The Keystone Recreation, Park & Conservation Fund (better known as the Keystone Fund) was established in 1993 as a dedicated, permanent funding source for investments in recreation, parks, and conservation in Pennsylvania. The Keystone Fund has since become a major funding source for our state’s parks, trails, and open spaces. More than 3,000 projects have been completed in Pennsylvania with the Keystone Fund, including
• 850 trail projects for walking, bicycling, and other recreation uses
• Development and rehabilitation of more than 2,500 community parks and natural areas
• Protection of more than 120,000 acres of open space for parks, greenways, and wildlife habitat
• Improvements to facilities in our national-award-winning state park and forest systems
The Keystone Fund and other conservation investments could end with the new state budget. One path for balancing the 2014-15 budget would slash funds currently dedicated to the Keystone Fund and for farmland preservation and Growing Greener Watershed Protection. Legislators are seeking opportunities to make quick, “easy” cuts, so if we don’t make it clear to them that cutting conservation funding is unacceptable, we may lose these crucial conservation programs. This loss would have a lasting and devastating impact on the conservation of Pennsylvania’s natural resources and, consequently, on outdoor recreational opportunities like hiking, trail running, and birding.
Your action is critical to show your legislators that the Keystone Fund and other conservation investments are important in their districts. Please contact your legislators to show your support of these investments and help protect conservation funding—and your hiking trails—in Pennsylvania! Share with your elected officials why parks, forests, and open spaces are important to you and your local community.
Other important facts about the Keystone Fund and why it’s worth fighting for:
• The Keystone Fund was established in 1993 with overwhelming bipartisan and public support: the Senate voted 48-0, the House voted 196-3, and 67% of state voters approved the Keystone Fund.
• Per Act 50 of 1993, 15% of the Realty Transfer Tax is directed to the Keystone Fund to support recreation, parks, and conservation. It is contrary to the intent of Act 50 to divert these funds to general government operations.
• Each dollar of Keystone Fund investment typically leverages 2 or more dollars in direct local investments in parks, trails, and open space. These investments make Pennsylvania a better place to live and play and help support a healthy environment and a strong economy.
• The Keystone Fund has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity—from recreational purchases and wages to increased property values. The trail community has also benefited greatly from the Keystone Fund, with the building of hundreds of miles of trails across the state.
• The Keystone Fund primarily supports capital projects with limited funds toward administration or planning. In 2011-12, the Keystone Fund supported $9.5 million in community parks and recreation projects, $3.8 million in land trust projects, and $11.4 million in state park and forest projects.
What can you do?
Budget discussions are intensifying in Harrisburg. Will your call, letter, or meeting be the one to make the difference for conservation? It very well could, but you must act now. Visit our Activist Backpack page for tips on successful letters, calls, and meetings with your elected officials.
Tell them to protect the Keystone Fund so that it can continue to deliver lasting legacies for conservation and recreation—tangible benefits for generations to come!
Write your state senator and state representative to show your support of the Keystone Fund. Use the text below to tell your elected officials how the Keystone Fund is important to you and your community. Find your state senator or representative here.
Subject: Save the Keystone Fund
Dear (Senator or Representative _________):
One path for balancing the 2014-2015 budget would slash funds currently dedicated to the Keystone Recreation, Park & Conservation Fund (“the Keystone Fund”), the major funding source for our state’s parks, trails, and open space, in addition to funds intended for farmland preservation and Growing Greener Watershed Protection.
As a constituent, I call on you today to protect the Keystone Fund and other conservation measures so that they can continue to deliver lasting legacies for conservation and recreation. The tangible benefits of protecting these conservations funds will last for generations. Eliminating this fund and other conservation investments would have a lasting and devastating impact on conservation of Pennsylvania’s natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities.
The Keystone Fund has created real benefits for our local communities by generating economic activity, improving recreational opportunities, and preserving valuable open space. Please support the Keystone Fund during the budget negotiations and protect conservation funding in Pennsylvania.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,