Open space, recreation, agriculture, and other environmental investments are valued in monetary terms according to a recent Northampton County study.
At a press conference held Tuesday at the Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center in Bushkill Township, county executive Lamont McClure stated that Northampton County’s open space generates $434.6 million in benefits annually, with an additional $2.5 billion in long-term state savings stored in our trees alone.
This is the county’s first return-on-environment analysis since 2014. According to McClure, it serves as a guide for future open space investments that will result in better farms, healthier citizens, cleaner water, increased property prices, and a more resilient economy.
According to him, this is a real return on investment. These figures support our long-held conviction that protecting land is not an expensive endeavor. Among the best investments we can make is this one.
For roughly $100,000, county contractors Michael Baker International Inc. and Econsult Solutions Inc. conducted the study. The latter stages are underway, and it will be presented to the county council in the fall before being fully disseminated.
Solutions by Econsult The first step in the technique, according to Rebecca Garvin DeJoseph, is natural system services, or the advantages that the general public receives from ecosystems and the natural environment.
According to her, we thus consider… for every acre, depending on the land cover, what are the benefits that may be credited that would have required payment if they had not been there.
According to Garvin DeJoseph, the agricultural effect component of the study looks at the value of goods sold in Northampton County and abroad, the property value analysis separates the value of open space for residences, and the open space metrics are dependent on survey responses and spending.
These figures are so impressive that McClure, one of the Democrats preparing to run against U.S. Representative Ryan Mackenzie in 2026 to represent Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, wanted to disclose them before the report was finalized.
“We have always understood that our parks, trails, and natural lands here in Northampton County are more than just scenery,” he stated. They are necessary pieces of infrastructure.
Following Tuesday’s news conference, Lorne Possinger, supervisor of natural resources specialists for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, stated that quantifying the quality of life benefits of the initiatives McClure mentioned is helpful in garnering public support.
He stated, “We’ve reached a point where we have to assign a number to things.” And a report like this is the greatest way to do it.
Here are the figures that McClure disclosed on Tuesday.If the table is not appearing, click here to view it in full screen.
more lehigh valley outdoors news
-
Golfer struck by lightning at popular N.J. course, police say
-
How these Northampton Co. farm kids are helping feed hungry families with their livestock
-
WATCH: Controlled burn in Pocono Mountains preserves rare ecosystem
-
Lycoris lilies: Why these Surprise lilies bloom in mid-August | Lehigh Valley Nature Watch
-
Want to plant a tree that will thrive in your yard? Penn State Extension event aims to help.
Your support is essential to our journalism. Please sign up for a subscription to lehighvalleylive.com now.
You can contact Kurt Bresswein at [email protected].
