The strategy provides a clear blueprint for state agencies and their partner organizations to follow as they develop, plan, and enhance public access opportunities in their communities.
Partners including heritage areas, watershed organizations, 501(c)3 nonprofit groups, local governments, and water trail managers, can use the tools available through this strategy by visiting the Pennsylvania Fishing and Boating Access Strategy page on the PFBC website.
“Pennsylvania is rich with more than 85,000 miles of rivers and streams and 4,000 lakes that provide recreational fishing and boating opportunities, and this strategy will help make more of our natural resources accessible to everyone,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “Communities across the Commonwealth are recognizing the benefits, socially and economically, when they provide high quality public access areas to attract more anglers and boaters.”
Fishing and boating are extremely popular recreational activities in Pennsylvania, and an increasingly diverse population is looking for nearby access to our waterways.
As an example, polls conducted by DCNR for the 2025-2029 PA Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan indicate record levels of interest in kayaking and canoeing.
Still, many residents and visitors encounter barriers, from physical and financial challenges to social and psychological obstacles, that may prevent them from using and benefiting from existing access areas.
“This strategy recognizes those obstacles and offers solutions for overcoming them,” said Mark Sweppenhiser, Director of the PFBC’s Bureau of Boating. “By optimizing placement for new public fishing and boating projects, prioritizing areas with limited access, building local support for access projects, and focusing on existing Water Trails, we can work alongside our partners to maximize the usability of our waterways to meet the interests of their communities.”
Public fishing and boating access projects that may benefit from this strategy include the construction of boat launches, trails for walk-in fishing access along waterways, the implementation of ADA accessible features such as parking areas and walking paths, and adaptive amenities including launching docks.
Both the PFBC and DCNR offer programs compatible with this strategy to assist communities in the development of new or enhanced public fishing access areas.
For more information on the PFBC’s Boating Facility Grant Program, visit the PFBC website.
More information on DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program visit the DCNR website.
Click Here for the DCNR/Fish & Boat Commission announcement.
Visit Explore PA Trails and Get Outdoors PA for recreation areas near you.
Visit the PA Parks & Forests Foundation’s Events webpage and DCNR’s Calendar of Events for activities happening near you.
For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website. Click Here to sign up for the Resource newsletter.
Related Articles This Week:
-- DCNR Resource News: DCNR Grants At Work; Governor Recognizes DCNR Staff; 2 State Parks Added To Old-Growth Forest Network; Outdoors For All Celebrations; 23 PA Wildland Firefighters Return
-- DCNR Grants News: Coatesville Celebrates Park Reopening; ATV/Snowmobile Grants; Eastern/Western PA Greenways & Trails Summits; Municipal Open Space Summit
-- DCNR Names Jake Novitsky New Assistant District Forester For Weiser State Forest In Central PA
-- Call For Presentations: PA Recreation & Park Society 2027 Annual Conference & Expo March 16-19 [PaEN]
-- South Mountain Partnership Hosts Oct. 2 Power Of The Partnership Celebration, Gettysburg. 11:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
-- Penn State Extension Hosts Sept. 2 Webinar On Proper Native Tree Planting For Long-Term Success, Noon to 1:30 p.m.
-- DCNR Let It Grow! - Plant Meadows, Don’t Mow Grass [Video]
NewsClips:
-- TribLive: Heroes' Walk At Flight 93 National Memorial In Somerset County Set For Sept. 26
-- Centre Daily Times: 2 PA Businesses Offer Some Of The Best Whitewater Rafting, USA Today Finds
-- Tribune-Democrat: Aug. 13 Meeting Set On Proposed Somerset County On-Road ATV Trail Network Plans
-- Tribune-Democrat: Preliminary On-Road ATV Trail Proposal In Somerset County Draws Questions, Concerns
-- TribLive: Allegheny County Continues West Nile Virus Mosquito Control Efforts
[Posted: August 15, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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