On November 8, 2022, voters in Carbon County, PA overwhelmingly approved a $10 million bond issue—the Carbon County Water, Farms, and Land referendum—to support farmland preservation and natural lands conservation. Eighty-two percent of voters said ‘yes’ to the measure which will provide a source of local matching funds, a long-time limitation on the county’s ability to protect lands.
The referendum comes in response to the 2018 Carbon County Return on Environment report—completed in partnership with Audubon Mid-Atlantic and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources—which demonstrated the value of open space to the local economy and to the welfare and quality of life of Carbon County residents. The Carbon Chamber & Economic Development Corporation announced a partnership with The Wildlands Conservancy, Audubon Mid-Atlantic, and Natural Lands to create a new committee entitled the “Nature and Commerce Committee.”
The resolution for the referendum states that the county commissioners “deem it to be in the best interest and general welfare of county residents and future generations to acquire land to protect drinking water sources and the water quality of rivers, lakes and streams; to preserve agricultural lands and working farms to help ensure Carbon County has safe, healthy and affordable local food; to protect wildlife habitat, natural area, scenic views and areas like Lehigh Gorge and Blue Mountain for future generations to enjoy; and to provide places for nature education for children.”
According to Dennis DeMara, conservation outreach coordinator at the Wildlands Conservancy, Carbon County has a 930-acre backlog of farms waiting to be preserved, and at least three of the five neighboring counties already have open space bonds. This referendum will allow Carbon County to borrow up to $10 million over 20 years.
Across the nation, more than 30 communities voted on open space funding in 2022. Carbon County’s open space referendum passed by the largest margin in the United States with a voter approval of 4:1.