people who drive all-terrain vehicles?”
Zeph said it is challenge. “Our system is diverse enough and has enough parks and enough places that we can limit activities in certain parks,” Zeph said. “We haven’t done as good a job at that historically.”
Some parks might be overdeveloped and might be returned to a more natural state, he said. Some parks are big enough to provide a variety of amenities and spread out visitors.
Since the last park plan in 2000, the state park system has grown by six parks and about 6,500 acres. Also, visitors have become more diverse.
The parks include the 3-acre Sand Bridge State Park in Union County to French Creek in Berks with 7,339 acres. The parks vary in age and amenities, too.
In the coming decades, Pennsylvania’s population
“What we tried to find was what people really care about and what does that mean for a change in the way we do business within state parks for the next 20 to 30 years.”
— Paul Zeph, planning section chief at the Bureau of State Parks.
is projected to continue to grow older and become more urban, the report noted. In addition, Latino, African American and Asian populations will contintue to increase in number and percentage, the report said.
Balancing diversity is part of the final plan.