Cuts are impacting national parks. But state parks around Centre County remain open, busy
With federal layoffs forcing national parks to cut services, Pennsylvania's own state parks experienced a significant surge in March campsite reservations — and the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is now 'preparing for a record-breaking summer.'
And that goes for all of the state parks in and around Centre County, too, such as Bald Eagle State Park, Black Moshannon and Poe Valley.
'Pennsylvanians and visitors alike are embracing the outdoors like never before,' DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said in a news release. 'With increased demand for camping, we encourage everyone to plan ahead and take advantage of the many beautiful sites still available.'
Based on data provided by DCNR, state parks in the Keystone State saw a nearly 30% increase in March campsite reservations compared to the same time last year. In Centre County, that amounted to a 16% increase at Poe Paddy, a 38% increase at Poe Valley, a 42% increase at Black Moshannon and a 51% increase at Bald Eagle.
Data at every park wasn't immediately available, and not all parks provide camping, such as Whipple Dam State Park in Huntingdon County. Other variables could've also artificially inflated some of those numbers, as March was unseasonably warm and Bald Eagle added more camping sites since last spring.
Still, those increases are significant — and the DCNR is still expecting a big summer. So are the park managers on the ground.
'We're at full staff, and we're mainly just getting our ducks in a row and getting everything put back after the winter,' said Black Moshannon park manager Mathias Weinzen, who added visitation has 'definitely increased' this spring. 'We are fully prepared to welcome everyone in with open arms. Just like the slogan that DCNR put out, we're still open.'
The slogan Weinzen referred to — 'Still Open. Still Awesome.' — plays off the fact that state parks are thriving while national parks around the country have been forced to cut back on essential services, shortening hours at some parks and closing campsites at others.
The impact to national parks has been far-reaching. According to Frommers, the renowned travel guide, the iconic Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming went from being open 24/7 to closing at 5 p.m. California's Yosemite National Park had just one EMT in March, meaning hikers were 'reportedly taking their own lives in their hands.' And various parks — from Arkansas' Hot Springs National Park to Nevada's Great Basin National Park — closed their visitor centers and museums.
The situation remains fluid. A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to rehire about 1,000 fired park employees. And a Trump official earlier this month ordered national parks to be 'properly staffed.' It's unclear how quickly that all might occur.
In the meantime, national parks are suffering while Pennsylvania's state parks continue with business as usual. Raystown Lake, the largest lake that is entirely within Pennsylvania, is part of a national park — about an hour's drive from State College — that has been forced to close many of its campsites.
It's unknown how those campsite closures influenced the increases in Centre County, which amounted to several hundred more reservations in March. But it's clear the closures are not having a positive impact on Huntingdon County. According to the visitors bureau, Raystown campground users alone contribute more than $7.4 million annually in visitor spending there.
For park managers around Centre County, uncertainty elsewhere means they'll have to be prepared here. Weinzen recalled the crush in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and, if state parks can handle that, he's confident this summer will be no different.
'It's nice when we get people out here to see Black Moshannon,' Weinzen added. 'The hiking is pristine here. We have 22 miles of trails, with our featured trail being our fully-accessible Bog Trail. So I think that brings a lot of people, but that'll transition to competing with kayaking and paddleboarding as we go on.'
For more information on state parks' offerings, or to book a campsite, go to pennsylvaniastateparks.reserveamerica.com.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's travel ban goes into effect on Monday. What's going to happen at MIA?
A Trump administration travel ban that severely restricts the entry of nationals from Haiti, Cuba, and Venezuela into the United States starts Monday, and it's yet unclear about how the policy will affect operations at Miami International Airport. There are still questions about who will be allowed into the U.S. under the ban — the State Department has said that travelers from the three affected nations will be able to keep their valid, current visas, but it's up to the Department of Homeland Security to decide whether to let people in at ports of entry. 'Confusion and frustration': Trump travel ban is unclear on who can visit the U.S. MIA is a major point of transit between the United States and Latin America and the Caribbean. It receives hundreds of flights from the region daily, including flights directly from Haiti and Cuba. On Friday, at least 14 commercial and charter flights were landing in Miami from Havana, according to flight information from the airport. A charter flight landed from Cap Haitien, a city on Haiti's northern coast. And while there are no direct flights between Venezuela and the U.S., many Venezuelans travel to Miami through third countries that offer non-stop flights to South Florida, including Colombia, Panama, Ecuador and Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The new Trump travel policy is raising questions about what will happen at the major hub on Monday, including as to whether border agents will turn around tourists and travelers when they arrive in Miami on Monday despite having valid visas. It's also unclear whether airlines have received any guidance on the matter. The Miami Herald reached out to several major airlines that service MIA. A Delta Air Lines spokesperson referred the Herald to U.S. Customs and Border Protection in response to questions about whether Haitians, Cubans, and Venezuelans on tourist and business visas will be allowed into the United States. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday that 'fully restricts and limits the entry' of Haitian nationals and 'partially restricts and limits' the entry of Cuban and Venezuelan nationals, as well as citizens of over a dozen other countries. The travel ban is the latest federal government move targeting legal immigration from Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela, all large sources of immigration into the U.S.
USA Today
14 hours ago
- USA Today
Trump travel ban includes 12 nations, partially restricts entry from seven others
Trump travel ban includes 12 nations, partially restricts entry from seven others Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump bans travel from several countries around the world President Donald Trump signed a proclamation that bans travel from 12 countries and restricts seven others. WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump has issued a full travel ban blocking the entry of foreign nationals from 12 countries into the United States, reviving a controversial policy from his first term that is likely to be challenged in court. Trump cited "national security risks" posed by citizens of the targeted nations, which include several Middle Eastern and African countries, in a June 4 proclamation he signed imposing the ban. He also partially restricted the entry of foreign nationals from seven other nations. The restrictions are scheduled to go into effect on June 9. The ban prohibits entry into the U.S. of foreign nationals from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Trump issued partial travel suspensions for foreign nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Trump presidency: Marco Rubio says US will revoke visas from Chinese students, add new restrictions In videotaped remarks from the Oval Office, Trump pointed to last weekend's fiery assault on pro-Jewish demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, carried out by suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a native of Egypt who came to the U.S. on a tourist visa in late 2022 and stayed after the visa expired. "The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstayed their visas," Trump said. "We don't want them." Egypt is not among the countries facing new restrictions despite Trump invoking the attack, which the White House has blamed on the Biden administration's immigration policies. Trump's travel ban: A timeline look throughout his first presidency Who faces a travel ban? The move comes after the Trump administration has worked aggressively to deport immigrants who are in the United States unlawfully, halted the government's refugee resettlement program, and last week announced plans to "aggressively" revoke visas of Chinese students. The ban resembles similar actions Trump took during his first term to bar the entry of foreign nationals from several predominantly Muslim countries. The restrictions do not apply to visas that have already been granted, lawful permanent residents, certain athletes, immediate family members of current visa holders, and other classes of individuals for whom the administration granted exceptions. Travelers react to the latest travel ban from President Trump "Pros and cons." Travelers in Los Angeles responded to the news of President Donald Trump's travel ban impacting nearly 20 countries. "In the 21st century, we've seen one terror attack after another carried out by foreign-visa overstayers from dangerous places. They should not be in our country," Trump said. "We will not let what happened in Europe happen to America." Council on American-Islamic Relations Executive Director Nihad Awad said the government already vets visa applicants extensively. The new order risks separating families, depriving students of educational opportunities and blocking patients from unique medical treatment, he said. "President Trump's new travel ban targeting mostly Muslim and African nations and raising the specter of more vague free speech restrictions is overbroad, unnecessary and ideologically motivated,' Awad said. "Automatically banning students, workers, tourists, and other citizens of these targeted nations from coming to the United States will not make our nation safer." Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said in a post on social media that the antisemitic attack in Boulder shouldn't be used to justify a ban on travel from primarily Muslim-majority countries. 'We'll keep saying it: the Jewish community's legitimate fears and concerns should not (be) exploited to undermine core democratic norms, or otherwise advance discriminatory & unconstitutional policies,' Spitalnick said. 'Doing so only makes Jews – and all communities – less safe.' Rep. Judy Chu, a California Democrat who introduced legislation in February that sought to prevent the Trump administration from banning travel to the U.S. by people of any religious group, lashed out at Trump on X. "Just now, Trump has re-issued his disgusting, bigoted, and Islamophobic travel ban. This goes against our core American values while doing nothing to make us safer. We can do better, we must do better," she said. What travelers need to know: Trump issues new travel ban affecting nearly 20 countries Trump revisits travel bans Trump's first-term travel bans were overturned repeatedly in the courts for apparent religious or racial motivations before being upheld by the Supreme Court. Within hours of the new ban, the International Refugee Assistance Project, a group that sued Trump in 2017, slammed the ban as arbitrary for making exceptions for athletes traveling to the United States for sporting events such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, "while closing the door to ordinary people who've gone through extensive legal processes to enter the United States." "It is yet another shameful attempt by the Trump administration to sow division, fear, and chaos," Stephanie Gee, senior director of U.S. Legal Services, said in a statement. Trump's latest ban follows through on a day-one executive order directing his administration to identify countries throughout the world "for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a full or partial suspension on the entry or admission of nationals from those countries." Trump said he evaluated recommendations from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi based on foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism goals and largely accepted their recommendations. Factors included whether a county "has a significant terrorist presence within its territory" or a high rate of people overstaying their visas, Trump's order said. The president said the administration also considered a country's "cooperation with accepting back its removable nationals." At one point, the administration looked at slapping as many as 43 countries with restrictions. Egypt was not on either of the draft lists that circulated in March. The president said in the order that Rubio and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller provided him a list on April 9 of countries to consider. The White House did not immediately explain why it took Trump nearly two months after he received the report to take action. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment. "Very simply," Trump said, "we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States." Contributing: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Newsweek
14 hours ago
- Newsweek
How Trump Middle East Hotel Planned For 2028 Will Look
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Donald Trump's signature brand has announced plans for a new hotel to be built in Oman as part of the company's expansion in the Middle East. The Trump Organization has partnered with Oman's state-run tourism department, the Omran Group, to design and build the Trump International Oman Hotel before the end of the decade. Newsweek contacted the Trump Organization for more information via email. The Context The Trump Organization is investing heavily in Middle Eastern construction over the next decade, with major construction projects in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. By 2031, the company hopes that three new structures will be operating in the region, which is billing itself as a new hub for tourism and international investment in order to diversify the regional economy away from oil exports. A rendering of the hotel entrance of the Trump Interational Oman Hotel. A rendering of the hotel entrance of the Trump Interational Oman Hotel. Dar Global What To Know The new hotel, designed by luxury real estate developer Dar Global, will be built in Oman's capital, Muscat. Like many of the Trump Organization's other buildings, the hotel will borrow heavily from its namesake's reputation for opulence, using the same white-gold color scheme present in Trump Tower, New York and the two planned towers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Rendered images of the project's future released by Dar Global show that the hotel will house a swimming pool, a nightclub, and a viewing deck for the Gulf of Oman, as well as an international golf course, all Trump-branded. A rendering of a hanging bedroom in the Trump Interational Oman Hotel. A rendering of a hanging bedroom in the Trump Interational Oman Hotel. Dar Global One of the most ambitious parts of the hotel, if built correctly, will be a series of hanging suites that face the coast, with wall-to-ceiling windows for views. The hotel has a reported price tag of $500 million, with construction expected to be finished by the end of 2028. However, the first phase of building work is set to be done by 2027. What People Are Saying In a statement seen by Newsweek, the Omran Group said: "Oman is quickly becoming one of the most prominent commercial and cultural hubs in the region and is rapidly becoming a prime investment destination due to its attractive benefits. "From its favorable tax environment and its strategic location as a gateway to the Middle East and Africa, Oman offers countless opportunities for businesses to grow and thrive." A rendering of the loby of the Trump Interational Oman Hotel. A rendering of the loby of the Trump Interational Oman Hotel. Dar Global Eric Trump, who manages the Trump Organization with his brother Donald Jr., said in December: "This collaboration embodies our shared vision of creating landmark developments that exude luxury, quality, and sophistication. Together with Dar Global, we are setting new benchmarks for excellence, aiming to meet the demand for iconic properties in key markets." What Happens Next Dar Global and the Trump Organization have said that the hotel will be fully constructed by December 2028.
