From staff reports
Operational changes are planned for the 2018 season at the Twin Lakes Recreation Area in the Allegheny National Forest.
Forest officials will also hold two open houses in early February to provide an opportunity for the public to discuss concerns and ideas regarding the future operations at Twin Lakes.
The Forest will operate the day use facilities at Twin Lakes in 2018, but camping will not be available this year.
“We recognize that Twin Lakes is an important recreation destination for local communities and we are committed to maintaining access to the site for day uses such as fishing, swimming, hiking and picnicking in 2018,” Fallon said.
Following a decade of reduced appropriated funding for recreation management, the national forest has seen another 12 percent reduction in recreation funding since 2015.
This has not only affected the ability to address deferred maintenance for recreation facilities across the Forest, it has reduced the staff available to manage the recreation program. The Allegheny National Forest continues to operate developed recreation fee sites through a concessionaire permit, but this will not be an option for Twin Lakes in 2018, according to a press release.
The February open houses will be held at the Jones Township community building at 320 Faries Street in Wilcox, Elk County.
The public may attend these open houses to provide direct feedback to the Forest Service.
National Forest officials said there will be additional opportunities for public input to any proposals regarding future operations at the Twin Lakes Recreation Area.
For more information about operations at Twin Lakes for 2018, people may contact the Marienville Ranger District at (814) 927-6628.