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Timbering Bethlehem Watershed
Here in the Lehigh Valley, we continue our efforts for sensible environmental protections for the watershed lands of the City of Bethlehem's water authority (BA, the Bethlehem Authority). These lands of about about 23,000 acres are located in two separate parcels: about 9,000 acres in Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County (Tunkhannock watershed), and about 14,000 in Carbon county (Wild Creek watershed). The BA collects and treats water, then sends it to the city of Bethlehem and 11 other municipalities. A large portion of the Tunkhannock watershed is identified by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as one of the ten most threatened ecological areas in the USA.
Four years ago, the city decided to extensively timber these resources in an effort to provide money to the city's budget needs. Unfortunately, the proposed plan enthusiastically supported by the city adminisration would have been a clear cutting and high grading effort that would destroy the biological stupport for the watershed and threatened water quality.
Spearheaded by the Lehigh Valley Group (LVG), support was mobilized to expose the devastating impact the ill-considered timbering effort would bring, and the initial plan was scrapped - but not the effort to get timbering done. At that time and since, we have worked closely with The Nature Conservancy to get the BA to grant a development easement on the whole or majority of the Tunkhannock watershed in return for a substanial financial package. So far there has been no progress on that matter, despite pressure from both us and TNC.
The Bethelehm water authority is leaning toward not granting an environmental easement to The Nature Conservancy, although it did not take a formal vote yet. At stake is the opportunity to preclude development onabout 3,000 acres of exceptionally valuable "most threatened areas in the USA" habitat that would be at risk.
After the strong defeat of the original timbering plan, and due in part to LVG efforts, the BA finally determined to hire a qualified firm, Brooks Forestry, to consider how to better manage the forest, with a clear goal of still producing timber. The authority is slowly but definitely moving to begin timbering as soon as possible. For various reasons, the process has been quite slow, but the goal is still to get timber. One hold up has been completion of a "plan" by Brooks Forestry company, which has completed a technical report on the potential value of timber in 24 tracts, as well as the regeneration potential of each tract. The "plan" promised almost 20 months ago was to be a comprehensive plan for total forest health and wellbeing, as well as interaction with adjacent communities, and involvement with groups such as the Sierra Club.
At the recent December meeting of the BA board, which we monitor frequently and often address, the chairman stated that, within the budget, there is an anticipation of starting timbering in 2004. The form of the bidding contract should be ready in about a month.
We have been consistent in pushing for a total inventory of flora and fauna in the 9,000 acres before any timbering of any kind could begin (part of the tract has been throughly inventoried by The Nature coservancy. We again pushed this at the most recent Board meeting. Right now, there is low to zero board interest, and not a step has been taken in that direction, but lots of momentum is in the direction of timbering.
If you live in Bethelehem, please make your voice heard to the Board. Write to them, call them, or show up at their meetings and make your opposition to timbering be known!
