Cleanup at Beltzville State Park

Independence Day is always a busy day at Beltzville State Park.  The park is overcrowded with families from the Lehigh Valley and even Philadelphia.  The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has undertaken a study of overcrowded state parks, and Beltzville is included in that study.  I agree that the Park could do better, but I don’t like any suggestions that involve restricting access to what is a public park, paid for by all of us.

Some of the “locals,” of course, regard Beltzville State Park as their park.  They don’t like “outsiders” (you can read that as Puerto Ricans and African Americans) using their park.  The fact that Beltzville Lake was a federal project paid for by taxpayers in Needles, California, and Boise, Idaho, among other places, doesn’t seem to register with them.  

There is a group of people who not only appreciate the park, but try to help it thrive.  The Friends of Beltzville State Park volunteer for park programs and park cleanups.  I’m a member, and this morning I helped pick up litter in the picnic area.  I was given a grabber, a bucket, and trash bags.  The most common piece of litter was caps from plastic water bottles.  I did find 67¢ on a picnic table, which I kept.  

Representative Heffley is one of the people who panders to the locals.  He seems to favor a fee as a way to keep poor people from using the park.  What he should do is come down and get a grabber and a bucket.