PA Environment Digest

Wildlands Conservancy celebrated the preservation of three more properties in 2011 thanks to help from a few of its conservation partners.

Each property represents Wildlands Conservancy’s enduring commitment to land preservation and to the relationships it has forged over 39 years of history as a land trust in the Lehigh Valley.

In Lehigh County, Wildlands Conservancy teamed up with Salisbury Township to identify and analyze critical habitat adjacent to the Wildlands Conservancy’s South Mountain Preserve. When an offer was made to purchase the land owned by the Traupman family, they were all too happy to add their land to the Preserve. Generations of family members had played in the woods now protected by the Conservancy and this opportunity gave them the chance to say thank you.

Partnering with Studio 26 Homes, a Lehigh Valley green home builder, Wildlands Conservancy helped to preserve nearly 30 acres of open space attached to the builder’s latest 11-lot subdivision. Studio 26 opted to cluster their new homes to preserve as much land as possible and to provide their homeowners with natural and scenic beauty found in few other neighborhoods.

At long last, Wildlands Conservancy is pleased to announce the preservation of the 41-acre Groff Property in Moore Township, Northampton County. Identified by Moore Township’s Supervisors and residents as one of the highest preservation priorities, the property is noted for its connection to the Kittatinny Ridge migratory bird habitat and the Bushkill Creek watershed.

The township was deeply concerned for the health of their watershed and the chance to preserve unique natural areas in their community. When approached with the chance to help the Groffs, lifelong conservationists, Wildlands Conservancy teamed-up with Moore Township for the purchase of a conservation easement. With funding from Moore Township, Northampton County, and private donors, Wildlands was able to settle on the easement in late 2011.

For more information on these projects and other land conservation and planning efforts, please contact Kent Baird, vice president of land conservation and planning, at 610-965-4397, ext. 119 or send email to: kbaird@wildlandspa.org.

Share this: