CHAPTER 29. CAMPSITES—STATEMENT OF POLICY

 The Bureaus of Forestry and State Parks will not grant leases for sites not presently occupied.

 (a)  The objectives of the Bureau of Forestry in managing State Forests are to provide the citizens of the Commonwealth with wood products, water supplies, minerals, recreation and general enhancement of the quality of life. Obviously, there are certain limitations in managing the State Forests for a number of products and uses in that the effect of each on the other must be evaluated in an attempt to determine the greatest overall benefit.

 (b)  The objective of the Bureau of State Parks is to promote and provide healthful outdoor recreation and environmental education to the citizens and guests of the Commonwealth.

 (a)  Forms of recreation for which State Forests and State Parks are being used include family camping, swimming, environmental education, fishing, hunting, pleasure driving, hiking, backpack camping, snowmobiling, ski touring, trail bike riding, nature study, horseback riding, trapping, boating and picnicking. It is extremely difficult to evaluate the benefits derived by the population as a whole from any one recreational use, partly because most can and do overlap each other. However, most of the camp site cabins are used as a base to pursue other recreational activities.

 (b)  The present and potential demand for the vacation home sites may not be met by using State Forests or State Parks or both for this purpose.

 (c)  There is presently unsatisfied demand for other low-density recreational facilities such as various types of trails, vistas, environmental study areas and habitat improvement projects for game and nongame species of wildlife. The limited funds available for administering State Parks and State Forests should be used to provide the greatest possible recreational opportunities to the general public. For the effort expended, expanding the camp site program would yield less benefit to the general public than providing other low-density recreational facilities. In addition, vacation home sites are available on privately-owned land, often near to State Parks and State Forests.

 In summary, the goal of this subchapter is to cease expansion of the leased camp site program and to have the areas of the State Forests and State Parks unoccupied by camp sites available for appropriate low-density recreation and other resource management activities.

   The provisions of this §  29.4 adopted June 28, 1974, effective June 29, 1974, 4 Pa.B. 1325.