One of the things that sustains me producing this blog, day in and out for ten years, is fighting the sacred cows which roam in our valley. Of course, one of the most influential is The Wildlands Conservancy. Northampton County has officially turned over planning of their park system to those schemers. Recently, when I told the South Whitehall Commissioners that they were in bed with the Conservancy, one of their members took offense. Never mind that the Conservancy officially manages the largest program in their largest park, or that their park director is the son of one the Conservancy's paid officers. Facts aside, he took offense. Despite a voters referendum to maintain Wehr's Dam, its survival is in jeopardy because of back channel communication between the Conservancy and the state DEP. Despite having documented this outrage to The Morning Call, the newspaper refuses to print my exposé, in order to protect the Wildlands Conservancy.
The Wildlands Conservancy has degraded the Allentown Park System, by both deed and silence. They persuaded a weak park director, mayor, and city council to demolish the Robin Hood and Fish Hatchery Dams. Likewise, all summer the creeks are hidden from view, while invasive species clog access to the refreshing water. Our elected officials apparently cannot understand that our parks were not meant to be wildlands.
Although fighting sacred cows and hypocrites is taxing, I gladly pay the price. It's awkward to be told to keep it short and polite before you speak. It's frustrating to see the local media ignore the truth.
Remember, when you visit the parks this summer to keep your kids and pets away from the tick infested bush and weeds along the creeks.
MM,
ReplyDeleteI know this will be deleted, but I must repete myself. As an avid angler I went out the first day to the treat of starved stocked fish. I had made my rounds at local chilhood fishing holes in the jordan and landed a big fat Zero. Than I had meandered to the lehigh parkway to end the day, another big fat Zero.
The day after was still cloudy and damp, I got in my small car only to be greated with the smell of human waste from the jacket I had on the day before! This repulsed me to giving up on that day and running cloths through sanitary cycle twice to remove the smell.
I am a catch and release angler as personally I had eaten the fish as a youth, but have also being a avid drinking water studier there is no way I would eat fish from local waterways today. Much less drink unfiltered water that is feed to city homes as the smell is repulsive and the taste turns my stomach to the point of pukeing!
george@7:38, i'll allow this comment to segue to the hypocrisy of the Wildlands Conservancy. Although they tore down the 10 inch high Robin Hood Dam, supposedly to improve water quality on the Little Lehigh, they have never addressed or mentioned the sewage overflow into that creek for the last twenty years. They never publicly criticized Allentown and its successor, LCA for the on-going pollution. truly grant seeking fakers, paying themselves huge salaries, hawking environmental political correctness.
ReplyDeleteOf course the grant seeking fakers of the Wildlands Conservancy are not going to address the sewerage flow into the Little Lehigh. It comes from their communities and they don't want to have their taxes or water & sewerage bills increased. Because of this, they proved that they are hypocrites. They have their own agenda and avoid real issues.
ReplyDeleteYour post is inaccurate. So far as I know, the Wildlands will be assisting NorCo, not taking over its open space program. They know nothing about farmlands or municipal parks. They do know about environmentally sensitive land, greenways development, natural resource protection and restoration, and outdoor recreation programs. While I am suspicious of the Cope connection and question whether money is involved, I see nothing wrong about enlisting the aid of environmentalists as a general principle. In fact, it is an improvement over local land preservation boards who are all about preserving properties they individually own. .
ReplyDeletebernie@11:07, the Wildlands Conservancy's influence cannot be understated in Lehigh County, South Whitehall or Allentown park systems. they have irrevocably altered the park systems and distorted the traditional priorities. i hope that you're correct that norco will retain control.
ReplyDeleteColor me curious but why do we need "environmental groups" to manage municipal parks and other lands that have been managed by our local governments for over a century ?
ReplyDeleteDo we feel that Pawlowski has managed the municipal parks and other land properly? Pawlowski has leased electronic billboards on every piece of City land that he could manage.
ReplyDeletePawlowski had all of the trees cut down across the street from the Water Works, why? To build a billboard there. NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE.
Pawlowski overpaid for Atiyeh's land at $1.4 million, why? Was this a wise purchase?
I fear that Wildlands is just another corrupt Lehigh Valley organization. Who is watching Wildlands besides MM?