Support the bond issue

To the editor, The Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition (UDPC) urges residents of Pike County, the fastest growing county in PA, to vote in favor of the Scenic Rural Character Preservation Bond referendum in November 8th election. Pike County faces the prospect that its population will double in the next 20 years. That means an additional 75,000 residents will be living in the County in the next 10 to 20 years. It is possible to prevent the effects of poorly planned growth, and it is possible to protect our natural landscape and maintain livable communities while absorbing this amount of growth. 85percent of Pike County’s land is still in its natural state. The referendum, if passed, will allow communities to take steps to preserve some of that space for the quality of our lives and the lives of our children. The Scenic Rural Character Preservation Bond proposes to finance protection of drinking water; protection of wildlife habitats; preservation of scenic ridges and critical open spaces; protection of water quality of rivers, streams and lakes; the improvement of parks and recreation areas and the improvement of county planning. Two million dollars of the proposed $10 million bond issue be spent on planning with the remaining $8 million to be spent on land acquisitions and easements. The bond would provide increased funds for planning at both the county and municipal level and provide protection of critical habitat and natural resources through the purchase of land or conservation easements from willing sellers. According to Keep Pike Green, Open Space and Conservation Bonds have been highly successful in other Pennsylvania counties, translating into innovative local planning and successful land conservation and natural resource preservation. Monroe County, for instance, instituted a similar plan in 1998 with a $25 million bond to preserve open space. UDPC is a grassroots preservation effort to protect and preserve the Upper Delaware River Valley. For more information visit www.udpc.net. Marcia Nehemiah Secretary, UDPC