LOWER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. — More than 2,500 acres of Carbon County forest now is permanently protected from development — a move that will help protect Lehigh Valley drinking water, Wildlands Conservancy officials announced.
The largest conservation easement in the nonprofit land trust’s history, the tract, spread across Penn Forest and Kidder townships, was purchased through a $1 million grant from the Open Space Institute, the conservancy said Thursday.
By permanently protecting the land, which is surrounded by state Game Lands and parks, officials said they not only are safeguarding the Lehigh River’s water quality, but also connecting conservation areas, strengthening wildlife habitats…