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The Oley Hills
Pennsylvania Highlands |
On January 12th, Congressman Jim Gerlach, AMC and the Highlands Coalition, joined The Berks
Conservancy and other partners to celebrate the preservation of 582 acres in the Oley
Hills region east of Reading, made possible with $492,750 in federal Highlands Conservation Act funding, provided through the Land and Water
Conservation Fund. The addition brings the total to 2,800
acres that have been be permanently protected from development in this area of
the Pennsylvania Highlands, protecting critical wildlife habitat and downstream
drinking water supplies. The land will be protected in perpetuity thanks
to a conservation easement with the cooperation of eight landowners.
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Congressman Gerlach
thanks partners |
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Congressman Jim
Gerlach (PA-6th District), a prime sponsor of the Highlands Conservation Act
and long-time supporter of conservation programs, attended the event and said,
"It is extremely gratifying to see the legislation passed in 2004
being used so effectively to protect some of the best sources of drinking water
in the Commonwealth and ensure that our children and grandchildren continue to
have opportunities for hiking, fishing and enjoying other outdoor recreation
activities."
Congressman
Gerlach is also a champion of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses
revenues generated from offshore oil and gas drilling leases, rather than
taxpayer dollars, to acquire important lands for the public. AMC has been
actively working with legislators from the 4-State Highlands Region to secure
funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the Highlands
Conservation Act and other programs. The Oley Hills project is the first
Highlands Conservation Act project in Pennsylvania that has been fully
completed since the program's inception in 2004, although three other projects
are in progress, which will match over $2 million in federal funds with state
and private sources to protect an additional 1,500 acres.
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Kim Murphy, Berks Conservancy
President, raises a toast |
The Highlands
Conservation Act is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
provides up to $10 million a year for the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
New York, and Connecticut to protect the highest valued land and water
resources in the region. The Highlands Coalition is an alliance of over 180
conservation organizations including the Appalachian Mountain Club, working to
advance conservation in the 3.5 million-acre Highlands region and to secure
funding for the Highlands Conservation Act.
The Oley Hills
represent a critical hub of the Pennsylvania Highlands, and contain six
state-recognized Exceptional Value streams, numerous historical structures,
forests, and a diversity of wildlife that includes bog turtles and trout.
Several groups worked towards this accomplishment as the Oley Hills
Partnership, a group led by the Berks Conservancy. The successful conservation
of 582 acres in the Oley Hills is a truly a momentous achievement.
Learn more about
the event and the Pennsylvania Highlands here:
Photos Courtesy
of Berks Conservancy, Mark Zakutansky and Cathy Frankenberg
Labels: Conservation Funding, Highlands Conservation Act, Land and Water Conservation Fund, landcons, Pennsylvania