Pennsylvania Wilds Case Study Patricia Patrizi Ed Wilson Len Albright Michele Lempa OMG Center for Collaborative Learning December 1, 2009 Table of Contents I. Introduction......................................................................................................................... 3 The Purpose of this Paper and Approach ............................................................................. 5 Organization of the Paper ............................................................................................... 6 II. Social and Economic Background of the Pennsylvania Wilds ................................................. 6 The Connection between the Forests and the Economy ........................................................ 6 Today’s Economic Pressures: Fewer People and Fewer Opportunities .................................. 7 The Independence of the Pennsylvania Wilds....................................................................... 9 III. Emergence of the Pennsylvania Wilds: A Bipartisan History ................................................ 11 The Thinking behind the Pennsylvania Wilds Initiative ......................................................... 12 Roots in Cultural Heritage............................................................................................. 12 Moving beyond the Elk: A Plan for Expanded Recreation..................................................... 13 IV. Reforming a Bureaucracy: From Vision to the Hard Reality of Change................................. 14 Rethinking How an Agency Relates to the Public ................................................................ 14 Working around and with Bureaucracy............................................................................... 16 Transforming a State Agency and Its Bureaus .................................................................... 18 Where the Rubber Meets the Road................................................................................ 18 Bureau of State Parks .................................................................................................. 19 Bureau of Forestry ....................................................................................................... 20 V. The Strategy Behind the Pennsylvania Wilds...................................................................... 20 The Key to Economic Opportunity and Improved Stewardship: Building the Recreation Industry in the Pennsylvania Wilds ................................................................................................. 22 Challenges .................................................................................................................. 24 Staffing ....................................................................................................................... 24 Structure and Culture ................................................................................................... 25 The Need for Outdoor Recreation Business Development ............................................... 27 Engaging Communities..................................................................................................... 28 An Unprecedented State Initiative in an Often-Overlooked Region.................................... 28 Challenges .................................................................................................................. 31 The Pennsylvania Wilds’ Approach to Economic Development and Community Planning ....... 32 Branding and Marketing the Pennsylvania Wilds............................................................. 32 Challenges .................................................................................................................. 35 Business Development Assistance ................................................................................ 37 Challenges .................................................................................................................. 39 Community Planning & Design ...................................................................................... 40 VI. Key Investment Areas in the Pennsylvania Wilds ............................................................... 42 Forging a Strategy Linked to Community Development........................................................ 43 Promoting and Preserving the Majestic Elk Herd............................................................. 43 Capturing the Night Skies at Cherry Springs: An Entrepreneurial Park Manager Protects and Enhances a “Star-Gazers’ Paradise”.............................................................................. 45 1 Balancing World Class Recreation and Community Needs in Pine Creek Valley ................ 47 Clarion River Corridor and Allegheny National Forest...................................................... 50 Major Infrastructure Investments ....................................................................................... 54 Dynamic Leadership at Sinnemahoning State Park......................................................... 54 S.B. Elliott State Park and Bald Eagle State Park............................................................ 55 When a Tornado Strikes; Rebuilding the Kinzua Bridge Experience.................................. 58 Reclaiming an Environmental and Recreational Resource ................................................... 59 VII. Challenges, Conclusions, and Lessons Learned from the Pennsylvania Wilds..................... 61 Top Line Conclusions....................................................................................................... 61 Lessons Learned ............................................................................................................. 62 Issues of Strategy ........................................................................................................ 63 Issues of Implementation .............................................................................................. 65 Conclusions..................................................................................................................... 68 Appendix A: Grant Investments in the Pennsylvania Wilds....................................................... 69 Appendix B: Interviewees ..................................................................................................... 73 Appendix C. Public Landholdings in the Pennsylvania Wilds .................................................... 76 Appendix D. Study Design .................................................................................................... 78 2 I. Introduction “The Pennsylvania Wilds is an economic and community development initiative grounded in wise natural and cultural stewardship.” Governor Ed Rendell Early in his new administration, Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania designated a vast and undeveloped area of Pennsylvania as the “Pennsylvania Wilds.” This region encompasses 12 counties in the state and over 2 million acres of public lands, including 29 state parks, eight state forests, 50 state game lands, and the Allegheny National Forest. It is one of the most rural and sparsely populated regions of Pennsylvania, containing only 4.1 percent of the state’s population (slightly more than 1 million people).1 The nearly 2.1 million acres constitute almost a Pennsylvania Wilds Counties quarter of Pennsylvania’s land area and is Cameron Jefferson larger than nine U.S. states. Clarion Lycoming Clearfield McKean Those living in the Pennsylvania Wilds Clinton Potter and their ancestors have seen both the Elk Tioga Forest Warren boom and the bust of industrial development—with timber, railroads, and mining—and now live with more limited opportunities for economic growth. Over the past decade, these communities have experienced consistent decline in both population and income. A recent report on the economic impact of the Pennsylvania Wilds notes that from 2002 to 2006, “while the Commonwealth had net increases of about 6,800 businesses and 143,500 jobs, the Pennsylvania Wilds region actually had net decreases of about 250 businesses and 1,400 jobs.”2 In June 2009, six Pennsylvania Wilds counties had unemployment rates topping 10 percent, with one county nearing 15 percent and another exceeding 18 percent unemployment. 3 Nonetheless, it is fair to say that those who have stayed have good reasons to stay. The area is, in fact, magnificent. The region has what has been called an “outstanding natural resource base” and its mass of public land is the largest between New York and Chicago. Wildlife is abundant and varied: it is home to the largest elk herd in the northeastern part of the nation; bald eagles abound; river otters have been reintroduced. Water resources include many of the finest headwaters in the state. Scenic rivers include the Allegheny, the Clarion and the Pine Creek. 1 U.S. Census, 2007 population estimates. 2 Econsult Corporation. Pennsylvania Wilds Program Evaluation Report. Revised Draft Report, July 31, 2009. 3 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics website. http://www.bls.gov/ro3/palaus.htm. Accessed August 26, 2009. 3 These landholdings are comparable in scale and potential to national parks such as Yellowstone and the Great Smoky Mountains and are within a day’s drive of 50 million people, yet the Pennsylvania Wilds remains relatively unknown to those outside the immediate region. Rendell encountered the splendor and the economic challenges of the region in 2001 and 2002 during his campaign