Tag: Carbon County

Jim Thorpe, a borough in Carbon County that has successfully promoted itself as an outdoor destination, is the focus of a video highlighting the positive economic impact the state’s parks and forests have on the economy.

Marci Mowery, president of the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, which spearheaded the video, said a survey in 2012 showed that for every dollar spent, $12.41 came back in tax revenue.

“We are fifth in the country for outdoor recreation,” she said. Today, the industry employs 251,000 people, generates $1.9 billion in state tax revenue and accounts for $29.1 billion in consumer spending.

Jim Thorpe was chosen to showcase the importance of the state’s parks and forests because “it is a very dynamic town. It captures small town life that is vibrant with trails, a waterway and waterfalls,” she said.

“The Economic Benefits of Pennsylvania’s Parks and Forests” was produced to convince the state legislature that money from the American Rescue Act is needed to improve the infrastructure of these natural resources and keep visitors safe.

Sen. Bill 525, currently in the appropriations committee, proposes $500 million of the state’s allocation from the American Rescue Act be put into the Growing Green fund, originally enacted in 1999. Of that, 45% or $225 million, should be allocated to the state Department of Conservation & Natural Resources to fix aging infrastructure and rebuild areas damaged by hurricanes and invasive species, such as the spotted lantern fly.

Jim Thorpe draws more than 300,000 visitors a year for its commercial biking and rafting adventures. That’s about 70 times the town’s actual population.

Home to Lehigh Gorge State Park, a popular hiking destination, the park has seen part of its trail closed for reconstruction. Jeffery Cook, owner of High Street Guest House, 221 W. High St., Jim Thorpe, who is featured in the video, said part of the trail has been closed for three years while work is being done.

“It’s a punch in the gut for us. One in three people that come here come for the Glen Onoko trail,” he said. Part of the trail, which features four waterfalls, was closed due to poor conditions. It is tentatively scheduled to reopen in May.

Glen Onoko can be accessed from the remaining trail that is open but the falls are closed, “so you can’t see what there is to see,” he said. Paul Fogal, owner of Pocono Whitewater and Pocono Biking, 7 Hazard Square, Jim Thorpe, who is on the board of the Parks and Forests Foundation, who is also featured in the video, said part of the problem for parks and forests is that available money is often used for bridges and roads and the infrastructure of parks is overlooked.

“If we could invest in bathrooms at least at the trail head and boat launches, it would be great.” he said.

Work is currently being done at the park to improve facilities, which Fogal said is a good example of what can be done to draw crowds.

“Parks can be good income generators,” he said. “As a park concessionaire, I see when people are done biking and rafting, they stay in town and eat and sleep. It’s good for the whole area.”

Cook agreed. “We draw people from Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey, areas that have a massive population,” he said. “They are yearning to connect with the outdoors.”

This intensified during the COVID shutdown, they said. People flocked to the mountains to get out of their small spaces.

Fogal said a European travel agency that brought visitors to the area each year. COVID stopped that, but he hopes it will resume once travel restrictions are lifted.

Both Fogal and Cook would like to see more parking and bathroom facilities. Fogal moved his bike shop from a garage to a new building so he could offer bathrooms and add a retail space.

Cook said on weekends, it is often so crowded that people park wherever they can, often illegally, because there is no place to go.

“Coal from this region fueled the entire Industrial Revolution. Now 100-150 years later, the mountains are providing a new economic opportunity,” Cook said.

While Jim Thorpe, the seat of Carbon County, has enjoyed economic growth with the state park nearby, other towns have not fared as well. Within the past two years, Cook has seen a growing interest from those neighboring towns. “There are improvements being made to their infrastructure and short-term rentals and Air B&Bs are popping up. They will now see the economic benefit as well.”

The video, created with funding from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, Community Conservation Partnership Program, is now available on PPFF’s YouTube channel.

In the video, Andrew Mowen, professor of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Penn State, explains how investing in the stewardship and maintenance of parks and forests and their amenities provides a positive return for the Commonwealth.

The state’s 121 parks and 2.2 million acres of forest are home to aging infrastructure including dams, public water supplies, wastewater treatment plants, roadways, bridges and buildings in need of public investment, he said.

“The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation believes that our state parks and forests are assets,” said Mowery. “An investment in the state park and forest system goes full circle with the return being the benefits of safe and well-maintained open spaces for visitors, income to local businesses, the environmental benefits such as clean air and water, and a positive contribution to the state’s economy.”