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Bureau of Recreation and Conservation
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Recreation for all.

Last Call for Bureau of Recreation and Conservation Grant Applications
Time is running out to apply for a grant through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.
The annual Community Conservation Partnerships Program application period closes in two weeks, on Wednesday, April 2.
The spring round of applications for all-terrain vehicle and snowmobile projects also ends soon, on Monday, March 31.
Last year these programs awarded more than $80 million to support more than 300 local projects across Pennsylvania. Don’t miss this chance to advance your community’s park, recreation, and conservation goals.
infographic summarizing 2024 D C N R grant accomplishments, including more than 80 million dollars awarded for more than 300 projects.

Bureau of Recreation and Conservation Director Tom Ford Retires
Tom Ford headshot photograph
Tom Ford stands next to a waymarking sign in a field with trees in the background.
Tom Ford poses with military equipment during a tour of Fort Indiantown Gap
After more than 15 years of service to the bureau, Recreation and Conservation Bureau Director Tom Ford retires this week.
Tom joined the bureau in 2007, when he started as Chief of the Regional Services Division. Prior to coming to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Tom served as Director of Policy and Planning and Chief of Staff at the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
He has served as director of the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation since 2016.
“Tom epitomizes what public service truly is,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “He turns his deep understanding of ‘getting stuff done’ in government to the public good of Pennsylvanians today and in the future. Across the Commonwealth there are cleaner and more accessible streams, forests, trails, and parks that have Tom’s fingerprints on them.”
Under Tom’s leadership, the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation has grown into Pennsylvania’s leader in supporting local recreation and conservation projects. Grants from the bureau’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program have grown from about $50 million in 2016 to more than $80 million in 2024.
As director, Tom championed the bureau’s digital transformation. He oversaw the launch of the DCNR Grants Customer Service Portal in 2020, which made both grant applications and project management fully electronic.
Tom, thank you for your service, your mentorship, and your commitment to Pennsylvania. Enjoy your retirement. You will be missed!

Mapping for Meaningful Engagement and Outreach
community members gather for a public meeting
What is “meaningful engagement?” It means reaching beyond our familiar sphere of outreach. As park and recreation professionals, we play an integral role in addressing the inequity in outdoor recreation availability and accessibility.
At the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), we’re reviewing our grant funding practices over the last five years to determine opportunities for targeted engagement. We’re identifying policy and program barriers that complicate the process of finding and competing for grants, and successfully completing grant projects.
One project we’re doing to advance this work is the Meaningful Engagement Community Analysis. This project uses geographic information systems (GIS) mapping to highlight municipalities that have not recently participated in our grant programs. Through proactive, targeted outreach, we aim to identify key barriers in these communities that keep them from accessing our funding and address these challenges as directly as possible.
Through both existing relationships and new connections, we hope to amplify the opportunities and impacts that DCNR grants can have in communities across Pennsylvania.

Submit Your Presentation for the 2025 Pennsylvania Greenways and Trails Summit
WeConservePA is accepting speaker proposals for the 2025 Pennsylvania Greenways and Trails Summit.
The summit brings more than 200 attendees from trail management organizations, municipal governments, state agencies, park and recreation commissions, and other organizations.
This year’s summit will be in Harrisburg on September 21 – 23. The deadline to submit a proposal is Tuesday, April 15.

Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee Will Host Public Forums
a group of people walk on a trail with forest to their left and a waterway to their right.
The Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee will host two public trail forums on Thursday, April 10 at the Boalsburg Fire Hall.
The address is 103 E. Pine Street, Boalsburg, PA 16827. The first forum will be from 3:00 – 4:30 PM, and the second will be from 6:00 – 7:30 PM.
The forums are free and open to the public. Pre-registration is not required.
At the forums, attendees can learn about trails in and around Centre County and share feedback that will help us update the Pennsylvania Land and Water Trail Network Strategic Plan.

Grant Application Tip
stylized dollar bill symbol
The annual Community Conservation Partnerships Program grant application period is open through 4:00 PM on Wednesday, April 2.
All through the grant round, we’ll include tips in this e-news to help you submit the most competitive application you can.
This issue’s tip: Ensure your match is secure.
Nearly all our grants require match, and that match must be secure when you apply. Projects without secure match are unlikely to be funded.
Most federal, state, local, and private funds can be used as match. Non-cash match may also work depending on the project.
If you have questions about the eligibility of a particular match source or how to document it in your application, contact your Bureau of Recreation and Conservation regional advisor.

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