Wildlife/Outdoors

State agencies planning for the future of Pa.’s outdoor recreation economy | Five for the Weekend

BY: - April 8, 2023

State agencies, including the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Department of Community and Economic Development, are joining forces to develop an Office of Outdoor Recreation, which "would be responsible for coordinating and synergizing among entities within and connected to state government to help align and support strategic initiatives, partnerships, policies, resources," according to DCNR.

Resolution for conservation corridors study to be reintroduced in House

BY: - February 1, 2023

It would assist state agencies, such as the Game Commission and Department of Transportation in their efforts to manage wildlife habitat, limit forest fragmentation, and plan connectivity and crossings, “as well as maintain and enhance Pennsylvania as one of the nation’s top destinations for outdoor recreation tourism,” the Jan. 30 memo reads.  

DCNR to host ‘first day’ hikes at Pa. state parks to boost health, foster connection to public lands

BY: - December 20, 2022

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) announced this week that it will host nearly 60 guided hikes in 34 state parks and three forest districts on New Year’s Day as part of the nationwide “First Day Hike” effort to promote a “healthy start in the new year.”

Pa. awards more than $12M in Chesapeake Bay cleanup grants to counties

BY: - December 14, 2022

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that it had awarded $12.2 million in 2023 Countywide Action Plan (CAP) Implementation Grants to 34 counties to reduce sediment and nutrient pollution in local waterways that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. 

DCNR to host grant application workshop

BY: - October 11, 2022

DCNR is accepting applications for its Community Conservation Grant Program through Oct. 27 with a new round of grants available to applicants beginning on January, 17, 2023. 

DCNR launches Pa. fall foliage report

BY: - September 29, 2022

On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources launched its annual fall foliage report, giving tourists - and residents - the ability to track changing foliage across the commonwealth and find the best spots for viewing the colorful leaves.

Wolf admin announces location for three new state parks

BY: - September 27, 2022

The Wolf administration announced in July that there would be three additions to the commonwealth’s state park system, bringing the total number of state parks from 121 to 124, but at the time, details about the locations of the parks were not yet public. 

Study: Drilling wastewater on Pa. roads dangerous to human health, environment

BY: - August 5, 2022

The state Department of Environmental Protection has not yet acted based on those findings but said that the study’s impact will be “immediate, large and intense.”

Pa. will add 3 new parks to state park system, Wolf admin. says

BY: - July 13, 2022

Gov. Tom Wolf made the announcement in a Tweet on Tuesday that the commonwealth will make its first addition to the commonwealth’s state park system since 2005, bringing the total number of state parks in Pennsylvania to 124. 

An acid mine drainage treatment system on Nanticoke Creek in Luzerne County, PA. New federal funding will allow more streams tainted by acid mine drainage to be restored. (PA Department of Environmental Protection photo)

State budget will give environmental efforts a funding boost, advocates, lawmakers say

BY: - July 12, 2022

The spending plan that the Republican-controlled General Assembly approved last week includes a $535,000 increase to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, $100 million to support the rehabilitation, repair, and development of parks and forest areas, and a $5 million increase to the Conservation District Fund, as well as $220 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to establish a clean streams fund.

To protect wildlife, SWPa lawmaker wants to take the air out of mass balloon releases

BY: - June 4, 2022

Violators could be hit with fines up to $100, according to the bill's sponsor, Rep. Matthew Dowling, R-Fayette, who says he's pursuing the legislation to protect the commonwealth's wildlife and livestock.

Study: Outdoor recreation spending in Pa. sees a boost in 2020 | The Numbers Racket

BY: - May 2, 2022

The study, which was conducted by Southwick Associates for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a national hunting, fishing, and conservation nonprofit, also found that statewide outdoor recreation spending totaled $58 billion in 2020.