A packed town hall meeting earlier this month saw hundreds of people show up to express their displeasure over the plan to construct a new camping ground at Big Elk Creek State Park, writes Jason Nark for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The audience members were not the only ones who voiced their opposition to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources plan. 

“I cannot, in good conscience, support the construction of new campgrounds in Big Elk Creek State Park,” said Commissioner Eric Roe in West Grove on Jan. 10. 

The overall plans for the 1,700-acre park were presented in September 2022, but the preliminary plans for the camp were only unveiled on Nov. 6, over a year later. 

“They hid this from everyone,” said Franklin Township resident Anteia Consorto, co-founder of Save Big Elk Creek. 

The opponents of the camping ground are worried about the effects it would have on the watershed, local wildlife, and local roads. Consorto said the group was feeling confident but cautious following the meeting. 

“They have taken camping off the table for now, but it’s the ‘for now’ aspect of it that bothers us,” she said. 

Read more about how the town hall meeting went about Big Elk Creek State Park in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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