Easement protects 3,000 acres of assets (LTE)
(Note: I post and share this as an example of the language deception
that has become commonplace among the 'land trust industry' as well as
the 'environmental' and 'conservation' groups and government agencies.
Why, one would think that the Garden Of Eden had just been discovered!
Had I not lived through the same language deception when my own part
of west-central Ohio -- some great and fertile farm soil and home to
200 years of Amish/Mennonite farming stewardship -- I might have
bought this sales pitch, but it's the same ole, same ole, wherever
they want control of land and water. Take their numbers -- and just
how 'rare' the touted species really are -- with a grain of salt. The
'smart economic growth' is a sham, just as using words like
'protected' is a sham. The tax rolls take a hit, the community takes a
hit, and Freedom/Property Rights takes a hit. Hunters/Recreationists,
beware. Do you REALLY think you'll be granted access to this place
where Nature has become Religion?)
May 9, 2004
By Steve Franco, Director
Projects with a Purpose LLC Letter to the Editor (LTE) of the Times-Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania To submit a Letter to the Editor: joeb@leader.net This is a momentous event for Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The North Branch Land Trust has been able
to secure an easement on more than 3,000
acres -- roughly 5 square miles.
This was made possible through the
generosity of [the] New Pocono Trust and demonstrates the
best about our community, and shows how concerned citizens working
together can effect real change.
Transferring a conservation easement on nearly 5 square miles (3,015 acres), the New Pocono Trust has singlehandedly quadrupled the amount of property preserved by the North Branch Land Trust www.nblt.org. The property, located in Bear Creek Township, Luzerne County, is one of pristine wilderness, streams, and open space. Home to rare plants and animals -- some of which are globally recognized as being endangered or threatened -- the property is now forever protected from haphazard development. The easement permanently protects a substantial portion of [both the] Bear Creek watershed and the Lehigh River watershed. The land is adjacent to state game lands, at the edge of [the] Pocono Plateau and includes over 500 acres of wetlands, 7 miles of streams, a 12-mile perimeter, 10 natural communities of special concern, 12 plant/animal species of special concern, one species that is globally rare and imperiled. Though it remains private property, the New Pocono Trust land helps not only preserve the wonderful vista that is our Bear Creek region, but supports the smart economic growth of our community by protecting the wild open spaces that make Pennsylvania so attractive to tourists worldwide. http://www.timesleader.com/mld/thetimesleader/news/editorial/letters/8605264.htm |