Pennsylvania: Shapiro Administration Invests Nearly $82 Million in Recreation and Conservation
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's administration announced nearly $82 million in new state funding for more than 295 recreation and conservation projects in 58 counties, through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2).
The awards include $31.3 million for 140 park, recreation and conservation facility projects; $16.2 million to conserve 4,818 acres of land; $13.1 million for 53 statewide and regional organizations; $9.5 million for 22 community and watershed forestry projects; $8.2 million for 29 trail projects; and $3.2 million for 16 river projects.
Highlights include $750,000 to the Regional Trail Corporation for the Great Allegheny Passage in West Mifflin, Allegheny County; $700,000 to the York County Rail Trail Authority for the Hanover Trolley Trail; $1.5 million to the Foundation for Sustainable Forests to conserve 671 acres in Lawrence County; $1.2 million to Natural Lands for 21.25 acres in Chester County; and $2.9 million to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay for riparian buffers in Lancaster County.
The administration noted the 2025-26 budget added $13 million for DCNR. Pennsylvania's outdoor recreation industry is worth $19 billion, has grown 10 percent under Shapiro, and supports about 168,000 jobs and $9 billion in wages. The state has more than 6,400 local parks, 124 state parks with a 125th coming in 2026, over 14,000 miles of trails, and more than 38 million visitors a year.
Funding comes from sources including the Keystone Fund and the Environmental Stewardship Fund. Shapiro and DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said investing in parks and trails protects natural resources while strengthening local economies.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 宾夕法尼亚州里基茨格伦州立公园的瀑布（资料图）。CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / A waterfall in Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania (file photo). CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
