Dear Editor,

Each year Beltzville State Park is overcrowded on a few summer weekends. The overcrowding usually occurs on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Tempers flare, cars are towed, and what should be an enjoyable day at the park becomes a bad experience for employees, visitors and local residents.Some local residents have called for measures to restrict visitors, including imposing hefty fees, which they believe will discourage lower-class families from Philadelphia or Allentown from visiting "our" park.The Christman Farm, where I now live, was the largest single land parcel impacted by Beltzville. From a 460-acre farm that included the Wild Creek Falls and a portion of the Pohopoco Creek, we were left with 29 acres, not enough for the three families dependent on the farm to earn a livelihood. If you want to visit what was once our farm, you can walk to the falls, or hike on Christman Trail, or visit the model airplane field.Beltzville was a federal project, paid for by taxpayers from Nome, Alaska, to Miami, Florida. The federal government didn't simply seize our land; under the Fifth Amendment of the Bill of Rights, it had to pay for the land it took, and it did that with public tax revenues.Secondly, the people who use the park today are also paying for it. They pay sales tax and state income tax. They buy lottery tickets and visit casinos. If they smoke, they pay a hefty cigarette tax, about to increase. Carbon County residents do not pay for the park by themselves. Beltzville is a state park, although the lake itself is still federally maintained by the Army Corps.If you are really concerned about the park, I have a few suggestions. First, join Friends of Beltzville State Park. This is a group of concerned residents who love the park and are doing their best to improve it by plantings, trail maintenance and litter removal. The group is working to install a handicapped kayak launch at Preachers Camp, and it also holds informational programs on the park.Second, oppose the PennEast/UGI pipeline that will cut through the park, leaving a permanent scar in portions of the park. This project will enrich private energy companies, not the public. It will not be here for a few weekends but for decades.Third, support workable solutions for the occasional overcrowding. I understand that on Independence Day weekend, signs on the turnpike warned drivers that the park was closed. We could increase the number of warnings, use social media, and suggest alternative parks, like Hickory Run one exit further north on the turnpike.Finally, support increased funding for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. People are not supposed to swim at the Wild Creek Falls. It is dangerous, and no toilet facilities are available, but Beltzville lacks the resources to staff that area with enough rangers. Adding a punitive fee for parking or entering the park will not help Beltzville or the other state parks. Our representatives need to hear that we want more money for all Pennsylvania parks, not just fees to keep out people we don't like.Sincerely,Roy ChristmanLehighton