PA Seeks Public Input On Upgrades For Chesco Park

CHESTER COUNTY, PA —The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn asked the public to participate in a survey for input on plans at Big Elk Creek State Park in Chester County.

Big Elk Creek is located in Elk and Franklin townships, 10 miles northwest of Delaware. In September, then-Gov. Wolf selected Big Elk Creek as one of three parks in a $45 million project to provide upgrades to parks.

“We are eager to hear from the public about its needs and amenities desired at Big Elk Creek, as we develop plans for the park,” Dunn said. “We welcome feedback from locals who will be directly impacted by the park, as well as those who plan to visit the park as its operations expand.”

The 10-question survey can be accessed here.

The survey will close Sunday, Aug. 13.

Feedback from the survey will be considered as a part of a master plan state's Bureau of State Parks is preparing to conserve and restore the land, while also providing recreation opportunities for all at Big Elk Creek State Park.

Trails are open to the public, but the park currently does not have infrastructure traditionally associated with state parks, such as restrooms and a park office.

The park conserves 1,700 acres in southern Chester County, extending an important wildlife corridor and providing refuge for a wide array of rare and threatened species.

The property contains 3.5 miles of Big Elk Creek, a tributary of the Elk River and the Chesapeake Bay, and more than 690 different plant species.

The park also contains 2.1 miles of the Mason-Dixon line along the Pennsylvania/Maryland state border, Elk Township's Spring Lawn Trail, and adjoins the 5,300-acre Fair Hill Natural Resource Management Area in Maryland.