The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said it would need to close at least 35 state parks for the summer and reduce public access to state forests under a state Senate budget plan passed last week that slashes departmental appropriations.

Such closures would turn away more than 3 million park visitors and eliminate at least $57 million in recreation spending on products and services in communities around the closed parks, John Quigley, DCNR acting secretary, said yesterday.

The Senate budget, passed on a party line vote by the Republican-controlled legislative body, cuts an additional $19 million from the DCNR budget that had already been reduced by $7 million to $113 million in Gov. Ed Rendell's budget proposal that has been passed by the Democratic-controlled state House.

Negotiations on the competing state funding plans for the fiscal year beginning on July 1 will take place in coming weeks, and affected agencies are sounding the alarm about cuts. Closing parks could not come at a worse time, said Mr. Quigley.

"Families that cannot afford to take a vacation because of the tough economic times could always count on enjoying a little rest and relaxation at a nearby state park or forest. However, if the Senate's budget proposal is enacted, there would be even fewer of those opportunities as we would have to close a number of state parks," he said.

Chris Novak, a DCNR spokeswoman, said the department hasn't decided which of the state's 117 parks would be closed if the Republican budget version was adopted, but it is looking at options. She said the department would avoid closing its biggest "destination" parks, including Presque Isle in Erie, Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County and Point State Park in Pittsburgh.

"Most of our money goes to staffing, and if we don't have the people to run the programs and the parks we have to shut down the parks and those services," Ms. Novak said. "Under the governor's budget we were already looking at some serious belt tightening but we were doing that on a park-by-park basis and wouldn't have to close any parks."

Patrick Henderson, director of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, said the Senate will be asking DCNR to supply details in writing about which parks would be closed, which programs eliminated and how it determined how much public tourism dollars would be lost.

"This is just part of the administration's litany, a different agency putting out a release each day to complain," Mr. Henderson said. "We'll be asking for specific information on those prognostications."

He said the Rendell administration's budget from February isn't a valid comparison because the state deficit has increased significantly since then. He suggested that more acres of state forest land be leased for drilling into the natural gas-rich Marcellus shales to raise revenue for DCNR and other agencies.

Last year, 74,000 acres of state forests were opened up for drilling by the DCNR. The state has gotten $190 million in leasing fees on that land,

According to the DCNR, in addition to the park closings, the Senate budget would necessitate many public recreational and informational program cutbacks, the elimination of forest conservation and health programs like gypsy moth spraying, and the removal of state forest rangers who perform law enforcement and public service duties.

"The Senate's proposal would be absolutely devastating to these rural areas and to our efforts to preserve our natural resources for present and future generations," Mr. Quigley said.