"More funds ready for open space"

PhillyBurbs.com: "More funds ready for open space," by Amanda Cregan, Intelligencer, July 5, 2009:

Thanks to a federal grant, the county will now have more money on hand to purchase open space in Upper Bucks.

As part of the Highlands Conservation Act Amendment, $700,000 will go to protecting farmland surrounding the Cooks Creek Watershed.

The $2 million additional funds designated by the House doubles the Highlands Coalition allocation to $4 million in President Obama's 2010 budget.

The Senate is currently working on its own version of the bill.

"Certainly it's a priority for us in Bucks County, but to get recognized on a national level is pretty significant," said Kris Kern, open space coordinator for the county.

The Highlands is a heavily forested and mountainous region that stretches across 3.5 million acres in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey; it is nationally significant because of the species it supports and the drinking water and recreational opportunities it provides.

It cuts through Cooks Creek Watershed in Upper Bucks, which runs the length of Durham and well into Springfield. Its 30-square-mile watershed is considered a critical natural resource. . . .