-one in a series of articles about the impact of the long-awaited state budget.

Faced with a significantly pinched budget, officials with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) have some difficult decisions to make which could affect state parks in the region.
State legislators enacted broad-based spending cuts in the recently passed state budget including a 15-percent, $9 million reduction in state park funding.
That may lend to less park offerings, said department spokesperson Christina Novak on Tuesday, or the possibility that some parks will be closed.
In June, DCNR publicly announced that Prompton State Park in Prompton Borough would no longer receive state oversight and funding - along with at least 35 other state parks - in reaction to reports that the agency would have its operating budget slashed as the state government coped with a multi-billion dollar deficit. 
Although the cut wasn’t as severe as thought then, now that a final state spending sheet was approved last Friday, DCNR will still receive less funding from $113 million to $92 million this fiscal year.
“We haven’t made any specific decisions” yet related to park closings, she said. “There certainly is going to be service reductions.” 
Whether or not Prompton State Park remains under the supervision of DCNR, however, the gates are expected to remain open since the area is maintained by a network of local volunteers, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which built a dam there long ago for flood control.
But it is unknown at this time what decisions will be made in regards to the Varden Conservation Area, a pristine 434-acre public land tract near Western Wayne High School, or the much frequented Promised Land State Park in Pike County.
“We don’t have any feel at this point,” said Novak, when asked about the region’s state parks.
She added that information is expected to be released in a few weeks, as DCNR staff evaluates its new budget in line with what is needed to run the agency.
“Currently, I don’t know. It’s a trickle down,” said Alex M. Stout, manager of Promised Land State Park which includes the Varden Conservation Area. “We’ve been given preliminary numbers (in the state budget) to get us in the ballpark.”
He said the agency has offered monthly educational programs at the conservation area, along with providing frequent trail and facility maintenance.