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<p>Moon Lake Park in Plymouth Township is going wild.</p><p>Frequent mowing of fields will cease to allow grass to grow high after the 650-acre park&#8217;s transfer from Luzerne County to state ownership is completed next month, officials say.</p><p>Wild shrubs will be encouraged at field and road borders, and the paved roads will be replaced with crushed stone as they deteriorate.</p><p>The Olympic-sized swimming pool, a playground, the former caretaker&#8217;s house and most other structures will be removed.</p><p>So will electrical and sewage infrastructure. The public bathrooms will be non-flushable sealed concrete vaults, and the designated camping areas will be rustic with no utility hook-up.</p><p>&#8220;In the past it was more of a manicured park atmosphere. Now most of the park area will be allowed to return to its natural state,&#8221; said Nicholas Lylo, a district forester with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry, which will be the park&#8217;s new owner.</p><p>In addition to reducing maintenance and liability, the changes meet the bureau&#8217;s mission to protect and conserve the state&#8217;s wild resources and plants, Lylo said.</p><p>&#8220;It is a conscious plan to return to the natural landscape. We&#8217;re not just saying let it go. Maintenance is still required,&#8221; he said.</p><p>For example, high grass on around 80 acres will provide habitat for grassland species to nest and live, he said.</p><p>But this grass still must be cut or burned down periodically so it doesn&#8217;t turn into woods, Lylo said.</p><p>&#8220;If you want to keep it grassland, maintenance is required,&#8221; he said.</p><p>What will be left?</p><p>Biking and hiking trails will be kept unless studies determine a section encroaches on a critical habitat area, which could warrant rerouting, he said.</p><p>A new manicured area for picnics will be added near the future boat launch at the 48-acre lake, he said.</p><p>The boat launch, which must be installed within five years of the state transfer, will be accessible to kayaks, canoes and boats without gas motors for visitors who want to fish and enjoy the lake, he said.</p><p>Several public parking areas to access the Moon Lake property also will be added as part of the transfer agreement, he said.</p><p>Approved by a council majority last December, the transfer also included a 400-acre, county-owned parcel adjacent to Moon Lake that will link two sections of state forest property.</p><p>Lylo envisions visitors spending time at Moon Lake, possibly camping overnight, and also checking out the adjacent state forest land to hunt or for additional fishing and hiking opportunities.</p><p>&#8220;Visitors would not just be coming to a confined area. They will have ready access to a larger area of state forest along the Harveys Creek area from West Nanticoke all the way up to Route 118,&#8221; he said.</p><p><strong>State resources</p><p>Supporters of the transfer, which also included the Seven Tubs Nature Area in Plains Township, argued the state has more finances and resources to oversee and maintain the public assets.</p><p>Critics maintained the county should hold onto the property and make improvements with past-borrowed capital funds and an annual recreation allotment from natural gas drilling.</p><p>The issue came up at last week&#8217;s county Recreational Facilities Advisory Board meeting, with board member John DeRocco saying he was surprised about the plans to make the park more natural. The board had endorsed the state transfer.</p><p>&#8220;The county could be doing the same thing the state&#8217;s doing &#8212; just ignore it. And they&#8217;d still have the property,&#8221; DeRocco said.</p><p>Board member Michele Schasberger said county officials never took the lead making decisions about the park&#8217;s direction &#8212; as the state has done &#8212; while the in-ground swimming pool, camping areas and other infrastructure continued to deteriorate.</p><p>Moon Lake, which opened as a county park in 1971, has been on the decline for years as budget cuts prompted officials to eliminate a full-time director and seasonal support staff and close the pool and camping sites.</p><p>County officials have estimated millions of dollars would be needed for repairs to the water and sewage treatment systems and other park infrastructure to restore swimming and camping with amenities.</p><p>The park has been open for passive activities that don&#8217;t require intensive county oversight, such as fishing, mountain biking, hiking and cross-country skiing.</p><p>Lylo said the state will examine and preserve remnants of farming walls and cisterns, study plants and animals within the park and implement a plan to control invasive plant species.</p><p>Theft and vandalism that have plagued the park also should subside, he said.</p><p>&#8220;The Bureau of Forestry will have a regular presence there,&#8221; Lylo said.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092215moonlake31.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A lopsided sign directs visitors to picnic areas at Moon Lake Park in Plymouth Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092215moonlake31.jpg</photo0><caption0>A lopsided sign directs visitors to picnic areas at Moon Lake Park in Plymouth Township. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092215moonlake11.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Weeds are taking over the athletic courts at Moon Lake Park in Plymouth Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092215moonlake11.jpg</photo1><caption1>Weeds are taking over the athletic courts at Moon Lake Park in Plymouth Township. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092215moonlake21.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The swimming pool at Moon Lake Park, which hasn&#8217;t been operational in years, will be removed after the state takes over the park from Luzerne County next month, officials say. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092215moonlake21.jpg</photo2><caption2>The swimming pool at Moon Lake Park, which hasn&#8217;t been operational in years, will be removed after the state takes over the park from Luzerne County next month, officials say. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092215moonlake41.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The Moon Lake Park office has been boarded up and broken into in recent years. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092215moonlake41.jpg</photo3><caption3>The Moon Lake Park office has been boarded up and broken into in recent years. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092215moonlake51.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The swimming pool building at Moon Lake Park is among several structures that will be torn down after the state takes over the facility from Luzerne County next month. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092215moonlake51.jpg</photo4><caption4>The swimming pool building at Moon Lake Park is among several structures that will be torn down after the state takes over the facility from Luzerne County next month. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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Luzerne County’s Moon Lake Park to become more natural with upcoming state takeover