DCNR, Partners Offer Holiday Gifts that Boost Conservation

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is offering holiday gift ideas that can help to conserve and protect Pennsylvania's natural resources. As an extra bonus, buyers can beat the crowds and save fuel by shopping online.

For those who enjoy or have yet to experience Pennsylvania's award-winning state park system, a state park gift card can be purchased in any dollar amount and may be used for campsites, cabins and pavilions anywhere they are available in the state park system. Parks are a great, economical overnight destination and offer the opportunity to watch wildlife and connect with nature. To order a gift card, visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us, choose "Find a Park," then "Reservations," then "Gift Cards."

Among other things, the gift card could be used for a stay at the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle in Centre County. With its huge stone fireplace, large windows for watching the outside world and connection to miles of trails at Bald Eagle State Park, the Nature Inn is a great getaway at any time of the year.

Shoppers can also support the commonwealth's 117 state parks by purchasing a calendar featuring stunning photography that captures the wonders of Pennsylvania's state parks throughout the seasons, and provides tips and facts that make it easy to discover what many locations have to offer. The 10" x 13" calendar costs $8.49, plus sales tax and shipping, and can be ordered by calling 1-888-PAPARKS. You can see the calendar before purchasing it at www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/calendar.aspx.

Holiday gift buyers may also consider a present that supports and organization that is committed to conserving the state's natural resources, such as a membership to the non-profit Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, which helps enhance parks and forests, and supports conservation and environmental programs. Visit www.paparksandforests.org or contact PPFF at [email protected] for more information.

Another option is to donate in support of or make a purchase from the Wild Resource Conservation Program. Since 1982, the program has studied and worked to conserve Pennsylvania's rare species and habitats. For more information, visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us/wrcp/ and click on "Donate or Purchase Products."

Finally, shoppers could consider a pottery gift with a special glaze. In a continuing effort to help market abandoned-mine treatment technologies—particularly iron and manganese removal—the Jennings Environmental Education Center in Butler County and its partners produce and sell pottery glazed with minerals extracted from passive treatment systems. Proceeds help to build and maintain treatment systems that prevent dangerous elements from escaping abandoned mines and polluting the state's waterways. The pottery can be ordered at www.cleancreek.org.

For more information about state forests, visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us or call (717) 772-9101.

Media contact: Christina Novak, 717-772-9101

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources