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 Funding
in Place to Preserve
Spring Mountain Camp:
Grant of $560,000 Captured
by MCLT
Efforts continue toward the preservation
of Spring Mountain Camp. Montgomery County Lands Trust received
grants totaling $560,000 from the Montgomery County Open Space Program
and Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources'
Community Conservation Partnerships Program to buy a conservation
easement on the riparian corridor of this open space parcel in Lower
Frederick Township. Now known as Spring Mountain Camp, the property
is familiar to many local residents as former Camps Reeta and Arthur.
Totaling 307 acres, the property contains
two very different landscapes. The northern part is 144 acres of
gently rolling farmland while the southern section is 163 acres
of natural, wooded forest. The natural forest includes steep slopes,
vernal pools, wetlands, meadow, and approximately one mile of the
riparian corridor of the Swamp Creek. MCLT received funding to preserve
the 163-acre natural area.
Montgomery County Lands Trust, in
partnership with Natural Lands Trust, began work on this project
in the spring of 2000. A possible funding scenario was designed
and eventually, enthusiastically endorsed by the owners. With the
full support of Lower Frederick Township, local conservation organizations,
the county, and area residents, Montgomery County Lands Trust successfully
applied for grants from both state and county land acquisition programs.
In conjunction with these applications, MCLT also assisted the owners
in applying to Montgomery County's Farmland Preservation Program
to preserve the remaining 144 acres of farmland.
 In
April 2001, Montgomery County Lands Trust discovered that the owners
of Spring Mountain Camp had sold the forested portion of the property
to another party. We informed our funders of this new development.
Both the County and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
encouraged MCLT to continue in its quest to conserve this valuable
natural resource.
Recently, Montgomery County Lands
Trust met with the new owner and we are hopeful that we will be
able to successfully negotiate with him. The good news is that the
dialogue about preservation of Spring Mountain Camp is open again
and moving in a positive direction. Fortunately, the funding is
in place and if an agreement is reached, the deal can be completed
without further delay.
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 Hugh
G. Moulton Joins MCLT Board of Directors
On December 7, 2000 MCLT officially
welcomed a new board member. Hugh G. Moulton, long-time environmental
advocate, joined Montgomery County Lands Trust Board of Directors
bringing with him wide experience in conservation policy and organizational
development. A resident of Montgomery County since 1958, Hugh also
sits on the boards of The Nature Conservancy, the Wissahickon Valley
Watershed Association, Clemens Markets and Arcadia University.
A graduate of Yale Law School with an
advanced management degree from Harvard Business School, Hugh enhances
the board with both his business and non-profit expertise. He has
"jumped in with both feet" and is already actively involved
on both Stewardship and Finance Committees at MCLT.
Married, father of two and grandfather
of four, Hugh adds an energetic and optimistic voice to the discussion
of land preservation challenges facing Montgomery County. He has already
been a great asset to our board and we look forward to his help in
advancing MCLT's mission. |
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MCLT Recognized for Land
Preservation Efforts
Montgomery County-Norristown Public
Library recognized the land preservation accomplishments of Montgomery
County Lands Trust by presenting the organization with The 1794
Heritage Award. Representative Kate Harper, Co-Chair of the MCLT
Board of Directors, attended the May 12, 2001 ceremony to accept
the award.
The 1794 Heritage Award honors the
1794 founders of the Norristown Library Company (now the Montgomery
County-Norristown Public Library).
In addition to Montgomery County Lands
Trust, other recipients of the award were the Montgomery County
Agricultural Land Preservation Program, Montgomery County Open Space
Program, Penn State Cooperative Extension of Montgomery County and
the Conservancy of Montgomery County. Dr. John Landis Ruth was also
recognized for his dedication to the environment and his artistic
portrayal of the people of Montgomery County.
MCLT is pleased to be recognized by
the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library and thanks them
for this honor.
Grant Brings Map Plotter
Montgomery County Lands Trust is now
the home of a new HP DesignJet 500 Plotter thanks to a recent award
through the Conservation Technology Support Program (CTSP) of San
Francisco, CA and the Hewlett Packard Co.
The plotter is a large format printer
which allows our Land Preservation Specialist, Jake Lea, to print
maps and graphics up to 42 inches wide. Valued at about $4,000,
this new tool permits Montgomery County Lands Trust to create project
maps of greater size and quality and to fully utilize the increasing
information available through GIS (Geographic Information Systems).
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| Getting the
Big Green Picture: |
| Commissioners Enjoy Flyover of the County
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On a clear April day, Montgomery
County Commissioners Mike Marino and Ruth Damsker, along with county
solicitor, Steve O'Neill, and Planning Commission's Assistant Director,
Mike Stokes, joined Dulcie Flaharty and Jake Lea for an aerial tour
of Montgomery County.  "There
is nothing like a view from 2,500 feet up to give you the big picture
of Montgomery County's resources and opportunities" noted one
observer.
The flyover was organized by Montgomery
County Lands Trust to provide a visual overview for the County Commissioners
of open space success stories and the land preservation challenges
that remain before us.
With spring foliage just emerging, the
greenway connections along the Perkiomen Creek and the Schuylkill
River presented a dramatic "green print" for county focus.
Open landscapes at the Norristown Farm Park, the Unami Creek Valleys
and Spring Mountain stood out in stark comparison to densely developed
communities and an expanding network of road connections.
Although large numbers of land development
projects were evident throughout the county, an increasing number
of community parks and greenway connections provided encouragement
that thoughtful land preservation should remain both a local and county
priority. |
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Lifting $10,000 Cap Good
News
for Montgomery County Farmers
On May 30, 2001 Governor Ridge signed
into law an amendment to the Farmland Preservation Law, Act 43,
removing the $10,000 per acre cap which limited the amount of state
dollars available for the purchase of development rights on farmland.
The $10,000 cap presented a major challenge to farmland preservation
in many parts of Montgomery County, where appraised values on farmland
have been steadily increasing due to escalating development pressure.
Representative Ray Bunt, Jr., R-147th
District, chairman of the House of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Committee, was a positive force in getting this legislation through
both houses of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, allowing Governor
Ridge the opportunity to sign this legislation into law.
Removal of this cap does not mean
that additional money will be available to fund agricultural easements,
but rather, this legislation gives each county the flexibility to
determine exactly where they wish to use the funds they are allocated.
The legislation also allows farms
with boundaries that cross county lines to be considered as one
entity rather than as separate parcels. Prior to the new legislation,
farms that had contiguous land in two or more counties had to be
divided and preserved by the county in which each parcel was located.
This proved to be extremely cumbersome and it was the exception
and not the rule to find farms in these locations that were actually
preserved.
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Montgomery County Lands Trust
Featured on Comcast 8
Executive Director of Montgomery County
Lands Trust, Dulcie Flaharty, was recently featured on Comcast Newsmakers,
a public service television program. This videotaped interview was
aired three times a day during the weeks of July 11th through August
1, 2001 as part of the CNN Headline News at :25 and :55 after every
hour.
Asked to discuss the mission and activities
of MCLT, Dulcie explained how citizens and public officials can support
land preservation and thoughtful growth by giving their support to
MCLT. |
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County Update:
Corridor Management Plan Initiated
for Schuylkill Greenway
By: Beth Pilling, Administrator, Montgomery County
Open Space Program
Early morning is a magical time
on the Schuylkill River. The water has a special sparkle at that
time of day, and the sun's reflection is like theater lights, calling
"Come to the River." No matter where you visit the river's
edge in Montgomery County, a Great Blue Heron is already there as
a shy welcoming committee. Bringing people to the river, while keeping
the river's unique character intact, continues to be the focus of
Montgomery County's ongoing greenway initiative along the Schuylkill
River.
A first phase of the greenway initiative,
the 18-month-long "Schuylkill River Greenway Stewardship Study,"
was completed in late spring and will be distributed later this
fall. This summer, the county and its greenway study partners are
embarking on a second phase of the greenway initiative. A "Corridor
Management Plan," funded through a Heritage Park Grant, will
look at coordination of volunteer support and stewardship, sharing
of information and ideas about greenway projects, tracking property
ownership and land-use opportunities, and generally managing the
greenway community in an effective manner.
A current early action for the Corridor
Management Plan is Project Schuylkilloop, a demonstration project
that brings together a variety of stakeholders on both sides of
the river in Mont Clare / Phoenixville area. Lessons learned from
this early demonstration project will provide a model for areas
of the river throughout Montgomery County and the Schuylkill Heritage
Corridor.
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Comprehensive Plan
Workshop Scheduled
This is the time to have your voice
be heard. Vision Plan Workshops for the Montgomery County Open Space
Plan: Shaping Our Future will be held this fall and the county wants
to hear from you.
Workshops are intended to get input
from the public, municipal officials and organizations about the
draft proposed goals and visions that will make up the first element
of the Montgomery County Comprehensive Plan.
Montgomery County Lands Trust members
and supporters actively participated in the spring workshops and
community surveys. Your concerns about land preservation are clearly
reflected in the responses used to formulate the draft goals and
visions. Survey results are available on the county's website at
www.montcopa.org.
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Conservation Options
for the Whitemarsh Valley Subject of September Presentation
On Sunday afternoon, September 23,
2001, Phil Wallis, President of Natural Lands Trust, will give a
talk entitled "The Whitemarsh Valley: Conservation Values at
a Crossroads." This event will be held in Martino Hall at Chestnut
Hill College at 4:00PM.
"The purpose of the meeting,
" said Wallis, "is to create a community awareness of
the opportunities for land stewardship within the Erdenheim Basin."
Organized by the Chestnut Hill Historical
Society and sponsored by Montgomery County Lands Trust, Morris Arboretum,
Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association and Friends of the Wissahickon,
the presentation is in response to growing community concern about
development pressure in the area of Whitemarsh Township known as
the Erdenheim Basin.
Following Phil Wallis' remarks, there
will be a time for questions and discussion. Chestnut Hill College
is located at 9701 Germantown Avenue, just south of Northwestern
Avenue. Participants are to park in the main lot and enter through
the main entrance in Fournier Hall.
For further information on the program,
call 215-247-0417.
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From the Director's Desk
One of our greatest challenges as a
land preservation organization, is to convince a wider audience that
preserving land makes sound economic sense. In an era of globalization
where regions compete to establish and maintain a competitive advantage,
land preservation is shown to be a key factor in fueling and maintaining
economic development along with being good for the environment.
A compelling thesis by Richard Florida
appeared in a recent article in the Greater Philadelphia Regional
Review entitled "Competing in the Age of Talent." Florida
stated that "quality-of-place, particularly natural, recreational
and life-style amenities remain vital components in attracting and
maintaining businesses and jobs." He went on to say that "quality-of-place
factors are as important as traditional economic factors such as jobs
and career opportunities" in attracting highly skilled and technical
workers to a region.
Why is this especially important to
Montgomery County?
Did you know Montgomery County leads
the state in high tech jobs? In 1999 nearly 66,000 workers in fields
like pharmaceuticals, computer and office equipment, electronic components,
guided missiles and space vehicles, navigation equipment, medical
instruments and computer programming found employm ent
in our county. Allegheny County ran a distant second, capturing less
than 35,000 of these keenly sought after jobs.
To maintain this position of leadership,
saving and enhancing our quality-of-place resources should be a
central focus for business, civic and community strategies in Montgomery
County. Building and enhancing the resources found throughout
our county does much to position our region as a great place to live
and work in the 21st century.
Creating greenways, walking and biking
trails, roller-blading areas, places for active and passive recreation
are vital investments in a community's future. Montgomery County has
wonderful birding locations, places to canoe and kayak, rural trails
for horseback riding and abundant historic resources enjoyed by those
who work and live here.
Our green infrastructure can no longer
be seen solely as an environmental resource. In studies and articles
such as Florida's, statistics reveal that investment in and maintenance
of our place-based resources equate into economic and financial advantages.
On the residential side of the equation,
a study on "what consumers are looking for" when choosing
a new home gives an idea of what amenities attract home buyers. In
the December 2000 edition of National Building News a survey of what
is on the American homebuyers wish lists included; park areas (62%),
trails for walking and jogging (58%), open space (48%), and lake (42%).
If we know what community qualities
attract and retain businesses…if we know what amenities appeal
to home buyers…shouldn't that provide the necessary evidence
to prove the economic benefits of open space? Richard
Florida's article stated, "quality-of-place is the missing piece
of the puzzle. To compete successfully in the age of talent, regions
must make quality-of-place a central element of their economic development
efforts."
Montgomery County's natural resources,
and on-going efforts to protect them, position us well. As we enter
the 21st century, the time is right to energetically protect, expand
and enhance the great natural amenities at both the local and county
levels. Quality-of-place is a rallying point for protecting our natural
resources which, in turn, will enhance Montgomery County's competitive
edge in this new century.
Dulcie F. Flaharty, Executive Director |
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 MCLT
Grant Helps
Pottstown with Open Space
Recognizing Pottstown Borough's
efforts to transform their town into a vibrant greenway community,
Montgomery County Lands Trust recently awarded a grant of $34,000
to the Borough to help secure 30 acres of open space along the Schuylkill
River. The primarily wooded area that contains the eight acres of
Pottstown's Riverfront Park, was sold by PECO Energy, who had formally
leased the park land to the borough until it could be purchased
through a Montgomery County Open Space Grant. This acquisition provides
another important link in the growing Schuylkill Greenway Project.
Pottstown also bought an adjacent
three acres containing a three-story building through a Montgomery
County Revitalization Grant. Plans for the building's restoration
and use include the future location of the Schuylkill River Greenway
Association.
At the May Borough Council meeting,
Pottstown recognized Montgomery County Lands Trust for ongoing support
provided for open space preservation in their community. Over the
past several years, MCLT has participated in the Pottstown Open
Space Committee, worked with the Concept Plan for John Potts Park
and pledged funds for the acquisition of the Depot Property, which
the Borough hopes to transform into an open space gateway into Pottstown.
Montgomery County Lands Trust was
able to fund this project through a generous bequest from the Estate
of the late Calvin D. Harp, who was a businessman in the Pottstown
area.
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 Preservation
of Musser Scout
Camp Moves Closer to Reality
Grants of $400,000 from the Montgomery
County Open Space Program and $800,000 from the Pennsylvania Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources bring the first phase of the
preservation of Musser Scout Reservation closer to reality.
Working in partnership with the Boy
Scouts, Montgomery County Lands Trust, Natural Lands Trust, and
Marlborough Township, continue collaboration to secure the purchase
of a conservation easement on nearly 1,250 acres of this diabase
woodland in Marlborough Township.
Due to the size of the parcel and
funding necessary to secure preservation, the project is being undertaken
in two phases. It is hoped that the first phase can be completed
by the close of 2001.
"The project continues to move
forward," notes Peter Williamson of Natural Lands Trust, "due
to the commitment of everyone involved." Williamson continues,
"I have been impressed with the willingness of all the parties
involved to keep their eyes on the prize, and to use that thinking
to ride over the inevitable bumps along the way."
The Musser Scout Reservation provides
a venue for recreational and camping activities for the Cradle of
Liberty Council of the Boys Scouts of America. Identified for its
rich diversity of plants and animals by the Natural Areas Inventory
completed by Montgomery County in 1997, including 14 PNDI (Pennsylvania
Natural Diversity Index) sites, the Boy Scout property is also noted
in the Montgomery County Open Space Plan for the forested and steeply
sloping creek valleys that provide a home for animals and plants
of special concern.
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Join Montgomery County Lands
Trust
Once the land is gone, it's gone
forever. You can become part of this important fight to set aside
green spaces as permanently protected open space. Membership is
available at different levels. We welcome support from individuals,
businesses, municipalities and organizations who wish to support
open space conservation, growth management and creative preservation
techniques.
To become a member, simply fill in
the information requested on the form, indicate your desired level
of support, and send it with a check payable to:
Montgomery County Lands Trust - Box 300 -
Lederach, PA 19450-0300
(All contributions are tax deductible to the full
extend of the law)
Special thanks to our major sponsors:
Harleysville National Bank & Trust, Univest Corporation of
PA, the Arcadia Foundation, the Claniel Foundation, the Conservation
Fund, the County of Montgomery, the Pennsylvania Department of Community
and Economic Development and The William Penn Foundation.
Newsletter
Archive
This newsletter was financed (in
part) by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department
of Community and Economic Development
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