Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act
Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act is a public lands acquisition law enacted in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on 22 June 1964. It permits the state to issue bonds for the purchase of lands for public parks, reservoirs, and other conservation, recreation, and historical preservation purposes, and to coordinate those purchases with local governments. The act also permits acquisition of lands by eminent domain. Once the lands are acquired under Project 70, the General Assembly must approve any disposition of these lands. [1]
The park in northeastern Pennsylvania, ten miles north of Scranton, was known as Project 70 during its construction prior to opening under the name Lackawanna State Park.
List of state parks
Below is a list of Pennsylvania state parks whose establishment or expansion was funded in part by Project 70 monies. The table includes the park name, if it was a new park or addition, the acres (hectares) acquired, the county or counties it is in, and the dates of the public hearing and approval by the governor.[2]
| Park | Type | Acres (Hectares) |
County | Public Hearing Date |
Governor Approval Date |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohiopyle State Park | New park | 18,328.343 acres (7,417.217 ha) | Fayette County | 07-31-1964 | 08-08-1964 | First and largest state park acquired under Project 70; the park opened in 1965 on a limited basis and was formally dedicated in 1971 |
| Tyler State Park | New park | 1,680.16 acres (679.94 ha) | Bucks County | 09-25-1964 | 11-17-1964 | The park was formally dedicated on May 25, 1974.[3] |
| Codorus State Park | New Park | 3,235.80 acres (1,309.48 ha) | York County | 10-30-1964 | 12-10-1964 | The park, which was originally named "Codorus Creek State Park", officially opened in 1970. |
| Nockamixon State Park | Addition | 659.392 acres (266.846 ha) | Bucks County | 04-23-1965 | 07-12-1965 | |
| Valley Forge State Park | Addition | 217.137 acres (87.872 ha) | Chester County | 04-30-1965 | 07-12-1965 | Given to the National Park Service for the United States Bicentennial in 1976; now Valley Forge National Historical Park |
| Ridley Creek State Park | New park | 2,489.50 acres (1,007.46 ha) | Delaware County | 05-14-1965 | 12-06-1965 | |
| Locust Lake State Park | New park | 1,143.51 acres (462.76 ha) | Schuylkill County | 06-04-1965 | 09-01-1965 | |
| Yellow Creek State Park | Addition | 376.8 acres (152.5 ha) | Indiana County | 08-13-1965 | 10-06-1965 | |
| Moraine State Park | New park | 1,091.60 acres (441.75 ha) | Butler County | 12-02-1965 | 03-23-1966 | |
| Moraine State Park | Addition | 71.47 acres (28.92 ha) | Butler County | 12-02-1965 | 03-23-1966 | Old Stone House was added to the new park |
| Maurice K. Goddard State Park | New park | 4,867.5 acres (1,969.8 ha) | Mercer County | 12-03-1965 | 03-23-1966 | Originally known as "Sandy Creek State Park", name was changed to honor Maurice K. Goddard |
| Pymatuning State Park | Addition | 259.30 acres (104.93 ha) | Crawford County | 12-04-1965 | 07-25-1966 | |
| Little Buffalo State Park | New park | 829.95 acres (335.87 ha) | Perry County | 01-20-1966 | 03-23-1966 | |
| Lackawanna State Park | New park | 1,288.48 acres (521.43 ha) | Lackawanna County | 01-28-1966 | 03-23-1966 | |
| Scranton Iron Furnaces | New park | 3.84 acres (1.55 ha) | Lackawanna County | 01-28-1966 | 03-23-1966 | Transferred in 1971 to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission |
| Marsh Creek State Park | New park | 1,705.35 acres (690.13 ha) | Chester County | 03-11-1966 | 06-07-1966 | |
| Nolde Forest State Park | New park | 665.82 acres (269.45 ha) | Berks County | 07-15-1966 | 10-21-1966 | Now Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center |
| Shikellamy State Park | Addition | 46.52 acres (18.83 ha) | Northumberland County | 08-26-1966 | 11-18-1966 | This is the marina portion of the park |
| Canoe Creek State Park | New park | 905.06 acres (366.26 ha) | Blair County | 08-07-1966 | 01-16-1967 | |
| Laurel Ridge State Park | New park | 15,037.70 acres (6,085.54 ha) | Cambria, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties | 05-18-1967 | 07-10-1967 | A second hearing was held 05-19-1967 |
| Evansburg State Park | New park | 3,359.05 acres (1,359.36 ha) | Montgomery County | 06-15-1967 | 04-18-1968 | |
| Oil Creek State Park | New park | 7,197.00 acres (2,912.52 ha) | Crawford and Venango counties | 08-10-1967 | 11-14-1967 | |
| Ohiopyle State Park | Addition | 155.00 acres (62.73 ha) | Fayette County | 06-17-1968 | 07-18-1968 | |
| Mt. Pisgah State Park | New park | 1,024.30 acres (414.52 ha) | Bradford County | 06-23-1968 | 07-18-1968 | |
| Jacobsburg State Park | New park | 646.81 acres (261.75 ha) | Northampton County | 01-30-1969 | 03-28-1969 | |
| Blue Marsh State Park | New park | 500.00 acres (202.34 ha) | Berks County | 03-27-1969 | 06-30-1969 | Now Blue Marsh Lake and Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 280. Park was completed, but without funds to operate it, so was given to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, now also partly a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site |
| Allegheny River State Park | New park | 3,207.40 acres (1,297.99 ha) | Venango County | 05-02-1969 | 07-29-1969 | Now part of Clear Creek State Forest |
List of county parks
| Park | Type | Acres (Hectares) |
County | Public Hearing Date |
Governor Approval Date |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon Lake Park[4] | New park | 650 acres (260 ha) | Luzerne County | |||
| Two Mile Run County Park[5] | New park | Venango County | ||||
References
- Pennsylvania Dept of Conversation and Natural Resources website Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act, act of June 22, 1964 (Sp.Ses., P.L. 131, No. 8), 72 P.S. §§ 3946.1-3946.22. This law implements Article VIII, Section 15 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which provides that . . . the Commonwealth may be authorized by law to create debt and to issue bonds to the amount of $70,000,000 for the acquisition of land for State parks, reservoirs and other conservation and recreation and historical preservation purposes, and for participation by the Commonwealth with political subdivisions in the acquisition of land for parks, reservoirs and other conservation and recreation and historical preservation purposes, subject to such conditions and limitations as the General Assembly may prescribe. The act authorizes the Commonwealth and political subdivisions to acquire suitable lands by eminent domain. Under the act, no lands acquired pursuant to the act may be disposed of or used for purposes other than for recreation, conservation and historical purposes without the express approval of the General Assembly.
- Forrey, William C. (1984). History of Pennsylvania's State Parks. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Bureau of State Parks, Office of Resources Management, Department of Environmental Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. pp. 43–44. OCLC 17824084.
- "Tyler State Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved 2009-06-25.
- Learn-Andes, Jennifer (3 August 2014). "Nuts and bolts of Moon Lake Park takeover examined". My Dallas Post. Civitas Media. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- "Two Mile Run County Park". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
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