Earlier this month, Congressman Ryan Mackenzie joined non-profit partners from the Appalachian Mountain Club, Wildlands Conservancy, and the Delaware and Lehigh Nation Heritage Corridor at Wildlands Conservancy’s South Mountain Preserve. The group hiked throughout the property to share their work on conservation in the Lehigh Valley. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was of special note as funding from that grant program was used to purchase Allentown’s Reservoir Park, which borders South Mountain, and collectively the two properties make the 750-acre Robert Rodale Preserve. LWCF funding has also been used throughout the Lehigh Valley to protect parts of the Pennsylvania Highland’s, through the Highlands Conservation Act grant program, within LWCF. The Highlands is a unique region, through four states, that provides drinking water to a large portion of the mid-Atlantic region. It is also a crucial wildlife habitat and recreation area that has gained increased federal recognition since 2004. Despite permanent authorization in 2020 through the Great American Outdoors Act, LWCF has faced recent threats from Washington. Due to these threats, there have been risks to projects that are currenting in progress or development. Representative Mackenzie has been a vocal supporter of protecting LWCF and ensuring that these important conservation tools stay intact not just for the Highlands region but for the entire country. This visit served not only as a time to thank Representative Mackenzie for the work that he is doing to protect the Highlands but to also show him parts of the landscape that has been preserved through federal programs. With the work of non-profits and support Representatives, LWCF will still be a critical funding source used to protect the nation’s land and water for generations to come.      

Last week, the Appalachian Mountain Club got to join trail advocates for the Green Lane Trail Connection ribbon cutting. This vital connection joins the Upper Perkiomen Trail to the Highlands Trail and marks 100 miles of trails in Montgomery County. The trail connection was made possible through years of partnership and advocacy work, as well as over $200,000 in grants. The ribbon cutting included representatives from Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Montgomery County and State Representative Milou Mackenzie and State Senator Tracy Pennycuick. Speakers shared their excitement for the connections of the trails, highlighting the hard work that went into the project and also celebrating the connection ahead of Green Lane’s monumental 150th anniversary. The ribbon cutting concluded with a reception where local trail leaders and conservation partners were able to reflect on the years of hard work, take a bus tour highlighting the history of Green Lane, and listen to Schulmerich Bells, another Green Lane staple. AMC is proud of the work that it has done to help Green Lane expand the Highlands Trail and is looking forward to another 150 years of the borough!

First launched in 2019, Protect the View is a science-based campaign that looks at 10 viewsheds along the Circuit Trails Network that are at risk of development. These 10 sites are located on 6 different trails in southern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Since the project was launched 6 years ago, several of the sites have had updates to the protection statuses of their lands. Infographics about the sites are located below and all updates can be found on Protect the View.