While the work on Moraine State Park's infrastructure goes on behind the scenes, the efforts of its volunteer groups jump out for immediate notice.

Dustin Drew, park manager, said a positive force in Moraine is its volunteers who love the park — such as the Moraine Preservation Fund, Friends of Moraine State Park group, Glacier-Ridge Fund and 3MJC.

David Johnston, Moraine Preservation Fund president, said friend groups tackle smaller projects for the park.

“Our position is that the funding for the state parks is woefully inadequate,” Johnston said. “We help them out in any way possible.”

The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation recently published a report citing a backlog of infrastructure projects across the state's parks. Recreation facilities and resource management comprise the majority of these needs — a total of $546 million, according to the report.

The preservation fund helps Moraine also by raising funds.

It recently bought a new boat for its Nautical Nature Boat tours.

The Moraine Preservation Fund runs a gift shop and hopes to bring a concert to the park in 2020.

For now, Johnston said the group is focused on the new boat and what it can offer.

“We're hoping the boat will bring in more revenue,” he said. “We're hoping to capture things like weddings out on the lake.”

The fund operates through the leadership of nine board members, and it has close to 100 members as of last year, Johnston said.

But Johnston believes more volunteers can help the park flourish. He said the goal by the end of next year is 500 members.

“We're trying to identify things that people would like to come to the park and help do,” Johnston said. “Basic things, like picnic tables, they need.”

Drew said the park is lucky to have so many volunteers.

He said much of the work done to the infrastructure, especially at Moraine, are things that visitors might not notice, such as work on water lines buried under the ground or the rehabilitation of forest area by clearing out invasive species.

Drew said the work the volunteers complete gives visitors a tangible amount of progress.

“It's something the visitors can immediately recognize and benefit from,” he said.