UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — An upcoming Penn State Extension land-use webinar will give an overview of Pennsylvania’s latest statewide recreation plan, titled “Recreation for All.”
Presenting the 75-minute webinar at noon on April 12 will be Alex MacDonald, Cheri Matter and Josh VanBrakle, of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.
Every five years, each state must produce a new statewide recreation plan to help guide its recreation policies, programs and investments and remain eligible for federal grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This funding is used to build parks, conserve land and provide access to outdoor recreation across Pennsylvania.
This webinar will cover key findings from the planning process, the plan’s five priorities and how they can support local planning efforts, and how local planning in turn can advance statewide initiatives.
Pennsylvania’s outdoor recreation plan is meant to benefit all people, but gathering input from the diverse audiences that make up Pennsylvania’s population can present a challenge, organizers noted. Plan developers built the 2020 plan by collecting feedback on Pennsylvanians’ outdoor recreation needs and wants from recreation providers, outdoor enthusiasts, the state’s general population and underserved populations.
Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of Pennsylvania’s state outdoor recreation plan and how its work impacts them. Participants also will learn how their local efforts can connect with statewide plans and increase their chances of securing state grants.
“Pennsylvania’s State Recreation Plan: Meshing Community-Based Planning With State Initiatives” is the fourth webinar in Penn State Extension’s Winter/Spring 2023 Land-Use Webinar Series, which runs monthly until May 17. The series is aimed at informing municipal elected and appointed officials, planners, landowners, farmers, and community organizations about land-use issues and decisions in their communities.
All webinars are recorded and available for future viewing. Other programs in the series include:
- Jan. 18 (recorded): “Management of Vegetation on Utility Transmission Lines.”
- Feb. 15 (recorded): “Community Schoolyards: A Solution for Increasing Park Access in Urban, Suburban and Rural Communities.”
- March 15 (recorded): “Local Climate Action Planning: Penn State and Municipal Partners Implementing Together.”
- May 17: “Transportation, Transit and Land Use: What Are the Connections?”
The cost of the webinar series is $50 for all five sessions, or $95 for all five sessions for those who want to receive AICP certification-maintenance credits from the American Planning Association. The cost also is $95 for all five sessions for professional engineers needing PDH credits. In addition, registered landscape architects can receive continuing-education credits for a fee of $65.
For anyone interested in a particular topic from the series, individual session registration is available for a fee of $15 per session.
For more information, contact Peter Wulfhorst at 570-296-3400 or by email at ptw3@psu.edu. To register for the webinars, visit the Penn State Extension website.