Bushkill Township adopts Official Map to guide Land Use Decisions

An Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) can help a community take great strides towards conserving their most treasured natural resources, quality of life, and ways of life. Nowhere has this been more evident than in Bushkill Township, Northampton County.  Established in 1979, the EAC is a viable and effective conservation advisory body active in current municipal and land use planning efforts.

Bushkill has a strong natural and cultural heritage. In the face of a growing population and disappearance of open space, farmland, and greenway connections, maintaining this beautiful landscape is a priority to the EAC and the township. The EAC, together with Bushkill Township officials and several partners, has been the driving force behind a number of efforts to increase the protection of the township’s critical natural resources and to maintain a high quality of life.

Official maps are designed to help municipalities plan for the future by identifying lands that are critical to accomplishing long range goals. Described in Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Planning Code, Official Maps are often used to delineate lands where the municipality projects new schools, roads, and other infrastructure will be located at some point in the future.  Bushkill was one of the first municipalities in the Lehigh Valley and one of very few in Pennsylvania to use the Official Map to help protect its natural resources. The Official Map allows a municipality up to one full year following the submission of a development plan to either purchase the property at fair market value, or work with developers and landowners to create a plan that minimizes impact on streamside woodlands and other important natural resources.

Bushkill’s EAC has proven to be an invaluable resource for the township’s supervisors and residents. By focusing on critical resources and utilizing partnerships, this all-volunteer advisory group has made an extraordinary impact on their community’s future. There are many more exemplary Environmental Advisory Councils and local conservation efforts along the Kittatinny Ridge. For more information about starting an EAC in your community, please visit the Pennsylvania Environmental Council at www.eacnetwork.org or call 1-800-322-9214.