i HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA'S STATE PARKS 1984 to 2015 By William C. Forrey Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Office of Parks and Forestry Bureau of State Parks Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Copyright © 2017 – 1st edition ii iii Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................. vii CHAPTER I: The History of Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks… 1980s ............................................................ 1 CHAPTER II: 1990s - State Parks 2000, 100th Anniversary, and Key 93 ............................................................. 13 CHAPTER III: 21st CENTURY - Growing Greener and State Park Improvements ............................................... 27 About the Author .............................................................................................................................................. 58 APPENDIX .......................................................................................................................................................... 60 TABLE 1: Pennsylvania State Parks Directors ................................................................................................ 61 TABLE 2: Department Leadership .................................................................................................................. 62 TABLE 3: Pennsylvania State Parks Opening Dates ....................................................................................... 63 TABLE 4: State Parks and State Park Facilities Officially Named After Persons ........................................... 65 TABLE 5: Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks - Annual Attendance ............................................................. 69 TABLE 6: Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks - Personnel Complements..................................................... 70 TABLE 7: Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks Budget Expenditures – General Fund and Other .................. 71 TABLE 8: Pennsylvania State Parks: Acreage Summary ................................................................................ 72 TABLE 9: Bureau of State Parks Awards ........................................................................................................ 74 Director’s Award ........................................................................................................................................ 75 Administrative Assistant Award ................................................................................................................ 76 Bureau Award ............................................................................................................................................ 77 Park Ranger Award .................................................................................................................................... 78 Park Maintenance Supervisor Award ........................................................................................................ 79 Louis Ritrovato Environmental Education Award ..................................................................................... 80 Conservation Volunteer of the Year Awards ............................................................................................. 81 Special Award ............................................................................................................................................ 82 TABLE 10: Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation Awards .......................................................................... 83 Cliff Jones Keystone Legacy Award ............................................................................................................ 84 Joseph Ibberson Government Award ........................................................................................................ 84 State Park of the Year Award .................................................................................................................... 85 State Forest of the Year Award ................................................................................................................. 85 Volunteerism Award .................................................................................................................................. 86 Improvement Award ................................................................................................................................. 86 Education Award ....................................................................................................................................... 86 President’s Award...................................................................................................................................... 87 Young Volunteer Award ............................................................................................................................ 87 iv TABLE 11: Pennsylvania Envirothon – State Competitions ........................................................................... 88 TABLE 12: Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks – Original Four Region Organization ................................... 89 TABLE 13: Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks – Five Region Reorganization.............................................. 90 TABLE 14: State Parks Acquired and/or Completed during M. K. Goddard’s 24 –Year Tenure .................... 91 TABLE 15: Pennsylvania State Parks Special Resource Management Areas ................................................. 93 Natural Areas ............................................................................................................................................. 93 Special Management Areas ....................................................................................................................... 93 TABLE 16: Pennsylvania State Parks Derived from State Forest Land .......................................................... 94 TABLE 17: Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation Chapters and Associates ........................................ 95 Chapters .................................................................................................................................................... 95 Associates .................................................................................................................................................. 96 Index of Names .............................................................................................................................................. 97 Index of Photographs .................................................................................................................................. 101 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writer expresses his appreciation to his colleagues who gave guidance, suggestions, and constructive criticism throughout the several years of accumulating the history of the Bureau of State Parks: Cindy Adams Dunn, Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources; John Norbeck, Deputy Secretary of Parks and Forestry;; John Hallas, Director, and Ryan Dysinger, Assistant Director for the Bureau of State Parks; Bureau of State Parks staff members Beth Grove, Matt Azeles, Rex Lord, Ryan Dysinger, Dave Sariano, Tamara Peffer, Jeff Johns, Burt Ellsworth, and Terri Kromel; DCNR staff members Joe Graci and Al Thomas; and Bureau of State Parks retirees George Kaufman, Bob Barth, Maxine Harrison, Greg Sassaman, Jack Graham, Vanyla Tierney, and David Kemmerer, former Director, Bureau of State Parks, and Lori Nygard former Assistant Director. In addition, several persons with a vast knowledge of Pennsylvania’s state parks gave their expertise in reviewing the document. They are Marci Mowery, President, Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation; Ken Wolensky, noted author and historian; and Peter S. Duncan III, former Secretary of Environmental Resources. Special acknowledgment is given to Tamara Peffer and Linda White for their proofreading and editorial skills, and Brad Schultz for the cover graphics and photo editing. Barbara Wagner, Department of Environmental Protection, Document Design Section, was responsible for final formatting. vi INTRODUCTION The Pennsylvania State Park System began in 1893 when the Pennsylvania legislature authorized the acquisition of land for Valley Forge. It continued to grow and expand from one unit to 120 units, and from 250 acres to almost 300,000 acres of land by 2015. A previous book entitled History of Pennsylvania’s State Parks was authored by William C. Forrey and covered the years 1893 to 1983. This book is a continuation of the Pennsylvania State Park history from 1984 to 2015. In the United States, all 50 states operate and maintain state park systems. Attendance continues to increase and opportunities for outdoor recreation are offered in more variety than ever. At the same time, more services are provided, such as cabin and campsite reservations, guided hikes and bicycle tours, water trails, long distance hiking trails and many environmental education programs. Friends groups have been established in many state parks and are providing outstanding assistance in helping to maintain and expand services to state park visitors. In the National Association of State Park Directors annual report for 2012-2013, statistics