DCNR Invests In Bauer Preserve To Improve Outdoor Recreation, Water Quality In Northampton County

On December 1, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced a recent visit to Northampton County to award a $730,000 investment through federal Highlands Conservation Act funding to conserve the Bauer Preserve in Northampton County.

The 43-acre site in Stockertown is now permanently protected as the county’s 23rd park and conservation area. 

The project enhances water quality, supports sustainable agriculture, and safeguards sensitive habitats in the Bushkill Creek Greenway, Pennsylvania Highlands Region, and Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape. 

Trails within the watershed, including the Two Rivers Area Trailway, will expand THE LINK Trail Network, connecting communities to greenway and trail opportunities.

“This acquisition project is a testament to the importance of collaboration to help protect our natural spaces and make them accessible to the public,” said Secretary Dunn. “We are grateful to Northampton County for its support of this project, which is a major triumph for conservation work that showcases the value of open space protection and the many benefits it can provide to a community.”

This initiative reflects the county’s broader mission to conserve critical landscapes, restore degraded habitats, and promote best management practices. 

It also aligns with regional conservation goals:

-- Protecting land from development

-- Conserving agricultural and environmentally sensitive habitats

-- Managing floodplain restoration, stormwater, and public access

“The acquisition protects the land from development and conserves the agricultural, environmentally sensitive habitat and trail connections in the Bushkill Creek Watershed. The project aligns with the Highlands Conservation Act goals in a four-state region and will serve as a preserve managing floodplain restoration, active farming, stormwater management, and public access in Northampton County,” said Northampton County Executive Lamont G. McClure. “Our staff in the Division of Parks and Recreation worked diligently to facilitate this acquisition in partnership with DCNR, USFWS [US Fish & Wildlife Service], and our professional service team in a federal acquisition process to conserve critical open space.”

Click Here for DCNR's Linkedin announcement.

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Related Articles This Week:

-- DCNR Invites Public Comments On Update Of Master Plan For Presque Isle State Park, Erie Bluffs State Park, Tom Ridge Environmental Center In Erie  [PaEN]

[Posted: December 1, 2025]  PA Environment Digest