MEDIA, PA (Feb. 14, 2019) – Thanks to a grant from the Open Space Institute (OSI), Natural Lands and Pocono Heritage Land Trust (PHLT) announced today the preservation of land that will safeguard both regional drinking water and a celebrated trout-fishing stream.
The two properties, totaling 340 acres, are located by Broadhead Creek in the northern Pocono Mountains and will be permanently protected through a conservation easement. The projects were supported with grants of approximately $14,500 and $99,000 from OSI’s Delaware River Watershed Protection Fund, which seeks to protect water quality in the Delaware River Basin.
The Delaware River is the source of drinking water for 15 million people, including residents of Philadelphia, Trenton, Wilmington, New York City, and many local communities.
“The protection of these lands is a milestone for the Delaware River, and for the residents who rely on the unspoiled forests of the Delaware to filter the water for recreation and for drinking,” said Peter Howell, OSI’s executive vice president. “We applaud the conservation ethic of the landowners, and the teamwork of Natural Lands and Pocono Heritage Land Trust that brought these projects to fruition.”