Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act is a public lands acquisition law enacted in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on 22 June 1964. It permits the state to issue bonds for the purchase of lands for public parks, reservoirs, and other conservation, recreation, and historical preservation purposes, and to coordinate those purchases with local governments. The act also permits acquisition of lands by eminent domain. Once the lands are acquired under Project 70, the General Assembly must approve any disposition of these lands. Pennsylvania Dept of Conversation and Natural Resources website Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act, act of June 22, 1964 (Sp.Ses., P.L. 131, No. 8), 72 P.S. §§ 3946.1-3946.22. This law implements Article VIII, Section 15 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, which provides that . . . the Commonwealth may be authorized by law to create debt and to issue bonds to the amount of $70,000,000 for the acquisition of land for State parks, reservoirs and other conservation and recreation and historical preservation purposes, and for participation by the Commonwealth with political subdivisions in the acquisition of land for parks, reservoirs and other conservation and recreation and historical preservation purposes, subject to such conditions and limitations as the General Assembly may prescribe. The act authorizes the Commonwealth and political subdivisions to acquire suitable lands by eminent domain. Under the act, no lands acquired pursuant to the act may be disposed of or used for purposes other than for recreation, conservation and historical purposes without the express approval of the General Assembly.
The park in northeastern Pennsylvania, ten miles north of Scranton, was known as Project 70 during its construction prior to opening under the name Lackawanna State Park.
List of state parks Below is a list of Pennsylvania state parks whose establishment or expansion was funded in part by Project 70 monies. The table includes the park name, if it was a new park or addition, the acres (hectares) acquired, the county or counties it is in, and the dates of the public hearing and approval by the governor.
Park Type Acres (Hectares) County Public Hearing Date Governor Approval Date Comments Ohiopyle State Park New park Fayette County 07-31-1964 08-08-1964 First and largest state park acquired under Project 70; the park opened in 1965 on a limited basis and was formally dedicated in 1971 Tyler State Park New park Bucks County 09-25-1964 11-17-1964 The park was formally dedicated on May 25, 1974. Codorus State Park New Park York County 10-30-1964 12-10-1964 The park, which was originally named "Codorus Creek State Park", officially opened in 1970. Nockamixon State Park Addition Bucks County 04-23-1965 07-12-1965 Valley Forge State Park Addition Chester County 04-30-1965 07-12-1965 Given to the National Park Service for the United States Bicentennial in 1976; now Valley Forge National Historical Park Ridley Creek State Park New park Delaware County 05-14-1965 12-06-1965 Locust Lake State Park New park Schuylkill County 06-04-1965 09-01-1965 Yellow Creek State Park Addition Indiana County 08-13-1965 10-06-1965 Moraine State Park New park Butler County 12-02-1965 03-23-1966 Moraine State Park Addition Butler County 12-02-1965 03-23-1966 Old Stone House was added to the new park Maurice K. Goddard State Park New park Mercer County 12-03-1965 03-23-1966 Originally known as "Sandy Creek State Park", name was changed to honor Maurice K. Goddard Pymatuning State Park Addition Crawford County 12-04-1965 07-25-1966 Little Buffalo State Park New park Perry County 01-20-1966 03-23-1966 Lackawanna State Park New park Lackawanna County 01-28-1966 03-23-1966 Scranton Iron Furnaces New park Lackawanna County 01-28-1966 03-23-1966 Transferred in 1971 to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Marsh Creek State Park New park Chester County 03-11-1966 06-07-1966 Nolde Forest State Park New park Berks County 07-15-1966 10-21-1966 Now Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center Shikellamy State Park Addition Northumberland County 08-26-1966 11-18-1966 This is the marina portion of the park Canoe Creek State Park New park Blair County 08-07-1966 01-16-1967 Laurel Ridge State Park New park Cambria, Fayette, Indiana, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties 05-18-1967 07-10-1967 A second hearing was held 05-19-1967 Evansburg State Park New park Montgomery County 06-15-1967 04-18-1968 Oil Creek State Park New park Crawford and Venango counties 08-10-1967 11-14-1967 Ohiopyle State Park Addition Fayette County 06-17-1968 07-18-1968 Mt. Pisgah State Park New park Bradford County 06-23-1968 07-18-1968 Jacobsburg State Park New park Northampton County 01-30-1969 03-28-1969 Blue Marsh State Park New park Berks County 03-27-1969 06-30-1969 Now Blue Marsh Lake and Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 280. Park was completed, but without funds to operate it, so was given to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, now also partly a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site Allegheny River State Park New park Venango County 05-02-1969 07-29-1969 Now part of Clear Creek State Forest
List of county parks
Park Type Acres (Hectares) County Public Hearing Date Governor Approval Date Comments Moon Lake ParkNew parkLuzerne CountyTwo Mile Run County ParkNew parkVenango County
References
External links Environmental laws of Pennsylvania Issue raised in Lansford in June 2007