HARRISBURG, PA — The Shapiro Administration is widening its push to make Pennsylvania’s parks, forests, and outdoor economy a cornerstone of community life and local growth, rolling out new planning efforts at Presque Isle, long-term partnerships in the PA Wilds, a fully funded urban tree program, leadership changes in key state park complexes, and a call for citizens to help steer wildlife policy.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is beginning a 25-year master plan for the Presque Isle State Park Complex in Erie County and asking the public to weigh in on what the next generation of recreation and conservation should look like along Pennsylvania’s only “seashore.” The plan covers Presque Isle State Park, the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, and Erie Bluffs State Park.
“We see an average of 4 million visits to Presque Isle and Erie Bluffs each year and we know these are special places for the region and beyond,” State Parks Director John Hallas said. “Public participation is key to this process, and we are eager to hear from the public to help shape the future of these wonderful conservation spaces.”
DCNR is collecting background information, conducting studies and analysis of the parks, and inviting the public to complete a 10-minute digital survey about their experiences, priorities, and ideas. Survey feedback will guide the master plan, which will serve as a roadmap for the next quarter century, balancing natural resource protection with recreation and tourism. Public engagement meetings are expected to begin in late winter 2026, with details to be announced.
Presque Isle offers a Lake Erie shoreline and a wide range of activities, including swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, bicycling, and in-line skating. The Tom Ridge Environmental Center serves as a research and education hub for the park’s 3,200 acres and diverse wildlife. Erie Bluffs, a 587-acre state park, is known for its forested wetlands, sand barren ecosystems, 90-foot bluffs above Lake Erie, and steelhead fishing in Elk Creek.
The long-term planning effort comes as Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposes a $13 million increase for DCNR to support safe, accessible parks, the addition of Pennsylvania’s 125th state park in 2026, and $5 million to support 12 heritage areas facing federal funding cuts. The plan also invests $4.5 million to combat invasive pests and plants.
DCNR And PA Wilds Center Lock In 35-Year Partnership
In northcentral Pennsylvania, DCNR has approved a 35-year lease allowing the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship to continue operating PA Wilds Conservation Shops at Kinzua Bridge and Leonard Harrison state parks. The long-term agreement ties outdoor tourism directly to the region’s rural small businesses.
The shops source about 90 percent of their products from small businesses in the PA Wilds region, giving rural makers broader access to customers at high-traffic parks and online through shop.pawilds.com. Since opening the first shop at Kinzua Bridge in 2016, followed by Leonard Harrison in 2024 and a location on the Knox-Kane Rail Trail, PA Wilds Conservation Shops have generated more than $3.4 million in sales.
“We are grateful to Governor Shapiro and his Administration for making this happen for our organization and mission and our growing network of rural small businesses,” PA Wilds Center CEO Ta Enos said. “Thirty-five year leases are a big deal. They give small businesses, community partners, current and future employees, and funders the confidence to invest with us because they know what we’re building is here to stay.”
About half of the sales revenue flows directly back to the small businesses that supply the shops; the remainder supports store operations and jobs. Under the lease, the PA Wilds Center will invest $200,000 in park improvements and is exploring additional shops in the region, along with a nonprofit gift shop model other communities might replicate.
DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn called the arrangement a model public-private collaboration in the Pennsylvania Wilds, a 13-county region anchored by 29 state parks and 8 state forests. She said the lease extends DCNR’s ability to serve visitors, strengthen local economies, and link conservation with community revitalization.
New Tree Program Covers Full Cost Of Urban Projects
The administration is also targeting tree canopy and urban forests with a new program aimed at eliminating cost barriers for communities.
Backed by $1.8 million in funding for 2026, DCNR’s PA Community Tree Assistance Program will cover the full cost of eligible tree projects — from planting to pruning to hazard removal — for municipalities, neighborhoods, and nonprofits. Instead of providing grants that require local matches, the department will directly hire and pay pre-qualified arborists, foresters, and landscape professionals.
“Healthy trees create healthy communities, and Governor Shapiro is investing in programs that expand access to the benefits trees provide,” Dunn said. “By covering the costs of planting, maintenance, and long-term planning, we’re making it possible for every community to build a safe, vibrant, and resilient urban forest.”
Eligible projects can include planting and maintaining new trees, pruning existing trees, conducting tree inventories, developing long-term management plans, and inspecting and addressing tree hazards in public or community spaces such as parks, streets, school grounds, or cemeteries. Typical project sizes range from $5,000 to $50,000, and smaller communities are encouraged to pool needs and apply together.
The program prioritizes communities in areas identified by federal and state environmental justice screening tools, which can be viewed using the Layers tab on DCNR’s PATreeKeeper map. Once a project is approved, DCNR manages contracting and implementation. Tree care professionals can apply to join the approved contractor list through the Commonwealth’s Invitation to Qualify system.
The administration said the program builds on $10.5 million in tree-planting and habitat-conversion grants awarded in 2024 and is part of a broader effort to use trees to reduce energy costs, improve air quality, slow stormwater runoff, cut noise, and support wildlife in communities that have historically lacked green space. Residents and motorists can support the work by donating to the Keystone Tree Fund online or through a voluntary $3 check-off on driver’s license and vehicle registration renewals.
New Leadership In The Pennsylvania Wilds Park Network
DCNR is also reshuffling leadership within its state park system, with new management overseeing a cluster of parks in the Pennsylvania Wilds.
Dunn announced the appointment of Tracy Lambert as the new park operations manager for the Hills Creek State Park Complex, which covers Hills Creek, Cherry Springs, Colton Point, Denton Hill, Leonard Harrison, Lyman Run, and Patterson state parks.
“Tracy is a natural leader and true public servant who has demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting and stewarding our natural resources,” Dunn said, adding that Lambert’s experience in multiple roles will help keep the parks welcoming and safe.
Lambert, a native of Lucinda in Clarion County, began her DCNR career as a seasonal law enforcement ranger at Little Pine and later served as a ranger at Parker Dam State Park, assistant manager at Bald Eagle State Park, and manager at the Reeds Gap Complex, Sinnemahoning State Park, and the Little Pine Park Complex. She holds a degree in recreation management from Lock Haven University and enjoys hiking, backpacking, camping, canoeing, motorcycling, gardening, and time outdoors with her husband, John, and their dog, Harper.
“I love the Pennsylvania Wilds and this beautiful region, so I take on this new role with a lot of pride and excitement,” Lambert said. “Every single park in this complex has something unique and amazing people should visit.”
Former Hills Creek Complex Manager Ben Stone has moved into a broader leadership role as head of the Northern Mountains Division of State Parks. His responsibilities now span multiple complexes and individual parks, including the Hills Creek and Kettle Creek complexes, Kettle Creek, Ole Bull, Hyner Run, Hyner View, Little Pine, Upper Bottom, Mount Pisgah, Prouty Place, Sizerville, and Worlds End state parks.
Stone, who also holds a recreation management degree from Lock Haven University, began his DCNR career as an intern in the Region 1 office and later worked as a park manager trainee at Sizerville State Park. He has served as assistant manager at Hills Creek State Park and as manager at Caledonia and Ricketts Glen state parks.
“I have enjoyed my time at the Hills Creek Complex and am confident the parks are in great hands with Tracy,” Stone said, calling the Northern Mountains Division “some of the best state parks within the Commonwealth.”
Game Commission Seeks New Citizen Commissioners
In a separate move to engage the public in wildlife and outdoor policy, the Governor’s Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation is seeking candidates to serve as commissioners on the Pennsylvania Game Commission from two regions.
Open seats include District 6, covering Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder, and York counties, and District 7, which includes Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming counties.
Title 34 of the Pennsylvania Code provides that commissioners are appointed to four-year terms, with the possibility of two additional four-year reappointments. Members can continue serving for six months after their term expires or until a successor is named, whichever comes first.
“With more than 1 million hunters and anglers and nearly 5 million acres of public land it is easy to see why hunting and fishing continue to be among the most popular segments of Pennsylvania’s $20 billion-dollar outdoor recreation economy,” said Derek Eberly, director of the advisory council. “The Shapiro Administration seeks a diverse group of applicants, one of whom will be nominated by the Governor. We encourage anyone interested in volunteering to serve on the board to send a letter of intent and their professional resume.”
Candidates must live in the district they seek to represent and be well informed on conservation, restoration, hunting, and fishing. Commissioners receive no salary but are reimbursed for travel expenses.
The advisory council will interview applicants about their professional and volunteer experience with wildlife conservation and outdoor activities. Appointments to the Game Commission are made by Governor Josh Shapiro and require confirmation by the Pennsylvania Senate.
Interested residents are asked to submit a cover letter and resume, in Word or PDF format, by email to Derek Eberly, director of the Governor’s Advisory Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation, at deeberly@pa.gov. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, January 3, 2026.
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