Addition houses third Pennsylvania Wilds Conservation Shop featuring locally made products
Shippen Township, Pennsylvania -- Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn visited Leonard Harrison State Park in the
Pennsylvania Wilds to dedicate new facilities to welcome visitors coming to experience the spectacular views of the Pine Creek Gorge, known as Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon.
Governor Shapiro just launched Pennsylvania’s new state tourism brand --
The Great American Getaway -- showcasing all the Commonwealth has to offer as a premier weekend getaway destination with thousands of attractions.
“These improved visitor amenities at Leonard Harrison are part of the department’s commitment to making investments in the Pennsylvania Wilds to attract people to the region to enjoy its fantastic outdoor places and adventures,”
Dunn said. “Investments in outdoor recreation make Pennsylvania a great weekend getaway, and a great place to live.”
Improvements include:
- Changes to the entrance to provide visitors direct access to the overlook through a relocated breezeway by the restroom areas
- A new patio area and entrance to the center
- Improved parking and traffic flow with safer pedestrian access from parking areas by concrete walkways and established crossings
- Improved bus and accessible drop off and parking area
- Expanded parking areas, with one way access around the area for safety
- At the park entrance, a roundabout to improve traffic flow during the peak visitation seasons
An addition to the Visitor Center now houses the third Pennsylvania Wilds Conservation Shop in the region run by the non-profit Pennsylvania Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship.
The shops focus on selling locally made and value-added products so visitors can take home a piece of the Pennsylvania Wilds while making a difference.
Pennsylvania Wilds Center Chief Executive Officer Ta Enos said the stores improve market access for rural makers and producers by sourcing at least 90 percent of their inventory to rural small businesses in the Pennsylvania Wilds region, while also intentionally passing foot traffic to area businesses and attractions, raising funds for conservation, and accomplishing other mission points.
“We launched our first Conservation Shop in 2016 through a public-private partnership with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and we are thrilled to be expanding that with the soft opening today of a second brick-and-mortar store at Leonard Harrison State Park,”
Enos said. “These stores help better serve visitors to state parks and help accomplish many other shared mission points.”
During check-out, shoppers can choose a donation amount and it will be added to their cart total with the proceeds helping the
Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation fund special projects in state parks and forests in the Pennsylvania Wilds.
One of those projects is a recently completed viewfinder at Leonard Harrison that will allow people who are color-blind to see the vibrant fall foliage in the gorge.
On the east rim of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, the 585-acre Leonard Harrison State Park has the most famous scenic views of the canyon.
On the other side of the gorge is Colton Point State Park.
Governor Shapiro’s first budget provided $112 million to maintain and improve infrastructure in state parks and forests -- the single largest investment in decades and resulted in the launch of the
Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation.
The proposed 2024-2025 budget builds on those historic investments with additional support to improve trails in state parks and forests and strengthen conservation careers and workforce pathways.
Outdoor recreation adds $17 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy, supporting 164,344 jobs, and accounting for 1.8 percent of the Commonwealth’s gross domestic product, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Find more information about
Leonard Harrison State Park on the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website and check the
Calendar of Events for upcoming programs at the park.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Wesley Robinson, 717-877-6315
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