Impact

Table of Contents

No state funding program has had a more lasting impact on local communities than the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund. Since 1993, the Keystone Fund has invested a total of more than $1.76 billion* in over 8,200 projects—creating real and lasting improvements that are enjoyed by millions of Pennsylvania residents each year.

*2024 inflation-adjusted dollars

Completing Tangible Projects on the Ground

The Keystone Fund has made significant and lasting improvements to conservation, outdoor recreation, and community services that benefit ALL Pennsylvanians.
  • 4,900 community park projects—including ballfields, playgrounds, pools, boat launches, picnic areas, and recreation centers.
  • 969 trail projects for walking, biking, hiking, and more—both within communities and including long-distance trails, such as Pine Creek Rail Trail and the multi-state Great Allegheny Passage.
  • More than 200,000 acres protected for county and municipal parks, greenways, gardens, wildlife habitat, battlefield preservation, and other open spaces valued by local communities for their aesthetic, recreation, flood prevention, local character, or other conservation purposes.
  • Major improvements across 138 state parks and forests—including construction and rehabilitation of restrooms, parking lots, roads, bridges, visitors’ centers, water fountains, sewage treatment, and other facilities.
  • Natural heritage inventories completed in 66 of 67 counties to help communities make informed decisions regarding the use, development, and conservation of local land.
  • 948 historic preservation projects completed to protect and restore historic sites and facilities in nearly every county.
  • 478 community library projects completed in 63 counties—from building new facilities to renovating older buildings and improving accessibility.

Creating Jobs & Sustaining Local Economies

The economic benefits to our communities by Keystone Fund investments are immense: increasing tourism and visitor spending, creating and sustaining local jobs and businesses, enhancing property values and municipal revenues, and revitalizing neighborhoods.

  • Keystone Fund projects drive revenue from the outdoor recreation industry, which generates $19 billion annually in total economic impact and supports 168,000 jobs that provide $9 billion in wages and salaries to Pennsylvanians.[1]
  • Rails-to-trails and other bike path projects funded by Keystone grants contribute to Pennsylvania’s ranking as #2 state for economic value added by recreational bicycling (which nearly doubled from $129 million in 2022 to $256 million in 2023).[2]
  • For every dollar invested in state parks, $12.41 of income is returned to the state economy.[3]
  • More than 1 million people visit the Great Allegheny Passage trail each year, generating over $74 million direct revenue from Trail Impact Zone businesses and $52.6 million in wages.[4]
  • Community parks generate $40.3 million in spending from out-of-town visitors and $688 million in increased real estate value of surrounding properties.[5]

Making PA a National Leader in Outdoor Recreation

Thanks in large part to the Keystone Fund, Pennsylvania is on the national forefront of providing recreational opportunities to residents and tourists.

  • A leader in trail development with more than 12,000 miles of trails—including 1,700 miles of Rail Trails—and $45 million in federal funding secured for hiking, cycling and pedestrian-related projects
  • The nation’s third-largest state park system, featuring 121 state parks on over 300,000 acres and drawing 40 million visits each year.
  • Became the first state to adopt the LEED Sustainable Sites category
  • Independently certified by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) as having a sustainably managed state forest system

*Some of the DCNR-administered Keystone Fund project figures provided above may include other funding sources that fall under the department’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program.

[1] Shapiro Administration Helps Pennsylvania’s Outdoor Recreation Economy Grow | Department of Conservation and Natural Resources| Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

[2] 2023 ORSA – Pennsylvania.pdf

[3] 2012 Penn State University economic analysis of state park impacts for DCNR

[4] 2021-Great-Allegheny-Passage-Economic-Impact-Report-Spreads.pdf

[5] 2009 report by the The Trust for Public Land