PA Announces $1.7 Million Investment in South Mountain Landscape!

On November 12, Governor Josh Shapiro and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DNCR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced $79.4 million in grants for 307 projects across Pennsylvania, aimed at expanding recreational opportunities, conserving natural spaces, and revitalizing communities. These grants will support a wide range of projects, including improving local parks, expanding trails and river access points, and creating more green space in local communities. We are excited $1.7 million of that investment occurs within the South Mountain Region.

This funding comes from the Keystone Fund, generated from a portion of the realty transfer tax, the Environmental Stewardship Fund, fees for ATV/Snowmobile licenses, and federal monies.

This announcement has special implications for the South Mountain Region, including funding the South Mountain Partnership. As a Conservation Landscape Initiative, we rely on this funding for our 2025 Mini-Grant Program, staff salaries, communications, and annual programs like convening partners, organizing events, and Science Summit and Research Corps. Especially exciting, this grant allows the Partnership to take action on the State of the Region Report Card; focused on Regional Trails. We are so grateful for the continued support of PA DCNR for these efforts!

We are also glad to report this funding included a total allocation of more than $1.7 million in our region alone (see chart below for details) and will fund community parks, Urban and Community Forestry, and trails across the South Mountain landscape. We congratulate our Partners who have received funding, we can’t wait to see these projects come to life!

As Katie Hess, Director of the South Mountain Partnership shared, “The Environmental Stewardship Fund, part of the Growing Greener initiative, is crucial because it is one of only a few sources available in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and York counties to conserve and steward farms and farmland, historic places, a healthy environment, and outdoor recreation infrastructures. We need more of this funding because we are seeing loss of farmland, scenic views, and wildlife and habitat, and more flooding events, and increasing traffic. We are seeing major changes in the region and over the next 20 years, the quality of our environment will impact our ability to attract business location and investment, stimulate tourism and recreation, improve public health, and attract wealth because people want to live in and visit beautiful, healthy places.”

Find a complete list of grants by county on the DCNR website.