NATURAL LANDS . SPRING / SUMMER 2023 1 from the president
At around the time I started my career at Natural Lands in 1997 , the Philadelphia Inquirer was shining a bright light on the issue of suburban sprawl , estimating an acre every hour lost to development .
The pace of development slowed around the time of the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 but , as is clear to anyone who travels around the region , it ’ s beginning to feel like 1997 all over again . The impact on our remaining open spaces has been significant .
This current wave of sprawl looks a bit different from those of the past . Younger buyers prioritize city amenities in suburban settings over the twoacre home lot . Warehouses are replacing farms at a startling rate . And this wave of sprawl is reaching well beyond the counties immediately surrounding Philadelphia . Berks , Lehigh , Northampton , Schuylkill , Monroe , Carbon , and other counties are feeling the effects .
Everyone needs a place to live , shop , work , and go to school . This isn ’ t about ending development . It ’ s about accelerating the pace of conservation while encouraging smart land use decisions at the local level .
In our current strategic plan , we committed ourselves to doubling the pace at which we conserve land . This will require additional funding and people . Recently , with generous support from anonymous donors , we added another full-time land protection professional to our staff . He joins the four others already doing this vital work . We ’ re also updating the conservationfocused land use ordinances that we have long encouraged local municipalities to embrace .
Last summer , the Pennsylvania legislature made the largest new investment in conservation and environmental programs in many years , and more federal support has become available . But increased county and local open space funds are essential — a message we are sharing with communities throughout the extended region .
People turned to nature in unprecedented numbers when the COVID pandemic began , and many have made the outdoors an ongoing part of their lives . Some have begun contributing to organizations like member-supported Natural Lands . Others are voting and advocating for open space in their local communities .
Call it a new wave of conservationists . With them — and you — we can respond to this next wave of sprawl and help ensure a sustainable , livable future for the region we love .
OLIVER BASS , PRESIDENT
Ed Cunicelli