Message from the President

Reflections on Earth Day

Message from the President of Wildlands Conservancy
Christopher M. Kocher

Americans have been celebrating Earth Day since 1970.  As the founder of Earth Day, Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisconsin, 1963 - 1981) has reflected in memoirs, “Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself.”

Fast-forward 37 years. What have we accomplished? The ongoing global concerns affecting our planet have a direct correlation to how we who live here in the Lehigh Valley region make lifestyle choices for an environmentally sound future. There really is truth to the saying that everything global tends to be local and that preservation is key to our prosperity.

I believe that the prosperity and health of our economy, citizenry and environment are directly linked to one another. To make progress in any one area, we must strive for simultaneous, sustained excellence in all.  A Lehigh Valley that contains protected natural areas, clean-water resources, working farms, and vibrant downtowns all connected with a network of greenways and trails will be a Lehigh Valley where businesses want to come and stay.  The key to economic viability of the region is the protection of the region’s natural resources and the community’s engagement in smart growth.

The most critical issue facing the health of our economy, citizenry and environment of the Lehigh Valley is suburban sprawl.  The conversion of farm fields and woodlots to shopping malls, parking lots, and residential developments brings social and environmental impacts.  Increased traffic and carbon dioxide emissions, reduced water quality, and increased flooding are just a few of the many impacts associated with suburban sprawl. 

The infrastructure needs arising from sprawling development cost the average household in America $630.00 more per year and produces eight more tons of carbon dioxide emissions.  Many residents are concerned about the rate of growth in the Lehigh Valley.  Current statistics indicate the Lehigh Valley region is converting land from agriculture and vacant categories to suburbia at four square miles per year (2,560 football fields). This is up from three and one-half square miles per year in the 1990s and three in earlier decades, according to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. In essence, we are developing land equivalent to the size of Allentown, approximately 18 square miles, every four and one-half years.  By 2030, the Lehigh Valley population is projected to grow to 768,000 from the current 626,850.  This rate of growth will continue to place pressure on the finite natural resources of our region.  

If the Lehigh Valley is to remain a quality place to live, we must engage in “smart growth,” which consists of planning and managing growth by reconciling the economy and the environment.  We must continue to promote the redevelopment of our cities, we must work to redevelop our old industrial sites or brownfields, we must promote in-fill housing, we must develop where infrastructure exists, we must work to construct conservation developments that minimize their impact on the environment, and we must protect our natural resource areas with the highest conservation value. 

Work is being done to combat sprawl and protect our critical natural resources.  Both Lehigh and Northampton counties have passed referenda to provide funding for open-space protection.  Both counties have successful farmland preservation programs with a total of over 25,000 acres protected.  In addition, several municipalities have instituted local funding programs to facilitate open-space acquisition by setting aside a portion of their earned income tax revenue.   Some municipalities have enacted regulatory means such as specific zoning and official maps to help protect critical natural areas.  Others have enacted environmental advisory councils to help the municipality with environmental issues.  The federal government has acknowledged the problems associated with sprawl and passed legislation in 2007 making it easier and more economical for average Americans to conserve land and natural resources for future generations. Unfortunately, these tax incentives were only available for 2007.  All of this is a start but much more work is needed. 

At Wildlands Conservancy, we are focused on the issues and the solutions.  Our mission is to preserve, protect, restore and enhance the land, water, ecological and recreational resources of the Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh River valley; however, we cannot accomplish this important task alone.   

Today we are faced with choices like never before. If we make the right choices, we can make a difference. As we celebrate Earth Day this year, let’s think about how we are treating “Mother Earth.”  Think about how the Lehigh Valley will look if we continue to consume land at the current rate and don’t institute smart growth.  Our environment is too important to think about only once a year.  Make every day Earth Day to ensure the Lehigh Valley remains a wonderful place to live, work and play.  Saving the natural treasures of the Lehigh Valley is not just a nice thing to do; the future of the Lehigh Valley depends on it.