State park system receives national award
OHIOPYLE – The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF) announced Tuesday that the Pennsylvania state park system, including Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County, has received the National Gold Medal Award for state parks. The gold medal, considered the highest honor for a state park system, is awarded every two years by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association.
“All Pennsylvanians should be proud of this achievement because, after all, our state parks belong to us,” PPFF President Marci Mowery said Tuesday. “The skills of our state park staff to be innovative and creative in managing our lands and reaching out to citizens and communities have been especially critical in these difficult economic times.”
According to Mowery, winners are determined by a panel of park professionals that examine applications submitted around the country and then narrow the field to five contestants.
John Hallas, manager of Ohiopyle State Park, said the state park system then has to submit a video and other materials for final consideration.
“It is a very competitive process,” Hallas said.
He said that in Ohiopyle, just as across the state, the goal is to find a balance between economic and environmental sustainability and that was one of the key relationships stressed by the committee that submitted the application for the award.
Mowery said that in 2008 alone, Ohiopyle State Park generated more than $19 million in local revenue and sustained more than 400 jobs while continuing to become a greener park by reducing energy usage and remaining environmental stewards.
Statewide, the park system hosted 33.6 million visitors who spent $738 million on their trips to state parks and helped sustain more than 8,000 jobs.
Hallas said that Ohiopyle State Park continues to grow and now encompasses nearly 21,000 acres, more than any other state park in Pennsylvania.
He said that as a result of new initiatives, park officials and Ohiopyle Borough Council members are working on a master plan to help join forces to enhance safety and accessibility to the park while conserving the beauty of the natural attraction and being mindful of the needs of residents.
Hallas said that because of the partnership, $1.3 million in road projects and sidewalk upgrades are under way in the borough and that a project for the rerouting and retooling of about a one-half-mile stretch of Route 381 is being explored.
“We were give a legacy of land conservation and now we are really connection people to the outdoors,” Hallas said. “We have recreation with a purpose.”
The PPFF is a nonprofit organization that supports Pennsylvania’s 117 state parks and 2.2 million acres of forest by coordinating volunteers, activities and donations to encourage recreation, healthier lifestyles, education, land acquisition, and natural and cultural resources.