{"id":94669,"date":"2019-08-16T20:04:56","date_gmt":"2019-08-17T00:04:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=94669"},"modified":"2021-06-03T21:55:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T01:55:03","slug":"northampton-county-accepting-applications-for-the-livable-landscape-grant-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=94669","title":{"rendered":"Northampton County Accepting Applications for the Livable Landscape Grant Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure is pleased to announce that, through the Division of Parks &amp; Recreation, applications for the 2019 Livable Landscapes Grant Program will be accepted beginning August 16, 2019 until 3pm, September 26, 2019. The purpose of the grant program is to protect the County\u2019s important natural features by assisting municipalities and organizations to acquire, restore, and enhance permanently protected lands, to provide municipal park acquisition, development and rehabilitation projects, trails and greenway development and park, recreation and open space planning efforts.<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>Potential applicants are to attend a grant workshop on Wednesday, August 28, 2019 at 9 am in Room 3 at the County of Northampton Department of Human Services Building, 2801 Emrick Blvd., Bethlehem, PA 18020.\u00a0Applicants are also encouraged to discuss their project with the Northampton County Conservation Coordinator, Sherry Acevedo.\u00a0The grant application can be found on the Northampton County Division of Parks &amp; Recreation website.<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>The Livable Landscapes Grant Program is a succeeding program from the Northampton County Open Space Initiative, originally established in 2004 by a majority voter referendum authorizing the dedication of funds for the purpose of preserving and enhancing the natural environment in Northampton County.<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>\u201cOur revised grant program supports the commitment by Northampton County to implement the goals in our Livable Landscapes Plan to conserve, restore, and enhance natural resources and a greenways and blueways network, and provide an exemplary park, trail, and recreation network throughout the County\u201d, stated Sherry Acevedo, Conservation Coordinator.\u00a0\u201cThe grant funding will help our partners implement their goals to enhance the quality of life in their communities.\u201d<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>Grant submission timeline includes:<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Land Preservation projects are on an open grant round monthly throughout the year<\/li>\n<li>All other projects, application timeline<\/li>\n<li>Application grant round opens \u2013 August 16, 2019<\/li>\n<li>Grant workshop \u2013 August 28, 2019 at 9 am<\/li>\n<li>Application grant round close \u2013 September 26, 2019 by 3 pm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>Eligible applicants include: Municipalities and Council of Governments in Northampton County, non-profit organizations, and institutions of Higher Education. Eligible projects need to be consistent with the Action Plan and Goals established in the Livable Landscapes \u2013 An Open Space Plan for Northampton County.<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>Eligible applicants can apply for a grant that falls within any topic area(s) that best fits your project.\u00a0The categories include:<\/div>\n<div>1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Land Preservation including fee simple acquisition or conservation easement<\/div>\n<div>2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ecological Restoration of natural areas, critical habitats, and implementation of Best Management Practices<\/div>\n<div>3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Planning, Education, and Outreach to support land conservation, open space, greenways, and environmental regulations<\/div>\n<div>4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Municipal Park Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Development projects to conserve and improve parks, trails, greenways, and natural areas<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>&#8220;Over the past 15 years the Open Space Initiative, and now the Livable Landscapes Program has helped preserved over 3,000 acres of natural areas, provided over 75 municipal park grants, built trails and provided our community with a wealth of recreational opportunities,&#8221; says Bryan Cope, Superintendent of Parks and Recreation.\u00a0A portion of these significant milestones that have been reached include:<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Northampton County was selected in 2004 by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to pilot a new conservation landscape initiative, which led to the formation of a two-county partnership called Lehigh Valley Greenways<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The 160-acre Gall Farm was acquired by the County and is undergoing a Master Site Plan to develop a County Farm Preserve concept blending passive outdoor recreation, conservation, ecological restoration, and active agricultural production<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>3,165 acres of natural areas were preserved totaling $5.20 million through the Natural Areas and Open Space component of the Open Space Program<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>79 projects were funded through the Municipal Park Acquisition and Development component of the Open Space Program, totaling more than $7.7 million<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Regional trails were constructed such as: Two Rivers Area Trailway, Nor-bath Trail, D&amp;L Trail, Karl Stirner Arts Trail, South Bethlehem Greenway, Stockertown Borough Trail, Tatamy Rail Trail, the Plainfield Township Recreation Trail and connections for the September 11<sup>th<\/sup> National Memorial Trail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Development of the Wayne A Grube Memorial County Park and improvements at Louise W. Moore, Wy-Hit-Tuk, Frost Hollow and Fry\u2019s Run, Bear Swamp, and Minsi Lake County Parks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Large land conservation projects included:\u00a01,300 acres in the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lands), 180 acres at the Tekening Trails in Lower Mount Bethel Township, and 700 acres in Stoudt\u2019s Valley, Williams Township<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Livable Landscapes Grant Program inquiries should be directed to:<\/div>\n<div>Sherry Acevedo, Conservation Coordinator<\/div>\n<div>Northampton County Division of Parks and Recreation<\/div>\n<div>Louise W. Moore County Park<\/div>\n<div>151 Country Club Road<\/div>\n<div>Easton, PA 18045<\/div>\n<div>Telephone:\u00a0610-829-4872<\/div>\n<div>Email:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#m_-1806517001496022346_\">sacevedo@<wbr \/>northamptoncounty.org<\/a><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Information provided to TVL by:<br \/>\nBecky Bartlett<br \/>\nDeputy Director of Administration<br \/>\nNorthampton County Government Center<br \/>\n669 Washington Street<br \/>\nEaston, PA 18042<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.northamptoncounty.org\/\">https:\/\/www.northamptoncounty.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><code class=\"code\">-AMAZONPOLLY-ONLYWORDS-START-<\/code><br \/>\n<div class='adkingprobanner sidebar banner3023'><a href='http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/' target=\"_blank\" data-id='3023' data-ga='{\"campaign\":\"\",\"banner\":\"\",\"implemented\":\"universal\",\"imp_action\":\"Impression\",\"click_action\":\"Click\"}'><img src='https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/inpostblank.jpg' alt='' \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class='adkingprobanner sidebar banner7036'><a href='http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com' target=\"_blank\" data-id='7036' data-ga='{\"campaign\":\"\",\"banner\":\"\",\"implemented\":\"universal\",\"imp_action\":\"Impression\",\"click_action\":\"Click\"}'><img src='https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/inpostblank.jpg' alt='' \/><\/a><\/div>\n<code class=\"code\">-AMAZONPOLLY-ONLYWORDS-END-<\/code><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?post_type=adverts_posts&p=7036\" class=\"read-more\">Click here to read more... <\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":94671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,5738,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-northampton-county","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Livable-Landscapes.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/94671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}