Regarding the petition campaign to save Beltzville (Sept 3).

I too love and have a passion for Beltzville State Park. With Beltzville just down the block from my home it is a place I frequent often. But I respectfully disagree with this and other recent articles regarding entrance fees, parking fees, cooler checks, COVID-19 spread, etc.

Pennsylvania’s parks exist to provide the opportunities for enjoying healthful outdoor recreation for all.

PA Act 18 of 1995 specifically states the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources cannot impose any parking or admission fees. The wisdom is anyone can have access to the beauty of our parks without financial barriers. It needs to stay this way.

The Penn’s Parks for All Preliminary Report points out a systemic problem. “Since 1970, 36 more state parks have been added to the system with 81,000 additional acres to manage, and millions of more people visiting the parks annually.” Coupled with decreases in budgets as well as staff and the issues facing our state parks become overwhelming. Find this report at https://bit.ly/3hz73vo.

Beltzville has been well-used for decades with weekends especially crowded with large, extended families coming to spend a wonderful day out in nature with their loved ones. What I find most disturbing are the blatant calls about banning all those “out-of-state visitors.” We should be encouraging our friends and relatives from our more urban regions of the state to come and enjoy the beauty.

Lest you forget, Carbon County’s economy is dependent on tourism and the dollars they bring. These visitors vacation here. They rent vacation homes and hotel rooms. They own second homes in Pennsylvania. They come to visit family and friends. We should welcome they warmly and make them want to come back.

The complaints about traffic, crowds and trash are nothing new. The pandemic has spotlighted this and has caused a call for action. We cannot change the past but should insist that our elected officials address and work on solutions now, like restoring and/or increase funding to DCNR.

If there is one good thing that has come out of summer 2020 it’s that we are all talking and working on making our state parks better. And people are getting out to enjoy nature more.

Lucy Freck

Kunkletown