KANE — The changing face of forest recreation will be the topic of discussion at the Roach-Bauer Forestry Forum on April 6 at the Kane Country Club.
Dr. Don English of the national office of the U.S. Forest Service in Washington, and John Papalia of the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry in Warren will be the speakers.
Papalia will cover the local perspective and community partnerships on the changing face of forest recreation, including events such as the Kinzua Tango, Kinzua Classic, and the National Canoe Racing Championships. Papalia will focus his presentation on events and outdoor opportunities the Chamber of Business and Industry sees as successful and are dependent upon a forested setting.
Meanwhile, English will cover national and regional trends in forest recreation derived from national visitor use monitoring. He will also provide a specific discussion as it relates to patterns of use on the Allegheny National Forest and select Pennsylvania state forests, and then compare those patterns to the Northeast Region of the Forest Service.
The two presentations will be of interest to any users of forests, including hikers, canoers, loggers, oil and gas workers, hunters, anglers, and land managers.
Papalia was born and raised in Warren County, and graduated from Edinboro University. He currently serves as director of chamber operations and tourism for Warren County. He has been involved with the Chamber of Business and Industry for eight years and has coordinated a variety of events using the national forest, state lands, and lands managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
English’s federal government career has spanned more than 30 years, starting at the Southern Research Station in Atlanta, Ga., where he focused his work on outdoor recreation supply, demand, and economic benefits. For the last 12 years, he has worked in the national office in Washington providing scientific, technical, and administrative leadership in the national visitor use monitoring program. The monitoring program estimates the volume and characteristics of recreation visits to national forests and grasslands.
English earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in recreation and parks from Penn State, and a Ph.D. in resource economics from the University of Georgia.
The forum will be held at the Kane Country Club. Preceding the talk will be a no-host social hour from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., and dinner at 6:30 p.m. The program will start immediately after dinner. Reservations are required. Early reservations received on or before March 23 are $25. Reservations from March 24 through March 30 will cost $30. No reservations will be accepted after March 30.
The cost for full-time students pursuing a natural resource degree is $10. For reservations, contact the Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, P.O. Box 133, Kane, PA., 16735, at 814-837-8550, by fax at 814-837-4950, or email hardwood@penn.com.
