The Lehigh Valley’s natural beauty is as clear as the sunny skies were on Tuesday. Despite the rising temperatures, Lehigh County officials chose to celebrate that natural beauty and the preservation of hundreds of farms and tens of thousands of acres. “Food .
.. beer, wine, all of that — this is why we must do everything that we can to make sure we preserve this,” Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong said at Baringer family’s Graber Farm in Lower Milford Township, the first farm the county preserved, in 1991.
Since then, Lehigh County has saved 403 farms and over 28,000 acres of farmland from future development, according to the county website . This ranks Lehigh County as fourth in the state for the number of farms preserved and fifth in the state for the number of acres. “This is significant, and we do it for you, but ultimately it’s you that are making this happen for all of us,” Lehigh County General Services Director Rick Molchany told residents and officials Tuesday.
The municipalities with the most preserved land include Lynn Township at 120 farms and nearly 9,100 acres; Weisenberg Township at 59 farms and over 4,630 acres; Heidelberg Township at 57 farms and over 3,970 acres; and Lower Milford Township at 59 farms and roughly 3,930 acres. Dozens of attendees at Tuesday’s celebration were treated to locally sourced foods such as potatoes, radishes, carrots, cheese, breadsticks and muffins; enjoyed American and German music from the Pioneer Band .
