By Rick Hiduk
(Originally published in the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce’s Impact Magazine. To see all stories in the latest issue, click here: IMPACT – Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce (wyccc.com)
When the Howland Preserve was dedicated as Vosburg Neck State Park on Sept. 29, several speakers suggested that the hundreds of acres of forested hillside buffered by the Susquehanna River was somehow destined to be Wyoming County’s first state park. Likewise, Nick Sulzer was perfectly suited to be named its first manager. Through family outings, the former Lehighton resident grew up in the state park system and kicked off his career as a Ranger at Tobyhanna State Park in 2012.
“I have been an avid outdoorsman ever since I can remember,” said Nick. “My family spent many of our vacations visiting parks, camping, hiking and enjoying Pennsylvania’s natural beauty. My dad taught me and my brother how to hunt and fish in state parks.”
In school, he took to environmental studies and ecology classes. He obtained a degree in biology from Misericordia University and minored in chemistry. “It was just a natural translation when I was given the opportunity to work in the places I grew up visiting and learning in,” Nick related. In 2014, he became a Park Manager Trainee with the Parks Region 2 Office in western Pennsylvania and worked in a variety of park settings and roles, gaining valuable experience before returning to Hickory Run as an Assistant Park Manager in 2016. In 2020, he became park manager at the Tuscarora and Locust Lake State Park Complex in Schuylkill County.
“I love being able to share my knowledge and experiences with other people and be able to provide them with a place to enjoy this state’s abundant natural resources and recreational opportunities,” Nick stated. “The opportunity to work to preserve and protect Pennsylvania’s public lands for current and future generations has been amazing.”
Nick especially enjoys the management planning and project planning of the job so, when he jumped at the chance of becoming a manager of a new state park. “I am looking forward to building off the foundations set by the North Branch Land Trust (NBLT) and the Friends of the Howland Preserve and making this a great park that visitors can enjoy for years to come,” he said. “There is so much to be excited for with the addition of this land to the Pennsylvania Parks System.”
There is much yet to be finalized as the transition of ownership between the NBLT and the state takes place. Meanwhile, the park will remain open to the public for passive recreation. “We are currently working on staffing the park and acquiring the appropriate resources we will need to maintain the park,” Nick explained. Much of 2023, he noted, will be setting up daily operations, dedicated to building and maintaining local partnerships, and planning improvements to the park. “I think one of the biggest improvements people can look forward to would be a park office where visitors will be greeted by park staff and be able to get information about the park and surrounding areas.”
Vosburg Neck State Park, accessible via Vosburg Neck Road off US Route 6 between Tunkhannock and Meshoppen, is envisioned as a passive recreation day use park. Features of the 669-acre property include miles of hiking and biking trails, historic structures from the 1700s and 1800s, remnants of the Pennsylvania Canal, stone walls, picnic areas, and a non-motorized boat landing. The landing is situated at mile 222 of the 444 miles of the Susquehanna River from its start near Cooperstown, NY, to its end at Havre de Grace, MD. A map of the park can be found here: http://elibrary.dcnr.pa.gov/GetDocument?docId=4634703&DocName=VONE_ParkMap.pdf
Welcome, Nick!!!