Panel: better transportation can grow Pennsylvania’s outdoor‑recreation economy

A panel of state and regional outdoor‑recreation and transportation officials told the House Tourism, Recreation and Economic Development Committee that stronger transportation connections can help Pennsylvania capture more economic value from outdoor recreation.

Nathan Rigner, director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation, opened the panel by calling outdoor recreation both a pastime and an industry, saying Pennsylvania’s outdoor economy is "$19,000,000,000" and supports about "168,000 jobs." He framed the hearing as an effort to examine how transportation — from trails to transit to shuttles — contributes to retaining workers, attracting businesses and supporting entrepreneurs.

Alex MacDonald, section chief for trails, greenways and statewide planning at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Recreation, described DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnership Program and trail grant priorities. MacDonald said DCNR has identified 119 priority trail gaps that represent roughly 230 miles of trail and 47 bridge projects and recounted multi‑agency projects such as the Brady Tunnel rehabilitation (reported on the record as a $7,200,000 project completed in 2024) and the Safe Harbor Bridge project (reported as about $9,200,000) that connected tens of miles of trail in recent years.

Silas Chamberlain, interim executive director of the Outdoor Business Alliance of Pennsylvania, said the Alliance — formed earlier in the year — represents roughly 9,000 outdoor businesses and is focused on scaling private solutions (shuttles, rental fleets and micro‑enterprises) to address rural mobility gaps. Chamberlain highlighted visit trends at Cherry Springs State Park (a reported 184% increase in visitation between 2017 and 2024 and roughly 70,000 visits annually) and estimated that 7% of state park visits come from households that walk, bike or use transit — about 2.2 million visits — while noting that many visitors live in households unlikely to access rideshare services.

Rich Farr, executive director of Rabbit Transit, described the role of regional transit serving 11 counties. Farr said Rabbit Transit provided about 3,300,000 trips last year across 6,000 square miles and recorded over 32,000 bike boardings, emphasizing that transit links workers and seasonal employees to jobs and can support visitor access when routes and services are aligned with outdoor sites.

Derek Dawson of Visit Pittsburgh summarized a 10‑year tourism development plan that came out of extensive stakeholder input and cited example projects, including a kayak rental concession installed at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the Montour Trails Airport Connector linking Pittsburgh International Airport to downtown and to broader trail networks. Dawson argued destination marketing organizations can function as economic‑development agencies by leveraging visitor flows to support local businesses.

On questions, Representative Jill asked about e‑bike policy and enforcement; DCNR staff said the department’s policy for state parks and forests limits electric assist to 20 miles per hour on trails, aligns with the three‑class e‑bike framework, and disallows throttle‑only operation on DCNR lands, noting enforcement focuses on education. Representative Smith raised off‑road motorized trail concerns and asked about raising ATV/UTV plate fees; DCNR staff said advisory committees have discussed fee adjustments and staff would follow up.

Panelists and members repeatedly linked trailhead downtown connections, wayfinding and targeted seed funding to opportunities for small business capture of visitor spending. The hearing concluded with committee thanks and a reminder of procedural responsibilities.