Contact: Zachary Pitts or Christy Goldfuss (202-546-9707)
Read the Report.
State College, PA- Oil and gas drilling in the Allegheny National Forest
jeopardizes $4 billion per year in Pennsylvania
business from transportation, lodging, equipment, and licenses for such
activities as fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching, according to a new
report released today by PennEnvironment.
The PennEnvironment report on the value of recreation, water and
wildlife, “Worth More Wild: The Value of Pennsylvania’s Roadless National Forest,”
analyzes data from a national survey done by the United States Fish &
Wildlife Service.
Key findings of the report include:
- In
2006, 4.2 million Pennsylvania
residents participated in fishing, hunting, and wildlife watching, and
these recreationists spent $4 billion in Pennsylvania on transportation,
lodging, equipment, licenses, and other related items. The economic strength of this outdoor
recreation relies on pristine and intact forestland.
- Annually,
more than $250 million worth of freshwater comes from the Eastern Forest
Service region, which encompasses Pennsylvania.
- Undeveloped
national forests provide critical habitat to Pennsylvania’s native wildlife, and at
least four of the state’s
endangered species would be even more threatened without the protection of
roadless areas.
“Pristine forests boost local economies, provide unique
outdoor opportunities, preserve wildlife, and protect watersheds, but a major
portion of our national forestland is defenseless against drilling, logging,
and mining,” said PennEnvironment Forests Associate Zachary Pitts.
In Pennsylvania,
the Allegheny National Forest currently contains about
9,000 active oil wells, more than in all other national forests combined. Since those who choose to recreate in
national forests tend to look for untouched lands, spoiling those lands will
send recreationists and their money elsewhere.
"The brook trout, the only native trout species of
eastern North America, requires pristine,
undisturbed surroundings for its survival and reproduction. Erosion from dirt and gravel roads is a major
source of stream siltation, resulting in decreased spawning of wild brook trout
and elimination of their food sources," said Trout Unlimited Vice
President, Ed Bellis.
Since 2000, Pennsylvania
residents have submitted 112,179 comments to the Forest Service, with the vast
majority supporting complete protection of these wild forestlands.
“The importance of protecting the last remaining wild lands
in Pennsylvania
for future generations to use and enjoy simply cannot be overstated,” observes Kirk Johnson, the Friends of the Allegheny
Wilderness executive director. “There is precious little remaining compared to
what once was.”
PennEnvironment calls on new members of Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation to
join Representatives Allyson Schwarz, Mike Doyle, Patrick Murphy, and Robert Brady
in protecting these untouched forests by supporting the Roadless Area Conservation
Act (H.R. 2516). The bill will protect
25,000 acres of roadless forests in Pennsylvania
and 58.5 million acres of untouched forests nationally.
“We must preserve the beautiful and pristine parts of
our national forests so that they can be shared and appreciated by everyone,”
concluded Pitts. “Representatives Jason Altmire,
Joe Sestak, and Chris Carney should protect Pennsylvania’s untouched forests and
recreational dollars for generations to come.”
