{"id":118796,"date":"2023-05-25T19:57:43","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T23:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=118796"},"modified":"2023-05-25T19:57:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T23:57:43","slug":"governor-shapiro-visits-lehigh-gorge-state-park-to-kick-off-summer-season-celebrate-white-haven-south-dl-trailhead-reopening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=118796","title":{"rendered":"Governor Shapiro Visits Lehigh Gorge State Park to Kick Off Summer Season, Celebrate White Haven South D&L Trailhead Reopening"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(White Haven, May 25)\u00a0On Tuesday, May 24, 2023, Pennsylvania\u00a0Governor\u00a0Josh Shapiro visited Lehigh Gorge State Park in Luzerne County to kick off the busy summer season and to share his plans to invest in state parks, forests, and trails to make them safe and accessible for everyone.\u00a0He was joined\u00a0by\u00a0PA\u00a0Department of Conservation and Natural Resources\u00a0(DCNR)\u00a0Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn,\u00a0Director of the Bureau of State Parks John Hallas,\u00a0PA\u00a0State Senator David Argall,\u00a0and\u00a0Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Inc.\u00a0(DLNHC), as\u00a0well\u00a0as\u00a0representatives\u00a0from various\u00a0other\u00a0organizations and outfitters who have been positively\u00a0impacted\u00a0by\u00a0recent\u00a0investments in\u00a0conservation and\u00a0outdoor recreation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis weekend Pennsylvanians will be heading outdoors with family and friends for the unofficial start of the summer season and will take advantage of all the opportunities in their state parks and forests, and the Commonwealth\u2019s\u00a012,000 miles\u00a0of trails,\u201d Governor Shapiro said. \u201cThese beautiful places are available to them close to home and at no cost, making it easy for families and communities to enjoy the health and economic benefits they provide. We need to invest in them to make sure they are safe, modern, and welcoming for visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

During\u00a0the\u00a0visit,\u00a0Governor\u00a0Shapiro\u00a0met\u00a0with\u00a0partners\u00a0who worked\u00a0to complete\u00a0the\u00a0section of the\u00a0D&L Trail that runs through\u00a0Lehigh Gorge State Park,\u00a0following\u00a0the Lehigh River through Luzerne and Carbon Counties,\u00a0and\u00a0outdoor outfitters whose businesses\u00a0have\u00a0benefited\u00a0from investments made in the park.\u00a0Speaking at the event were\u00a0Liz Rosencrans,\u00a0DLNHC\u00a0Director of Trails & Conservation\u00a0and Sierra Fogal, Operations Manager of Pocono\u00a0Whitewater\u00a0and Pocono Biking\u00a0Secretary of the DLNHC Board of Directors.<\/p>\n

“We want to give a big thank you to Lehigh Gorge State Park for re-envisioning the D&L Trail and the trail and river access areas that we\u2019re celebrating today,\u201d said Liz Rosencrans.\u00a0\u201cThis project\u00a0included not only\u00a0enhancements to the D&L White Haven North Trailhead with\u00a0resurfacing of the D&L Trail north 1.5 miles to Middleburg Road, but also a full rehabilitation of the D&L White Haven South Trailhead,\u00a0including year-round restroom facilities,\u00a0an\u00a0improved public boat launch, upgraded parking\u00a0areas,\u00a0and resurfaced trail south 1.6 miles to the\u00a0D&L\u00a0Lehigh Tannery Trailhead.\u00a0This was no small feat, and the results have a trickling effect that supports vital connections in our communities.”<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania\u2019s 124 state parks attract around 40 million visitors annually, with about a quarter of them visiting from out of state. Outdoor recreation adds\u00a0$14 billion\u00a0annually to Pennsylvania\u2019s economy and creates 150,000 jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lehigh River\u00a0provides\u00a0accessible outdoor recreation for the entire tri-state area. It is a tourist destination that draws hundreds of thousands of tourists a year and\u00a0provides\u00a0an outdoor outlet to our diverse audience,\u201d said Sierra Fogal. \u201c…Thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in positive economic impact can be attributed to the Lehigh River. If Lehigh Gorge State Park, the D&L Trail, the access points, the\u00a0parking\u00a0and the staff\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0here supporting this living gem, we would risk losing this economic driver and outdoor recreation that is so important to our region.\u201d<\/p>\n

With about half a million visitors annually, Lehigh Gorge State Park\u00a0is a pivotal stop along the D&L Trail and\u00a0adjacent to\u00a0the Trail Town of\u00a0White\u00a0Haven.\u00a0With the re-opening of this key access point, residents and business owners within the town are prepared\u00a0to start the summer with celebration.<\/p>\n

On\u00a0Saturday,\u00a0June 3, White Haven will be hosting the White Haven Trout Festival. Activities\u00a0will\u00a0include\u00a0a guided walk along the nearby D&L\u00a0Trail by the DCNR\u00a0State\u00a0Parks\u00a0staff, fly fishing and fly-tying demonstrations by the PA\u00a0Fish\u00a0& Boat\u00a0Commission,\u00a0vendors selling artwork, pottery, plantings, and\u00a0more.<\/p>\n

Nearby, Lehigh Gorge State Park and DLNHC will be holding a\u00a0D&L Trail Tender event<\/a>\u00a0to clean up Locks 28 and 29 along the D&L Trail in the spirit of National Trails Day.\u00a0This is a public D&L Trail\u00a0cleanup. Interested individuals can register\u00a0on\u00a0delawareandlehigh.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The week after on Saturday, June 10, will be the White Haven Trail Festival.\u00a0DCNR, DLNHC,\u00a0and\u00a0the White Haven Chamber of Commerce\u00a0will be there to\u00a0provide\u00a0guided walks and information. Pocono Biking will be\u00a0providing\u00a0biking shuttle services to the Black Diamond D&L Trailhead. Nearby will be\u00a0the White Haven Main Street Market with\u00a0multiple vendors and food trucks.\u00a0The festival will last from 9AM to 3PM.\u00a0More information can be found here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Visit DCNR\u2019s website for more information on Pennsylvania\u2019s 124 state\u00a0parks.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Governor Shapiro\u2019s budget which includes plans for our parks, trails, and forests\u00a0here.<\/a> \u200b<\/p>\n

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that preserves the historic pathway that carried coal and iron from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol. Through key programs like the D&L Trail, National Canal Museum, and Get Your Tail on the Trail, DLNHC connects people to nature, culture, communities, recreation, and our industrial heritage. For more information, visit\u00a0delawareandlehigh.org\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nGianna Caruso | Communications Coordinator
\nDelaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Inc.
\n2750 Hugh Moore Park Road | Easton, PA 18042<\/p>\n

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(White Haven, May 25)\u00a0On Tuesday, May 24, 2023, Pennsylvania\u00a0Governor\u00a0Josh Shapiro visited Lehigh Gorge State Park in Luzerne County to kick off the busy summer season and to share his plans … Continue reading Governor Shapiro Visits Lehigh Gorge State Park to Kick Off Summer Season, Celebrate White Haven South D&L Trailhead Reopening<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":118797,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Delaware-Lehigh.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118796"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=118796"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118796\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/118797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=118796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=118796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=118796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}