Protecting the Headwaters: A New Conservation Easement in Upper Mount Bethel Township

Heritage Conservancy’s conservation successes keep rolling in 2026! In April, Heritage Conservancy partnered with Upper Mount Bethel Township’s Open Space Advisory Board to facilitate a conservation easement on 32.8 acres of land in Upper Mount Bethel Township, Northampton County.

The property encompasses tributary headwaters of the Martin’s Creek Watershed and the Delaware River-Jacoby’s Creek Watershed, freshwater wetlands, forested riparian buffers, interior woodlands, prime farmland soils, native flora and fauna habitat, and scenic views.

The property is also neighbors with some impressive company. It sits in close proximity to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission’s 138-acre East Bangor Lake, 355 acres of Northampton County’s Farmland Preserves, and another 54-acre property already protected by a conservation easement held jointly by Heritage, the Township, and Northampton County, making this latest addition part of a growing mosaic of protected land in the region.

This easement is the latest chapter in a relationship that spans three decades. Heritage Conservancy has worked within Upper Mount Bethel Township for 30 years to preserve some of its most ecologically diverse and scenic properties. “The partnership we have formed over the years with the Township is invaluable to Heritage Conservancy’s mission, steeped in land, history, and community,” says Matt Babbitt, Senior Resource Protection Specialist. “We are grateful to the Township and the Haddad Family for their commitment and patience throughout the preservation process, and we look forward to protecting more beautiful open spaces benefiting both future generations and native wildlife.”

The ecological significance of this property is hard to overstate. “The Haddad property possesses a pristine swamp rich in native shrubs and sedges, and an oak-dominated woodland which supports an array of native understory plants,” says Sebastian Harris, Heritage Conservancy’s Conservation Biologist. “An assortment of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and invertebrates stands to benefit from this preserved property. This is a major win for conservation in southeastern Pennsylvania.”

By choosing to permanently protect the land, the Haddad family is ensuring it remains wild and intact for the generations that follow. This May, which is Leave a Legacy Month, their commitment serves as a reminder that some of the most meaningful gifts we can leave behind are often the ones rooted in the places we value most.

Heritage Conservancy will serve as the holder of this conservation easement, with Upper Mount Bethel Township as co-holder. Funding was made possible through Upper Mount Bethel Township and Heritage Conservancy’s Mary Ann Bowen Hess Fund for Land Preservation.

For more information about land conservation, contact Matt Babbitt at mbabbitt@heritageconservancy.org or learn more here.

Photos by Sebastian Harris.