UPPER MOUNT BETHEL TWP., Pa. — The cost to develop and improve the greenery of the 171-acre Upper Mount Bethel Preserve will take plenty of green.
According to the final draft plan presented at a public meeting at the Upper Mount Bethel Township building Wednesday, the estimated price tag of the preserve project will be $2,150,000.
- A plan to preserve 171 acres in Upper Mount Bethel Township will cost $2.15 million, a consultant told the township Wednesday
- The planned Upper Mount Bethel Preserve would "enhance the natural resources," the consultant told township residents
- The consultant said local, state and national grants could be used to pay for the project
Peter Simone, president of Simone Collins Landscape Architecture, is planning consultant to the township. He outlined potential funding streams that consist of a combination of local, state and national grants.
Input on the project from residents of the Slate Belt community has been received at four public meetings and from an online survey.
Township supervisors will vote on the final draft in the next few months.
“We think this plan captures the sentiment of the community ... and will make this a very special place.”Peter Simone, president, Simone Collins Landscape Architecture
“We think this plan captures the sentiment of the community,” Simone said. “It will enhance the natural resources to make this a very special place.”
Additionally, the estimated cost for construction of a nature center on the site is also $2.1 million.
The cost to adapt the office building on site is estimated at $725,000.
Gold standard for outdoor enthusiasts
The preserve is being presented as a gold standard venue for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, biking, boating, picnicking and fishing, and all those who take in the wonder of forest and wetland habitat.
The preserve will include general and ADA parking, watercraft launch areas, a pavilion and picnic grove.
In 2008, the township bought 233 acres of the former Eastern Industries sand quarry on Million Dollar Highway. The land has 171 acres of conservation easement that consists of wetlands that include streams, ponds and woodlands.
The land also has 62 acres of no conservation easement used by the township’s public works department.
“You always assume there will be public funding for these costs. But we always tell clients the benefit of getting state and other funding streams may increase costs by 30 percent.”Peter Simone, president of Simone Collins Landscape Architecture, planning consultant to the township
The draft master plan for the preserve was developed by Simone Collins Landscape Architecture, planning consultants to the township, with Environmental Consultation Services and Seiler and Drury Architecture, both of Norristown.
Slides were presented outlining potential funding streams from several agencies to raise $2,1500,000.
One slide showed $600,000 grants each from the Township Open Space Fund, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation/Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund; $100,000 from the Northampton County Livable Landscapes; and $250,000 from the state Department of Community and Economic Development greenways, trails and recreation program.
“You always assume there will be public funding for these costs,” Simone said. “But we always tell clients the benefit of getting state and other funding streams may increase costs by 30 percent.”
Many uses identified
Among the improvements identified in the master plan are upgrades to the existing five miles of trails used by cyclists and hikers; ADA accessible trails; construction of wood duck nesting boxes; bat boxes; turtle basking platforms; and construction of an osprey platform.
Permitted uses within the conservation easements area would include walking, fitness and cross-country skiing trails, non-motorized bicycle and horseback riding.
Also, nature observation and photography, tree tapping with township approval, fishing, dog walking on leash only, archery and flintlock deer hunting in designated areas, trapping in designated areas with state license and township ID tag, and Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts merit badge or service projects.
The preserve is home to 140 botanical species, more than 56 avian types, 15 mammals, and 13 species of reptiles and amphibians.Environmental study conducted in 2022
The master plan also calls for a nature center for educational classes or meetings. The center would include a second-story observation deck. It would be powered by solar panels.
The preserve is home to 140 botanical species, more than 56 avian types, 15 mammals, and 13 species of reptiles and amphibians, according to an environmental study conducted in 2022.
The study also identified areas with seasonal pools that are a unique type of wetland habitat.
Sarah Leeper, project manager for Simone Collins, discussed the plan relative to easement sections, habitat management unit, wildlife habitat assessment, and management recommendations.
Leeper noted the plan includes work with ecologists to establish a sensitive buffer area to Jacoby Creek Road, vernal pool areas, bog turtle habitat, and red cedar forest.
