LEHIGHTON, Pa. — Beltzville State Park is a popular place during the summer months.
For years, the park has been dealing with overcrowding and people leaving trash behind, it's why State Representative Doyle Heffley from Carbon County wants to see some major changes.
"What's going on right now is, it's a free for all. It's creating an unsafe environment for the people going there and the people that work there," said State Rep. Heffley.
Heffley wants DCNR to ban people from out-of-state from using the swimming area, the hiking trails, and the day-use recreation area.
Even though the state park is public property, he's calling on the Governor to make the change happen.
In his letter to Harrisburg, he says besides trash, there's a drug and alcohol issue at the park as well as a lack of social distancing and worries the area will become a coronavirus hot spot.
"I think it's practical. I think if they can get the word out, get the message out that due to the emergency pandemic, the emergency declaration that the Governor wants to tout all the time, that Beltzville State Park will be closed to out of state residents until after the emergency pandemic is over," said State Rep. Heffley.
Park rangers said they just got the letter and it's still being reviewed by the department.
"The department has to look over it. The department of state parks will look over it and they will evaluate what is going on and see what can be done," said Alma Holmes, Beltzville State Park Manager.
Holmes said overcrowding and other issues are happening everywhere.
"All of the state parks have been being loved to death lately. Beltzville is a unique situation because of the format of the one entrance and we've had, had a lot of crowds but all of the state parks have been going through the same thing. All of the state parks are being loved to death," said Holmes.
Holmes expects the department to review the letter sometime this week.