I guess you don't understand a conservation area. The land is prohibited from being developed by a covenant that runs with the land in perpetuity. Most of this land was suitable for development but was preserved by permitted development on smaller lots in exchange for the dedication of the land. These areas are removed from land that can be developed without using tax dollars. Much of that land is currently being leased to farmers. There are also environmentally sensitive areas that are being preserved.

Speaking of talking a good game, my fact checking indicates that you are a member of the Lehigh County Authority Board which seeks to expand public water which would permit more development. It also appears that you earn your living by testing land for on-site sewage disposal so that more farmland can be cut-up and developed.

Mr. Wlazelek, I did check the facts : Upper Macungie's definition of land preservation on its web site is a prime example of what I mean by talking a good line. It includes 1275 acres of conservation security areas, which is land that can be developed and is not preserved at all. It includes 973 acres of land that was preserved with perpetual easements by the county farmland preservation program without one dime of help from Upper Mac. It includes 620 acres of recreational land, which I don't consider to be "preserved" land in the same sense as preserving a wide open farmfield. But I will give you the benefit of that doubt on that one. But the 1275 acres of security area can no way be considered preserved and the township did not preserve the 973 acrees of county-preserved farmland. Subtracting these two categories from the total leaves 1263 acres, or TWO SQUARE MILES of what the township claims it has preserved. Also, taking credit for floodplains and wetlands as preserved land is not proper because the township's land development regulations already prevent that kind of environmentally sensitive land from being developed. When I speak of land preservation, I mean preserving with deed restrictions land that could otherwise be developed. Period.