Hyner in close list

[silverwings]

I received the following from Shawn and request your help in saving this park.

Below is an e-mail I just received. We heard rumors about this last weekend but did not think Hyner would be on the list. I just got off the phone with Rep. Mike Hanna’s secretary and she suggested we put together a letter stating our concern. She suggested all the members sign it but since they will begin negotiating the budget next Monday, we will not have time.

I will keep everyone posted. In the mean time, you can e-mail Mr. Hanna here: http://www.pahouse.com/hanna/contact.asp and let him know how important Hyner is to tourism and us in the area.

Shawn

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Good Morning Shaun,

I am sending this email for Mike Winters, Park Manager. I understand this past weekend he mentioned to you the possibility of the closing of Hyner View. He wanted you to be aware that we did receive a list of the Parks they intend to close if the budget passes as currently written. Unfortunately, Hyner Run, Hyner View and Little Pine are several of the Parks slated to be closed.

Kate Bowlan | Administrative Assistant
Bureau of Parks/Little Pine State Park
4205 Little Pine Creek Road | Waterville, PA 17776

[brianvh]

I sent the following email, and think the damage to the local economy may be a key argument:

Dear Representative Hanna;

I understand and sympathize with the budgetary constraints and the feeling that parks that are off the beaten path, such as Hyner Run and Hyner View, should be first in line to be closed. Yet I believe this is a mistake.

As you can see by my address, I'm a tourist, but believe it or not I'm not writing out of concern for the tourists. I'm writing out of concern for the local residents. Renovo is the closest real town to the Hyner area, and is definitely not a retirement community. It has had no industry for decades, so where do you think the money comes from? Hunting, fishing, tourism. The Hyner parks support these activities in a major way, and without them, the local economy will dry up. This would be fatal in this economic environment.

On a side note, I support the tourism industry as one of the people who hang glide from Hyner View. Our image is on the PA tourism brochures. I urge you not to deal a death blow to the local tourism economy by closing the Hyner area parks.

Sincerely,

Brian Vant-Hull

[RedBaron]

I sent him an email portraying Hyner as world-famous flying site visited by pilots from the Midwest, the East Coast and Europe. I also pointed out the importance of tourism etc.
My guess is this is another "OMG! They're putting wind mills on the WS ridge" type of hysteria.

[brianvh]

I'm supposing this well be temporary, and likely will not be happening during the summer peak season. But I believe it's real.

[Matthew]

I just got an assignemt to write an article on Hang Gliding at Hyner through the Clinton County Tourism Office. For those of your who can't put 2 and 2 together-- Hyner is in Clinton County. Guess Clinton County hasn't heard that their park and premier destination is gonna be shut down. Too bad about all of the postcards and bruchures at the PA Visitors centers that show hang gliding at Hyner. I've Contacted the Clinton County head of tourism and I'll write the state rep.

Matthew
PS You might also want to mention this from the State's tourism web site--
http://www.visitpa.com/things-to-do/att ... x?id=69794

[brianvh]

Does this mean you'll actually show up at a Hyner fly-in?

[markc]

My guess is this is another "OMG! They're putting wind mills on the WS ridge" type of hysteria.

Ummmm.... You might want to re-read that original email Janni:

...we did receive a list of the Parks they intend to close if the budget passes as currently written. Unfortunately, Hyner Run,...

This means that, without any resistance by local PA representatives, those parks will close. And once closed,
they will be difficult to re-open.

The only chance of making a change (and it's a small chance) is to make sure that the local reps hear from
interested parties, like us. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, ya know?

Hardly "hysteria" .

Thanks for sending a note! I'll be doing the same tomorrow, and I urge others (particularly PA residents)
to do the same.

MarkC

[Matthew]

Does this mean you'll actually show up at a Hyner fly-in?

****

That's the plan for the Fourth weekend if the park isn't gonna be shut down this year.

Matthew

[brianvh]

My guess is they won't close anything until the end of the summer. With a number of complaints (especially concerning the economic impact on Renovo) they may reopen each summer.

[RedBaron]

10 bucks we'll continue to be able to fly Hyner View, who's in?

[brianvh]

You have to state a time period. I say 10 bucks we'll have it for the rest of this summer, it will close down, desperate druggies will be dying in the streets of Renovo, there will be an uproar, and we'll have it back at least for each summer after that.

[RedBaron]

My bet's based on my assumption that Hyner View will never be closed for HG and PG related activities.

[silverwings]

Also, you can email the governor at http://www.governor.state.pa.us/portal/ ... _site/2985

[markc]

Probably not the best of ideas to be composing a letter with beer in hand, but below is my
shot at it.... Feel free to adapt anything you like for your own note to Rep. Hanna.

MarkC

Code: Select all

Dear Representative Hanna,

Although I am not one of your constituents, I frequently visit central PA in order to enjoy flying at one of the premier hang gliding destinations in the East : Hyner View State Park. Unfortunately, I've learned that Hyner View is on a list of parks slated to close due to budget cutbacks. This would be unfortunate for me certainly, but also for the PA residents in the area's small towns, such as Renovo. Tourism, outdoor activities, hunting, fishing : these are a significant part of the area economy. And I can tell you for certain that pilots from MD, VA, and PA all converge on Hyner View three times a year, for "fly-in" events. I suspect that Renovo would very much be disappointed to lose the tourism dollars that we contribute to the economy... But that's exactly what would happen if Hyner View closes. And keep in mind that we're just **one** community of Park users. So multiply the tourism-dollar loss by all the **other** types of Park users, and I suspect that the area around Hyner View would be hit very hard indeed. I visit family in Pittsburgh frequently, so I know of the budget constraints that the state faces. However, I urge you to consider the economic impact of park closures, and ask whether parks other than Hyner View might be better candidates?

Sincerely yours,
Mark Cavanaugh 

[markc]

Oh shoot... Here's a good tidbit that I found at Wiki:

Hyner View State Park was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its Bureau of Parks as one of "Twenty Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks".[4]

Maybe someone else could include this in a note to the rep?

Thanks!

MarkC