From PRESERVE, Newsletter of Pennsylvania Department of Conservation And Natural Resources, September/October 2011

VOLUNTEERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Volunteers - Where Would Our Public Lands Be Without Them?

In all too many instances, the answer to that is "nowhere you would want to be!" In each issue of PRESERVE, we'll shine our spotlight on the people who, largely without anybody realizing it, make your visit to the parks and forests a pleasant experience.

VMB members really stepped up after Hurricane Irene and cleaned up the trails at our local parks. The attached letter was sent to the park and land management officials for the three parks which VMB has formal agreements to maintain the trails. We received some great compliments back:

"Wow what a wonderful job! Thanks very much to you and your club for taking care of our parks!! It is greatly appreciated!"
Virginia Savage, Manager of Main Street Initiatives, Lehigh County

Excerpted from the Morning Call, July 16, 2011
Complete article here

Volunteers have played a huge role in the preserve's improvements by clearing miles of trails, many of which were covered with autumn olive. The invasive ground cover was planted decades ago to create habitat for game.

VMB has received an invitation to have a seat on the Open Space Committee for the next phase of the Bethlehem Greenway project. The initial phase of the Greenway has been fully planned and is expected to be completed this summer. So they are transitioning to the next phase, which will focus on connecting the Greenway with other open spaces in the area. The Open Space Committee has many prominent people from local organizations and government; such as the Sierra Club, The Wildlands Conservancy, Arts Quest, City of Bethlehem, and more.