Stroud Region Open Space and Recreation

News Briefs

Featherman Memorial Fund. Roland Featherman, a wonderful friend, dedicated supporter, and valuable member of both the Commission and Friends Boards, recently passed away after a lengthy illness. In his memory, the Friends of Stroud Region Open Space and Recreation has established the Featherman Memorial Fund. Roland was active in the community serving on many boards of directors, and Stroud Region is both proud and privileged to have benefited from his many talents. Tax-deductible donations in his honor may be made payable to the Friends of Stroud Region, 15 Day Street, East Stroudsburg, PA- 18301.

Monroe County Open Space Program Update Last year marked the tenth since the passage of a $25 million Open Space Bond referendum in 1998. Approximately $22 million in bond funds have been spent to purchase and permanently protect over 10,500 acres. During 2008, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources approved matching funds to the Countys municipalities totaling approximately $2.4 million. These amounts do not include the Agricultural Land Preservation Program.

During the past two years, the Monroe County Open Space Update Committee has been meeting to assist the Open Space Advisory Board and the County Commissioners in assessing the need for continued funding of the Open Space Program. Its members have recommended that the County make a visionary financial commitment to protect its natural areas and farmlands, ultimately preserving the exceptional quality of life, economic viability, and water resources in the County.

Monroe County municipalities and local land trusts have identified 100 potential projects 60,000 acres of open space and farmlandfor protection over the next 10 years. In 2008, the County Commissioners secured an additional $3.9 million in interim funding, based on information received from the municipalities and land trusts with regard to additional acquisitions.

Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge. On December 23, 2008, Congressmen Paul Kanjorski and Charles Dent announced the establishment of the Cherry Valley national Wildlife Refuge encompassing 20,466 acres in Monroe County. The announcement came after the completion of the Feasibility Study and Environmental Assessment which was required as part of the Congressionally approved Cherry Valley National Wildlife Study Act of 2006. The legislation was enacted in response to a petition by the Friends of Cherry Valley advocating for refuge establishment and was endorsed by community leaders and local elected officials in the County.

The designation of a National Wildlife Refuge was approved by both the Regional and National Directors of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and is only the third in Pennsylvania. The Refuge will assist in protecting the important habitat of many species that are threatened and will also give conservation-minded landowners the additional option to assist them in preserving their land as a legacy for future generations.

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