HARRISBURG — Environmental advocates are opposing an evolving deal to end Pennsylvania's budget stalemate because of potential funding cuts for public-land protection and leasing of more state forest land for gas drilling.

A deal supported by both parties in the Senate and House Democrats is on hold for now because Gov. Ed Rendell opposes some aspects of it.

But conservation groups say the forests will suffer, as will recreational opportunities, if it passes, and gas-drilling companies that profit from the potentially lucrative Marcellus Shale gas formation will escape unscathed.

"The integrity of our publicly owned state forests should not be sacrificed to fill a budget gap," more than 20 conservation groups, including PennEnvironment and the Sierra Club, wrote in a letter to legislators.

Hikers would see more drilling sites and roads that carve up the forests and damage wildlife habitat, while fewer forest rangers and maintenance crews would be available to protect facilities, they say.

Already, a multibillion-dollar revenue shortfall driven by the recession is affecting the management of parks and forests.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is closing some state park and forest facilities and laying off seasonal staff earlier than usual this fall in preparation for budget cuts, administration officials said Monday.

Some beaches are closing early, as are portions of campgrounds. The department also put all 151 seasonal employees in the Bureau of Forestry on leave without pay starting Saturday. They typically work through November, department spokesman Chris Novak said.

Environmental advocates argue that instead of leasing land for drilling while natural gas prices are low, the Legislature should impose a tax on gas extraction to help prop up the budget and shoulder the cost of conservation and environmental protection.

"It's less of a gamble with our revenue and our natural heritage," Robert Griffith of the Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society said at a Monday news conference in the Capitol Rotunda.