Lehigh Valley

Lehigh Valley has a lot of claims to fame: it’s where patriots hid America’s most famous symbol of freedom (the Liberty Bell). The meeting place for the reading of the Declaration of Independence. Home to “America’s Most Beautiful Dairy.” And the location of blast furnaces that created the iron used for iconic structures such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Empire State Building.

The wealth of history in Lehigh Valley almost matches the number of lakes, rivers, and streams, wetlands, farmland, and parks that the community enjoys and relies on.

Residents of the valley and its three major cities—Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton—cherish the natural resources throughout Lehigh Valley, so when those resources were threatened by rapid growth, residents illustrated their commitment to protecting this area by passing two major bond initiatives.

In May 2003, Lehigh County approved a $30 million bond to protect land around lakes, rivers, and streams, wetlands, farmland, and parks. Then in November 2003, about 65 percent of Northampton County voters passed the $37 million Open Space Referendum for farmland preservation, protection of environmentally sensitive lands, and park acquisition and improvements.

The majority of the community decidedly approved these bonds with strong support from county officials and Trust for Public Land’s strategic advisers.

These advisers enhanced the campaign’s efficiency and effectiveness by working with community groups, elected officials, and public agencies to help design and pass conservation funding measures.

TPL provided technical assistance with research and design of the measures and separately aided in public education and outreach efforts.

“We said all along that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Helene Whitaker, chair of the Northampton County Citizens for Open Space. “The voters seized this moment to protect what we all cherish: our open space, our natural resources, our recreational lands, and our farms. This is an initiative with broad support, and its passage will benefit us all.”