Dec. 2--You may have heard over the weekend that the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is getting into the hotel business, by recently breaking ground on a $7 million overnight lodge within Bald Eagle State Park in Centre County.

We're not sure what's going on over at DCNR these days -- witness its shortsighted planning with regard to the pit toilet at Mont Alto State Park -- but this idea would make a fine entry in Ed Rendell's Treasury of Dingbat Government Ideas.

Yes, we know of Rendell's aspirations with regard to eco-tourism, and we know the state wants to boost attendance at state parks. But spending $7 million on green lodging that duplicates many of the casual camper amenities offered by existing state park cabins is not the way to go.

There are several problems with this plan. The first centers on the way it would undermine the statutory mission of state parks. They're supposed to preserve natural areas for the benefit of the public, not pave them over in a gratuitous duplication of services.

Another has to do with the state getting into an industry already served by private enterprise. Taxpayer-funded government enterprise stacks the deck against private businesses. Even if the government facility fails, it can exist for a long time on infusions of public money, leaching business from competent private operations all the while.

And finally, the state runs the risk of cutting off its nose to spite its face. By developing park land to attract more casual campers, the state invites the park system's hard-core fan base to find other destinations. These are the people who don't need modern plumbing and microwaves and video players to enjoy a stay in the woods.

We shouldn't be surprised at this news. This is the same department that installed a pit latrine a handful of feet from a state park dining pavilion; the same department that cited costs as a reason to lay off all state park lifeguards; the same department that would rather fill a former quarry than re-post a lifeguard or ban swimming in its icy depths.

We urge our lawmakers to nix this idea as soon as possible, and certainly before DCNR makes good on its goal of using the Bald Eagle State Park project as a prelude to building these lodges in state parks all over the commonwealth.

-- By Matthew Major, on behalf of Public Opinion's editorial board

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