Litter remains an issue at Beltzville State Park, which again had to close early last weekend due to being at capacity.

Kevin Christman, Beltzville State Park Concerned Citizens, posted photos following the park’s busy weekend.

“I took a walk down to the end of the concrete road (Monday evening) to scope out what was left behind from (Sunday’s) illegal partying along the shoreline,” Christman said. “The liquor bottles are all half to 3/4 full, they must’ve hastily tossed them aside when the officers got there (Sunday).

“I couldn’t quite capture the extent of the garbage, because most of it was thrown into the thick brush, weeds and poison and I wasn’t about to go to that extreme but here’s what I captured. While I was there, I could clearly hear music coming from the direction of Pine Run boat launch or the beach. There was only one boat in sight and that was a guy fishing on a bass boat, so I’m guessing it was our fine patrons letting the whole lake know they are there.

“By the way, my location was a mile from the boat launch, and most likely another two-tenths further to the beach.”

Contacted Wednesday, Ben Monk, manager, Beltzville State Park, agreed that litter remains a concern.

“Litter remains an issue, and with the volume of people at any venue after a busy weekend, litter issues are persistent,” Monk said. “A lot of what we’re getting is trash in bags next to trash cans; there is still litter, but it’s getting less and less.”

Monk noted the park was at capacity and closed off around noon on Sunday, which marked the third time this year the park was closed off at capacity.

“Our citation numbers are significantly higher than any other park in the bureau (of State Parks),” he said, adding that citations have been for alcohol, scattering rubbish and marijuana. “Parking hasn’t been too bad; we haven’t been running into an issue yet.”

Monk explained why he believes that to be the case.

“We have stepped up enforcement,” he said. “The DCNR rangers are working very hard, and are very diligent with their duties.”

Monk praised the maintenance staff for its hard work.

“Closing the gates once we’ve reached capacity has also helped with some of the trash issues,” he said.

Monk said the park has a plan in place.

“With consistent enforcement, the hope is these things will fall in line,” he said. “We would like to develop a reputation that Beltzville is a park that you’re more than welcome to come to; you just need to follow the rules while you are here.”

With the Fourth of July on the horizon, Monk said the park is prepared.

“We do have extra staff coming in,” he said. “The weather looks like it’s in our favor a little bit.”

Meanwhile, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn reminded potential state park visitors Thursday to plan ahead for the three-day holiday weekend, which could bring crowded conditions to parks throughout the commonwealth.

“DCNR is expecting a busy Fourth of July weekend and we encourage all potential visitors to plan accordingly for high traffic,” Dunn said. “We have seen crowding close parks this year as summerlike weather has settled in and we project potential closings for capacity if the weather remains nice this holiday weekend.”

Dunn encouraged would-be visitors to plan to arrive at parks early or to consider alternatives to high-use parks, which have reached capacity on recent weekends.

Recent Bureau of State Park attendance figures show people continuing to use the outdoors in record numbers. State park use January through May 2021 is up nearly 4 percent from historic increases during the pandemic.

Dunn noted visitors should:

• Bring a bag and either carry out your trash or dispose of it properly

• Clean up after pets

• Avoid activities that put you at greater risk of injury, so you don’t require a trip to the emergency room

• Take hand sanitizer with you and use regularly