Grants Presentation Held in Borough Park

Excitement was in the air July 14, when representatives from the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and many local dignitaties--including Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham and Northampton County Executive John Stoffa--were on hand for a mini-grant presentation ceremony in Hellertown's .

The ceremony was the culmination of the Heritage Corridor's 2011 Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape Initiative, which awarded 17 mini-grants to local municipalities and non-profit organizations dedicated to environmental preservation.

The grant money came from a Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape Initiative Implementation Block Grant that was awarded to the Heritage Corridor, having originated with the DCNR's Environmental Stewardship Fund.

Hellertown Borough, as one of numerous grant recipients, was chosen to host the ceremony because it features beautiful parks that represent the goals of the initiative, explained Heritage Corridor President Allen Sachse during welcoming remarks.

"It's an exciting location," he said of Water Street Park, adding that he could recall the acquisition of the land that ultimately became the park in the early 1970s.

Since the Lehigh Valley Greenways Initiative began in 2004, Sachse said, more than 1,200 acres of land have been preserved in Lehigh and Northampton counties, three LEED-certified environmental education centers have opened and many miles of trail that are open to the public have been built.

The vision for the greenways initiative, according to an informational flyer distributed at the event, is to have "greenways and trails connect natural and cultural resources across the Lehigh Valley" by 2015.

The trails will link "urban areas to outdoor experiences, protecting watersheds, and retaining the character of the landscape, the region's heritage and the community," according to the vision statement.

The $15,000 grant Hellertown received from the initiative is to fund , which will ultimately allow pedestrians to access the from the Route 412 corridor at the south end of town.

Ultimately the park will be a passive green space featuring an Americans with Disabilities (ADA) compliant trail and a restored riparian buffer along the Saucon Creek, which forms the park's western boundary.

At the ceremony, Hellertown Borough Manager Cathy Kichline said the park will be a "vital link" for local residents, and emphasized that "walkability is a vital component to a successful Main Street."

"The way we live and get around our communities directly affects our health," she said, adding that "each community and organization that is here today should be commended for embracing these initiatives."

Northampton County Executive John Stoffa, who also delivered remarks, said the development of trails and other projects in the area reminded him of a barn-raising he observed at Bethlehem's Burnside Plantation a number of years ago.

When the last beam in the barn was put into place, he said, the atmosphere at the event became "electric."

"I think we often need to just stop and look at what we have accomplished," Stoffa said. "Everyone working together--it's like a barn-raising event to me."

Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham addressed attendees after Stoffa did, and also shared his enthusiasm for what continues to be accomplished through the greenways initiative.

"It really doesn't take a lot of money to have a large impact," he said, with reference to the projects funded by the initiative.

The Heritage Corridor's Resource Conservation Specialist, Sherry Acevedo, agreed with that assessment.

"You can do a lot with a little," she said to those in attendance. "You have all proven that."

In addition to the Borough of Hellertown, grants were awarded to the following recipients:

• Bushkill Township - $15,000 to complete the West Douglasville Stream Bank and Riparian Buffer Restoration project.
• City of Bethlehem - $15,000 to continue its Urban Forestry program and provide technical assistance in street tree revitalization and green infrastructure.
• City of Easton - $14,000 to stabilize a steep embankment as part of the Smith Street Urban Meadow project.
• City of Easton - $10,000 to complete a Comprehensive Public Tree Inventory.
• Lehigh County Conservation District - $6,000 to complete Phase Two of the Silver Creek Floodplain Restoration.
• Lehigh County Conservation District - $3,000 to facilitate the Lehigh Valley Watershed Conference.
• Lehigh Gap Nature Center - $5,000 to conduct educational programs for Conservation of the Kittatinny Ridge in partnership with Moravian College
• Lehigh Valley Planning Commission - $15,000 for the Lehigh Valley Greenways Environment Regulation Program in Lehigh and Northampton counties.
• Lower Mount Bethel Township - $5,000 to resurface the Lower Mount Bethel Township Trail.
• Lower Saucon Township - $4,800 to purchase and install amenities along the Saucon Rail Trail.
• Martins-Jacoby Watershed Association - $4,000 to complete a stream restoration project along Martins Creek.
• The Nature Conservancy - $5,000 to protect natural areas within the Minsi Lake and Kittatinny Ridge areas.
• Washington Township - $15,000 to purchase and install amenities along the Slate Heritage Trail.
• Wildlands Conservancy - $5,000 to create the Jordan Creek Greenway EnvironMentor Pilot Project
• Wildlands Conservancy - $5,000 to facilitate the Lehigh Valley Adventure Camp with urban youth from the City of Bethlehem.
• Wildlands Conservancy - $5,000 for land conservation in the South Mountain Highlands.