Northampton County wins $730,000 Highlands Conservation Act grant to acquire roughly 43 acres in Stockertown

County Executive announced at the Northampton County Energy, Environment and Land Use Committee meeting April 17 that the county has been awarded a $730,000 grant through the Highlands Conservation Act to acquire roughly 43 acres of open space in Stockertown Borough.

The grant, administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investment program in coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), will require a county match of approximately $1,400,000 for fee-simple acquisition, the County Executive said. He said this was the first competitive Highlands Conservation Act award in Pennsylvania this year.

Why it matters: The County Executive said the acquisition will conserve farmland, environmentally sensitive habitat and a trail connection in the Bushkill Creek watershed, and expand the Lehigh Valley Greenways conservation landscape and the 2 Rivers Trailway. He read a statement from DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, saying, "not only does the addition of the property help the Commonwealth close a key trail gap in the 2 Rivers Trailway in Northampton County, it helps the Lehigh Valley Greenways conservation landscape expand the link trail network and its work to build a world class trail system within the Delaware Lehigh National Heritage Corridor." The County Executive framed the award as a response to recent large-scale warehouse and logistics development pressures in the county.

Details and context: The Highlands Region spans parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. The County Executive described the Highlands Conservation Act grant program as competitive funding meant to protect land that advances clean water, healthy forests and wildlife, agriculture and recreation. He said the county's parks and recreation system currently encompasses more than 2,380 acres of parks, trails and open space managed by the county and that the new acquisition will add to that total.

County staff will continue partnership work with DCNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the acquisition and on implementing best management practices for agriculture, trail access and floodplain restoration, the County Executive said. He thanked county parks staff including Brian Cope and named Sherry Acevedo for their long-term work on open-space preservation.

Next steps: The County Executive said county officials will move forward on acquiring the property with the required local match; no formal vote or final closing was reported at the committee meeting.