Black Forest Broadcasting

Young and old. Members of the Coudersport Falcon Black Forest Trap Shoot team served a free  Thanksgiving Dinner Sunday, November 13 to area Senior Citizens.

…Cameron County teen facing charges for making false reports….possible theft investigated in Emporium…Shoplifting investigated in St. Marys…Lewis Run woman arrested for physical harassment…Report shows outdoor recreation contributes more than $13 billion to state’s economy….

Cameron County

A Cameron County teen is facing charges of making false reports. State police at Emporium were called for a juvenile in crisis on Route 872 and Logue Run Road last Tuesday night. The area was canvassed and interviews were conducted with local camp owners. The juvenile was nowhere in the area and had made a false report to authorities.

A North Carolina man escaped injury in a car/deer encounter Friday afternoon on the First Fork Road in Grove Township. Troopers said Olegario Medel was going south when he swerved his Chevrolet Silverado to avoid a deer causing the truck to go off the road and hit a guard rail.

Emporium state police are investigating the possible  theft of some keys from a residence on East 6^th Street. A house key and a key to a 2016 Ford belonging to a 61 year old Emporium woman were taken Sunday morning.

Elk County

State police at Ridgway are investigating a Youth Childline Report in Jay Township. An adult male is suspected of in appropriately touching two girls, ages 16 and 15.

Troopers at Ridgway are also investigating a theft at the St. Marys Walmart occurring last Wednesday morning. No details were released.

McKean County

A 41 year old Lewis Run woman has been arrested for physical harassment. Troopers claim the suspect hit a 37 year old Lewis Run man multiple times causing injury last Wednesday afternoon  during an argument on Beaver Drive.

Tioga County

A Penn Run driver escaped injury in a one-vehicle accident Friday afternoon in Tioga County. According to Mansfield  State police, Robert Finn braked while going north, causing his VW Jetta to hydroplane on the wet road, cross to the other side and hit a guard rail. Finn was not using a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Statewide

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announces that outdoor recreation contributed $13.64 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy, accounting for 152,000 jobs, and 1.6 percent of the commonwealth’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) statistics.

The $13.6 billion outdoor recreation added to the commonwealth’s GDP is up 22 percent from 2020 and the increase of 2,000 full-time equivalent jobs is up 4 percent from 2020. Pennsylvania has the sixth largest outdoor recreation economy in the nation, supported by a combination of exceptional recreational assets, generally diversified economy, and strong retail, manufacturing, and tourism sectors.

Among core outdoor activities, recreational vehicle (RV) camping makes up the greatest single contribution to Pennsylvania’s outdoor economy, exceeding $700 million in value added in 2021, up 17 percent over the previous year. RVing is followed by substantial economic contributions from boating and fishing ($555 million); hunting, shooting, and trapping ($354 million); and ATV and motorcycle riding ($304 million). These and other recreational activities are spurring economic productivity in supporting industries as well, including nearly $4 billion of travel and tourism activity from and more than $1 billion from local recreational trips made by Pennsylvanians. Nationally, outdoor recreation generates $862 billion in economic output, accounting for approximately 3 percent of all jobs in America.

Officials note  that recreation activities are diversifying, with new users inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and empowered by new recreation technologies from advanced gear to more readily available information. Additionally, the advent of remote work has made possible recreation-based lifestyles that attract remote workers to become new residents in communities with abundant and accessible recreational opportunities.

Though Pennsylvania’s total compensation for outdoor recreation work ranks seventh among all states, its rate of compensation growth is 38th among all states.  Outdoor recreation workers make about 57 percent of the wages of the average Pennsylvania worker, $44,623 in 2021, compared with $77,884 for all salaried jobs in the state.

Visit DCNR’s website for more information on outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania.