BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Wildlands Conservancy has been awarded $20,000 as part of an effort to advance the protection and restoration of Pennsylvania’s waterways.
The grant, part of a $650,000 round of funding, came from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, a State College-based nonprofit. The awards were announced Monday.
It will support riparian buffer restoration work in the Lehigh Valley this year and next, Kate Ebel, Wildlands Conservancy’s senior restoration ecologist, said.
“We have been working for decades to restore this vital vegetation along waterways to improve water quality, reduce erosion and flooding, create wildlife habitat and increase recreational opportunities for communities,” Ebel said.
“In the past decade, we have established more than 80 acres of riparian buffer habitat in the Lehigh Valley, so this funding will help us continue to increase that number.”
‘500 trees at Saucon Park’
For the project, Ebel said they’ll primarily work with municipal leaders on their open space, but also with public and private landowners in both Lehigh and Northampton counties.
“The highlight of this project will be to plant an additional 500 trees at Saucon Park on top of the more than 1,000 planted along Saucon Creek in the past two years."Kate Ebel, Wildlands Conservancy’s senior restoration ecologist
“The highlight of this project will be to plant an additional 500 trees at Saucon Park on top of the more than 1,000 planted along Saucon Creek in the past two years,” Ebel said.
“It’s a great marker of the seasons to watch flowers bloom on the trees and birds nest in spring, berries appear for the wildlife in summer and the leaves turn brilliant colors in fall.
"I’m happy I can share this with park visitors and am excited to work with our partners and the community to get more trees in the ground!”
The grants, distributed twice a year, are aimed at protecting healthy streams, cleaning up pollution and restoring degraded wildlife habitat, according to a news release from the FPW.
“These organizations are doing important work to address all types of issues across Pennsylvania,” FPW Executive Director Deborah Nardone said.
“From stream restoration projects that reduce flooding and improve water quality to large conservation easements that protect important habitats, these projects will improve quality of life for all Pennsylvanians.”
Wildlands was the only organization in the Valley to get funding this round. The next grant application cycle opens in August.
For more information, go to the FPW’s website.
