Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF) today challenged Pennsylvanians to get more involved with their state parks and forests in honor of Earth Day through PPFF’s “Use it! Love it! Save it!” campaign.

“We are incredibly lucky to have a state park within 25 miles of every resident and more than two million acres of state parks and forests to enjoy,” said Marci Mowery, PPFF president. “Even Pennsylvanians who rarely or never use the parks and forests profit from the significant environmental and economic benefits to the local communities and the Commonwealth.”

“But, we should never take these resources for granted,” said Mowery, who offered some simple steps for Pennsylvanians to consider:

· Use it – plan to visit a state park or forest.

· Love it – love your parks and forests for what they provide for habitats, greenhouse gas offsets, watershed benefits, and jobs creation as well as recreational opportunities.

· Save it – by getting involved with park and forest volunteer activities or communicating to elected officials how important our parks and forestland are.

“Last year, during the state budget crisis, the threat of park facilities being closed and threats to forest uses, such as road closures, were met with a public uproar. On this Earth Day, Pennsylvanians should remember that we can never afford to take these resources for granted,” Mowery said.

Pennsylvanians can visit PaParksAndForests.org for opportunities to get involved including participating in “Friends” groups.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this year, Pennsylvanians also can participate in the Earth Day 40 Challenge, which asks people to take individual or group environmentally-positive actions from Earth Day through June 1. For more information, visit http://www.iconservepa.org/, a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources Web site, and click on "Take the Challenge."

About the PA Parks & Forests Foundation/ PaParksAndForests.org
The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation is a non-profit that supports Pennsylvania’s 117 state parks and 2.2 million acres of forest by coordinating volunteers, activities and donations to encourage recreation, healthier life styles, education, land acquisition, and natural/cultural resources. PPFF helps maximize the economic and environmental benefits from our parks and forests. Founded in 1999, PPFF has 26 chapters.