On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Senate confirmed Cindy Adams Dunn to serve as Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Governor Josh Shapiro nominated Dunn, who previously served as DCNR Secretary under Governor Tom Wolf.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve the Commonwealth under Governor Shapiro’s commitment to excellence,” Dunn said. “I appreciate the Governor’s dedication to creating government that works for Pennsylvanians, as well as his love of Pennsylvania’s beautiful natural resources. I have spent my career in conservation and public service, working to ensure that all Pennsylvanians have access to the majesty of Penn’s Woods, and look forward to the opportunity to continue this work as secretary of DCNR.”
Since being nominated by Governor Shapiro in January, DCNR, under Secretary Dunn’s leadership, has:
- Highlighted Governor Shapiro’s proposed $112 million budget investment in state parks infrastructure, encouraged Pennsylvanians to enjoy the outdoors this summer, and celebrated completed work on a $7.4 million infrastructure project at Lehigh Gorge State Park
- Toured Priority Bicycles in Montgomery, Lycoming County to demonstrate the value of Pennsylvania’s $14 billion outdoor recreation economy, alongside Deputy Secretary for Community Affairs and Economic Development with the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Rick Vilello, and Pennsylvania Director of Outdoor Recreation Nathan Reigner
- Reported two successful independent audits of Pennsylvania’s 2.2 million acre state forest system, which included high marks for DCNR’s proactive work;
- Distributed $290,734 in Wild Conservation Resource Program grants for eight projects aimed at protecting the state’s native biodiversity
- Emphasized the importance of connecting older adults to the outdoors with Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich and Acting Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen, which is a part of the Shapiro Administration’s push to serve older adults;
- Expanded a free sunscreen program, which covers 46 state parks to serve an estimated 2.6 million visitors this year
- Sprayed more than 290,000 acres of public lands to combat spongy moth outbreaks in the Commonwealth
- Uplifted the importance of trees as natural purifiers of our air and water during a 2023 Arbor Day celebration
- Celebrated the induction of the Snyder Middleswarth Natural Area in Bald Eagle State Forest into the national Old-Growth Forest Network
- Honored the Mount Jewett to Kinzua Bridge Trail as the 2023 Trail of the Year
- Joined the Pennsylvania Organization for Waterways and Rivers (POWR) in naming the Susquehanna River North Branch the 2023 River of the Year
Under Dunn, DCNR launched the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps Program in 2016. This signature workforce development program that follows in the bootsteps of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s, has given more than 1,000 of young Pennsylvanians ages 16-25 the opportunity to develop workforce skills on public lands through various projects including building and trail maintenance, tree inventories, archeological work, and more.
The agency also hired Pennsylvania’s first director of outdoor recreation and recently conducted a series of stakeholder meetings in nine cities that examined how to grow Pennsylvania’s $14 billion outdoor recreation economy.
Find Dunn’s portrait and biography on DCNR’s website.
DCNR manages 124 state parks, 2.2 million acres of state forest land, and works with local governments and municipalities to provide grants, planning, and other resources to communities across Pennsylvania. Visit DCNR’s website for more information about the agency and check out DCNR’s Calendar of Events for events on public lands.
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