U. MOUNT BETHEL TWP., Pa. – The final master plan governing the Upper Mount Bethel Preserve’s future was presented during a public meeting Wednesday night at the township building.

The 171-acre parcel is part of roughly 233-acre purchase the township made in 2008 of the former Eastern Industries quarry site, off Million Dollar Highway, Audubon Drive and Boulder Road. The remaining 62 acres have been designated for public works usage.

The township has solicited public input on the preserve parcel over the last several months with surveys and various other public meetings, the most recent being March 1. The plan is a collaboration between the township and Simone Collins Landscape Architecture, a firm hired by the township.

The firm estimated Wednesday night the project will cost about $2.15 million. The plan assumes public funding will be used to pay for it. Simone Collins cited the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Northampton County, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and Upper Mount Bethel Township as possible funding sources.