Echo : Voice of the Blue Mountain

Issue 31
Fall 2013
From far left, rear:
David Mitchell of the
Pennsylvania Game
Commission; Dan
Kunkle of the Lehigh
Gap Nature Center;
and Chris Kocher of
the Wildlands Conservancy. Front left:
Karen Lutz of the Appalachian Trail Conference, and Dr. Kathy
Patnode, Chairperson
of the NRD Trustee
Council. At right, from
left: Paul Zeph of PA
Audubon; Paul Matinho and daughter; Jim
Kunkle of the DEP;
and BMPA President
Frank O’Donnell.
Alpine Rose Chokes on its Own Exhaust Fumes
We expect by now that you are all aware that the
Alpine property was sold on May 20, 2013. The
purchasers were the Palmerton Superfund NRD
Trustees; Pennsylvania Game Commission; the
Monroe County Open Space program; the Pennsylvania Audubon Society; Blue Mountain Preservation Association; the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and
the Wildlands Conservancy (which also acted as the
principal agent for the purchase). All partners then
turned the property over to the Pennsylvania Game
Commission, which now holds the deed and will
maintain and preserve the property in perpetuity. Mr.
Paul Matinho and Mr. Antonio Matinho, who had
purchased the property from Richard Muller, had
agreed to the sale, saving the property from devel-
This wouldn’t have been possible
without our dedicated members
and fantastic donors.
opment.
made a cart path for his investors to use so they
you haven’t tried it yet, do so — it’s really beautiful.
On July 29, 2013, there was a ribbon cutting cereContinued on Page 2
The BMPA board poses with the new sign for State Game Lands 168. From left, Charles Ogle, Judy Bibinger, Marion O’Donnell. At right, from left: Frank O’Donnell, Jim Vogt, and Caroline Lange. Not pictured
are Debbie Hiland and T. Kluska, who had prior commitments and were unable to attend.
Continued from Page 1
mony at the Cherry Valley National Refuge property,
there was an unveiling of the sign on the previous
Alpine property. It was a beautiful sight after 12
beautiful day that we all enjoyed. Mr. Paul Matinho
was present with his daughter and they also enjoyed
neighbor.
It just proves again that with tenacity, perseverance
and belief in a cause, just a handful of people can
-
Two of our youngest members check out a spring
on the preserved property. The proposed race track
would have run straight through this section.
worth it.
The unfortunate thing is that none of this would
sands of dollars to stop Alpine Rose. This wouldn’t
have been possible without our dedicated members
and fantastic donors.
and had the proof of our statements. Regardless, it
has been a learning experience for all of us.
miles to attend every court case and countless meetings at our own expense, but the end result was well
porting us. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Now we have much to rejoice.
-
Fall Festival at new Cherry Valley Refuge
Fall Festival at Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s
newly acquired property, which was the former Alfred
Moreton tract in Saylorsburg. The 90-acre property is
of the Kittatinny Ridge.
The festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12, from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is free.
activities to do that everyone would enjoy, including
the children. The event will also afford the opportunity to learn about other local organizations and their
activities.
The Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge is located
on McKinley Avenue off Upper Smith Gap Road in
Saylorsburg.
For more detailed directions you can contact: questions@friendsofcherryvalley.org, or you may send an
email to us at bluemtpreservation@yahoo.com.
Roads Cleanup a Success
Our annual roads
cleanup went ahead
as scheduled (no
rain) in April. Unfortunately, there were
not many volunteers,
but those few that did
show up did a great
job. We even had two
teenage ladies help
we see that the younger generation is willing to volunteer and give up a Saturday. They even said they’d be
BMPA website just keeps getting better
something of interest we have missed on our website please contact us. Our Webmaster is doing an
from you.
One of the many beautiful features of the new
Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge is this pond
It’s Membership Time!
ship month. Included in the center of the newsletter
is the signup form for your convenience.
to serve on a nominating committee, the board, or
other committees.
laws state that the present board must resign, since
all litigations are complete.
focus on new endeavors now that our long battle
against Alpine is complete. Some new people could
come up with fresh ideas.
will not be so intense or time-consuming as our
alone, because the present board would always be
available to help when needed.
If you have any questions on this please contact us,
we’ll be happy to answer and help in any way we
can.
The Amazon Connection
As the holiday
season approaches,
please don’t forget that when you
go to the home
and earn a small percentage. It’s painless for everyone. Those of you who used Amazon for this
Keep on shopping!
http://www.bluemtpreservation.org
Important Dates
Second Wednesday
of each month
(no meeting in December due to holidays)
First
Wednesday
of each month
Third Thursday
of each month
BMPA General
Membership Meetings:
7 PM, Cherry’s
Restaurant, Rt. 209
Kresgeville
Eldred Supervisors
Meetings: 7:30 PM
Township Building
Kunkletown Road,
Kunkletown
Eldred Planning
Commission: 7:30 PM
Township Building
Kunkletown Road,
Kunkletown