June 19, 2014
Dear Member of the General Assembly,
We, the undersigned business leaders, educators, elected officials, and organizations, strongly urge you to protect general and special fund sources in the 2014-2015 Fiscal Year budget for conservation, recreation, and preservation programs critical to the protection of our land, water and heritage.
We recognize the budget challenges currently facing the Commonwealth and ask for your leadership in addressing these challenges without sacrificing core programs that contribute so much to the economic health and overall well being of Pennsylvania communities.
We oppose cuts that reduce or eliminate General Fund appropriations to programs that protect our land, water, and heritage – like the Heritage Areas Program.
And while no specific proposals currently threaten the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, the Growing Greener Environmental Stewardship Fund, farmland preservation, and the historic preservation tax credit, we want to emphasize the importance of keeping intact these special funds and the investments they make for all Pennsylvania communities.
Now more than ever, Pennsylvania needs to strengthen its investment in local efforts to protect our open space, preserve our family farms, support parks and recreation, and preserve our historic and cultural sites.
Pennsylvania communities have had to endure significant cuts to several programs in the past. If we hope to make real progress in tackling the many environmental challenges facing Pennsylvania, now is the time to step up our commitment to programs that protect land and water.
Consider that:
- The Commonwealth has 19,000 miles of rivers and streams that do not meet basic water quality standards.
- More than 2,000 family farms remain on the statewide list for preservation.
- Pennsylvania continues to lose more forest, wildlife habitat, farmland and other open spaces to development than we are able to preserve.
- Abandoned mines still scar almost 220,000 acres across the Commonwealth and are the cause of more than 5,000 miles of dead streams.
The investments made by the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, the Growing Greener Environmental Stewardship Fund, farmland preservation, and historic preservation programs in conservation, recreation, and preservation are proven to bolster the economy. For example, a Trust for Public Land study on the Keystone Fund found that for every $1 invested in land and water conservation, $7 in natural goods and services is returned to the state of Pennsylvania.
Moreover, investments in parks and open space add billions of dollars to property values and help support Pennsylvania’s tourism and recreation industry. A report by the Outdoor Industry Association indicates that outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania generates $1.6 billion in state and local tax revenue and supports 219,000 direct Pennsylvania jobs.
Lastly, polls show strong, consistent public support for programs that improve our quality of life, boost the economy and protect the environment throughout Pennsylvania. The Growing Greener Environment Stewardship Fund, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, and the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, which just passed its 20th anniversary, have enjoyed strong, support from voters, legislators and governors since the beginning.
A survey released June 3rd by Penn State found that more than 97.4 percent of Pennsylvanians surveyed think that state funds dedicated to protecting rivers and streams; conserving open space, forests, natural areas and wildlife habitats; providing parks and trails, and preserving farmland should continue to be used for these purposes. This figure represented strong bi-partisan support, and is up by five percentage points since 2012.
The survey also found that more than three-quarters of respondents – 82.6 percent – would support increasing state funds to address these issues, even if it would cost the average household $10 more annually. This figure is up from 77.7 percent in 2012.
The people of Pennsylvania clearly feel that these programs hold value and must not be diminished.
The General Assembly rightly rescued the Heritage Areas Program last year, and we urge you to restore this program and provide $3 million in funding for the program this year. It is a valuable program that creates jobs and brings business to the region, which generates hundreds of millions of dollars in state revenues.
We recognize the challenges ahead and look forward to working with you to ensure that funding for programs that protect our open space, preserve our family farms, support our parks and trails, and safeguard our historic treasures remains intact.
Thank you.
LeeAnn Murray, Assistant Director
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
(717) 234-5550
Jane Sheffield, President
HeritagePA
(814) 940-1922
Karen Martynick, Executive Director
Lancaster Farmland Trust
(717) 687-8484
Andrew Heath, Executive Director
Pennsylvania Growing Greener Coalition
(717) 824-2281
Andy Loza, Executive Director
Pennsylvania Land Trust Association
(717) 230-8560
Mindy Crawford, Executive Director
Preservation Pennsylvania
(717) 234-2310
SIGNATORIES
Doug Wendell, Director
Abington Parks & Recreation
David Swope, President
Adams County Trout Unlimited Chapter 323
Christopher J. Beichner, President & CEO
Allegheny Land Trust
George Kutskel, President
Allegheny Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited
Jane Sheffield, President
Allegheny Ridge Corp.
Bill Weller, President
Allegheny Valley Trails Association
Jim Baird, Mid Atlantic Director
American Farmland Trust
Liz Deardorff, Director
American Rivers
Mark Zakutansky, Mid-Atlantic Policy Manager
Appalachian Mountain Club
Karen Lutz, Regional Director
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Joseph Simon, Council President
Archbald Borough, Lackawanna County
Phil Wallis, Executive Director
Audubon Pennsylvania
Jim Bonner, Executive Director
Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania
Timothy P. Ishman, Director
Beaver County Recreation & Tourism
John Spiegel, Secretary
Bedminster Regional Land Conservancy
Kristina M. DeSenze, Environmental Attorney
Berman & Asbel, LLP
Joe Stafford, Executive Director
Bicycle Access Council
Sarah Clark Stuart, Deputy Director & Chair
Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia & Circuit Coalition
Randy Bitting, President
Bitting Recreation, Inc.
Janis Long
Blacklick Creek Watershed Association
Christopher Clouser, President
BluAcres, LLC
Sherri Evans-Stanton, Director
Brandywine Conservancy
James E. Jordan, Jr., Executive Director
Brandywine Valley Association
Delores J. Columbus, Executive Director
Cambria County Conservation & Recreation Authority
Patrick Kelley, Manager
Carnegie Carbons Ltd.
Susan Moon, Secretary & Treasurer
Casselman River Watershed Association, Inc.
Anna N. Yelk, Executive Director
Central Pennsylvania Conservancy
Ernie Shumbat, President
Central PA Sleds and Treads
Pete Schempf, President
Centre County Farmland Trust
LeeAnn Murray, Assistant Director
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Bryan Hutchinson, President
Chester Co. Citizens for Climate Protection
Aimee Erickson, Executive Director
Citizens Coal Council
Cindy Dunn, President & CEO
Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future
Ken Kulak, Councilman
City of Monongahela
Jennifer Shuey, Executive Director
ClearWater Conservancy
Clifford David, President & CEO
Conservation Economics
Christopher Clouser, Director of Technical Services
Conservation Lands, LLC
Scott Douglas, President
Cooks Creek Watershed Association
Debra Frawley, Coordinator
Council on Greenways & Trails
Robert Hopkins, Chair
Crawford County Agricultural Land Preservation Board
Christine Lauriello, President
Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club
Elissa M. Garofalo, President & Executive Director
Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Inc.
Brian Winslow, Executive Director
The Delaware Nature Society
Daniel Germain, President
DDP Minerals, Inc.
Paul Battaglini, President
East Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners
Robert E. Hughes, Executive Director
Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation
Sara Jane Elk, President & CEO
Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
B. Scott Fiegel, Director
Ecological Associates, LLC
W. Anthony Riley, M.D., President
Eden Hill Conservancy
Peter Haentjens
EMARR, Inc.
Frank Oliver, President
Endless Mountains Heritage Region, Inc.
Cindy Rogers, President
Evergreen Conservancy
Sean P. Kenny, Executive Director
Farm & Natural Lands Trust of York County
Heather D. Fowler, Watershed Coordinator
Fayette County Conservation District
Christine A. Buckelew, President
Fayette County Historical Society
Valerie Lambert, President
Five Star Trail
Dennis Stagle, President
Fredericktown Area Chamber of Commerce
Pam Brown, Conservation Director
French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust
Phillip Swank, President
French Azilum, Inc.
Beth Reseter, Treasurer
Friendship Hill Association
Dwight Washabaugh, President
Fulton County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism
Paul Garrett
Green-CAUSE
Bradley Eisiminger, Chairman
Greene County Conservation District
Terri Davin, President
Greene County Watershed Alliance
Barry Lewis, Executive Director
GreenTreks Network
Jason C. Robinson, President
Harrisburg River Rescue and Emergency Services
Andy Patterson, Director Manager
Huntingdon County Conservation District
Victoria E. Michaels, Executive Director
Independence Conservancy
Jeri E. Stumpf, President
Jeri E. Stumpf & Associates, Inc.
Laura Jackson, President
Stan Kotala, Conservation Chair
Juniata Valley Audubon Society
Fran Calpin, Sr. Director of College Relations
Keystone College
Alan Laick, Owner
Laick Design
Tom Fuhrman, President
Lake Erie Region Conservancy
Craig Lehman, Commissioner
Lancaster County
Gene Garber, Chair
Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board
Mike Burcin, CEO/COO
Lancaster County Conservancy
Karen Martynick, Executive Director
Lancaster Farmland Trust
Gwendolyn Lacy, Esq., Executive Director
Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County
Norma L. Calhoun, President
Land Conservancy of Adams County
Ronald W. Virag, President & CEO
Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau
Natalie Gelb, Executive Director
Lackawanna Heritage Valley National & State Heritage Areas
Jo Ellen Litz, Commissioner
Lebanon County
Angie Foltz, Program Specialist
Lebanon County Agricultural Land Preservation Board
Stephanie Harmon, Water Specialist
Lebanon County Conservation District
Pat Krebs, President
Lebanon Valley Bicycle Coalition
Sheila Wartluft, Board President
The Lebanon Valley Conservancy, Inc.
Christine Tomsey, Board Member
Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor
Olga Herbert, Executive Director
Christine Tomsey, Board Member
Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor
Bill Anderson, President
Little Juniata River Association
Susan Huba, Executive Director
Loyalhanna Watershed Association
Robert W. Genter, Director
Mackin Engineering Company
Sally Zaino, Director of Preservation
The Manada Conservancy
Heather Cuyler Jerry, Director
Marshall Township Parks & Recreation
Pat McInerney, President
Martins-Jacoby Watershed Association
Cathy McCollom, Principal
McCollom Development Strategies LLC
Michele Adams, PE President
Meliora Design
Geoff Goodenow, Coordinator
Merrill Linn Land & Waterways Conservancy
Jay Salyers, Senior V.P.
Miles
Dulcie Flaharty, Executive Director
Montgomery County Lands Trust
Trevor S. Finn, Commissioner
John J. Gerst, Commissioner
Jerry R. Ward, Commissioner
Montour County
Evelyn Koppel
The Mount Gretna Bird Club
John Hook, President
Mount Nittany Conservancy
Cassandra Vivian
Mount Pleasant Glass Museum
Beverly Braverman, Executive Director
Mountain Watershed Association
Donna Holdorf, Executive Director
National Road Heritage Corridor
Molly Morrison, President
Natural Lands Trust
Melinda Hughes-Wert, President
Nature Abounds
Margaret McCarvill, Board President
Neighborhood Gardens Trust
Bill Moul, President
North Area Environmental Council
Joy Knapp, Co-Chair
Steve Porter, Co-Chair
Northwest Pennsylvania Green Economy Task Force
John R. Phillips, II, President and CEO
Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism
Molly Duffy, Esq.
Open Land Conservancy of Chester County
Christina Voorhees, President
PA Chapter of the Wildlife Society
David Masur, Director
PennEnvironment
Andrea Ferich, Executive Director
Penns Valley Conservation Association
Edward J, McCrea, President
Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators
Rev. Sandra Strauss, Director of Public Advocacy
Pennsylvania Council of Churches
Brian Wagner, President
Pennsylvania Council Trout Unlimited
Davitt Woodwell, Executive Vice President
Pennsylvania Environmental Council
Matt Knepper, President
Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Association
Larry Williamson, Chairman
Andrew Heath, Executive Director
Pennsylvania Growing Greener Coalition
Andy Loza, Executive Director
Pennsylvania Land Trust Association
Stan Stubbe, President
Pennsylvania Outdoor Lighting Council
Marci Mowery, President
Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
Karen Burke, Executive Director
Doug Knauss, Government Affairs Chair
Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society
Elizabeth Krug, Board President
Pennsylvania State Snowmobile Association
Scott R. Becker, Executive Director
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
David J. Robertson, Ph.D., Executive Director
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
Norene Halvonik, Treasurer
The Perryopolis Parks & Recreation Authority
Lauren Bornfriend, Executive Director
Philadelphia Parks Alliance
Ingrid E. Morning, President
Pine Creek Valley Watershed Association, Inc.
Meg Cheever, President & CEO
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
Dawn Gorham, Executive Director
Pocono Heritage Land Trust
Carl Ables, Mayor
Patrick Kelley, Borough Council
Point Marion Borough
Victoria Evans, Chairwoman
Point Marion Parks Commission
Larry Reseter, Treasurer
Point Marion Rotary
Caroline E. Boyce, Executive Director
Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia
Mindy Crawford, Executive Director
Preservation Pennsylvania
Sharon Martin, Executive Director
Radnor Conservancy
Deb McNamara, Program Manager
Rail-Trail Council of NEPA
Daniel T. Visnauskas, President
Real Estate Recovery Services, Inc.
James E. Jordan, Jr., Executive Director
Red Clay Valley Association
Leslie Pierce, Manager
Regional Trail Corporation
Patrick Kelley, Manager
Resource Land Group, LLC
Barb Jarmoska, Treasurer
Responsible Drilling Alliance
Augie Carlino, President & CEO
Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation
Emily Buka, Executive Director
Riverside Center for Innovation
John Makosky, President
Scagburners Snowmobile Club in Central Pa
Linda Stephens, Secretary & Treasurer
Schuylkill County Conservancy
Kurt D. Zwikl, Executive Director
Schuylkill River National & State Heritage Area
Linda S. Sieber, Chair
Shermans Creek Conservation Association, Inc.
Todd A. Zeigler, Manager
Shrewsbury Township, York County
Kristy A. Owens, Manager
Silver Spring Township Parks & Recreation
Robert Merrill, Chair
Society of American Foresters, PA Division
James Moses, President
Somerset County Conservancy
Ellie Hyde, Chair
The South Branch Tunkhannock Creek Watershed Coalition
Richard Terry, President
Southeast Montgomery County Trout Unlimited
Ed Lawver, Secretary & Treasurer
Southern Potter Snowmobile Club
Lisa Minardi, President
The Speaker’s House
Judi Sittler, Chair
Spring Creek Watershed Association
Mark N. Platts, President
Susquehanna Gateway Heritage Area
Trish Carothers, Executive Director
Susquehanna Greenway Partnership
Court Gould, Executive Director
Sustainable Pittsburgh
Ron Ramsey, Sr. Policy Advisor
The Nature Conservancy, PA Chapter
Karen Budd, Trustee
Jim Engel, Executive Director
Tinicum Conservancy
Ed Camelli, President
Trail Creek Outfitters
Mary Schorse, Managing Director
The Tropical Re-Leaf Foundation
Anthony Cucchi, PA/NJ State Director
The Trust for Public Land
April L. Temple, Executive Director
The Trust for Tomorrow
Thomas D. Saunders, President & CEO
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Ron Rohall, Board of Directors Chairman
Westmoreland Conservation District
Ted Kopas, Commissioner
Westmoreland County
Christopher Kocher, President
Wildlands Conservancy
Jeanne B. Van Alen, Executive Director
Willistown Conservation Trust
Christopher Reilly, Commissioner
York County
Carl Knoch, Chairman
York County Rail Trail Authority
