A Buffer Walking Tour Installation with demonstration plots on a portion of the D&L Trail spur is coming to Walnutport.

Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape presented a $5,000 check Friday morning to the Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley and project lead Bertsch, Hockendauqua and Catasauqua Watershed Association.

Representatives from the organizations gathered at the Walnutport Boat Ramp on Lehigh Street and the check was presented for the Walnutport Buffer Walking Tour Installation.

The project includes the removal and licensed spraying of invasive knotweed, material costs for live stakes/native plants and signs (with graphic design) to be placed in each section of work, according to Peggy Shannon, vice president, Bertsch-Hokendauqua-Catasauqua Watershed Association.

Shannon said the objective is to treat the areas of Japanese knotwood, and keep it under control at the Walnutport Canal.

“We’re doing everything we can to get this back,” Shannon said.

Shannon said Japanese knotweed spreads rapidly, shades out native vegetation, and can impact wildlife habitat.

She said knotweed is invasive because it spreads fast by underground roots, reduces biodiversity, degrades water quality, and causes damage to infrastructure like roads and bridges.

Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape has announced new awards totaling more than $86,000 in mini grants to advance the goals of land conservation and restoration, outdoor recreation, community revitalization through green infrastructure, and environmental education throughout the two-county region of the Lehigh Valley.

Lehigh Valley Greenways Mini Grant Program is a reimbursement grant program funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and administered by the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (DLNHC). The purpose of the Lehigh Valley Greenways Mini Grant Program is to protect and promote natural resources through the implementation of ready-to-go, single-year projects.

The 2023 Lehigh Valley Greenways Mini Grant application period closed on March 16 and attracted a large number of applicants requesting just shy of $120,000. Lehigh Valley Greenways has awarded $86,500 in support of 13 projects.

In addition to Walnutport, other 2023 Mini Grant Recipients include:

• Borough of Northampton, $3,000, to support the design and installation of Memorial Monarch Butterfly Gardens at Canal Park in Northampton Borough, in accordance with guidelines provided by Monarch Watch Monarch Waystation Program.

• Bushkill Township, $1,800, to support Bushkill Township Official Map update.

• Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, $4,300, to support the “Everybody Rides LV 2023!”, a guided bike-ride program with community partners.

• Community Bike Works, $10,000, to support Youth Bike Education through workshops with a focus on sustainability and healthy living.

• Hellertown Borough, $10,000, to support restoration of the tree canopy in the woodlands along the western edge of the Saucon Rail Trail bordering Saucon Creek.

• Lehigh Carbon Community College, $6,900, to support delivery of Field Biology classes to 10 Promise Corps participants in collaboration with Promise Neighborhoods.

• Lehigh County Conservation District, $4,700, to support the improvement of a pocket park adjacent to Trout Creek Harrison St. Trailhead, installing a pollinator garden, nature journaling benches, wooden cave, magnifying station, boulders, tree stump seating, edible and aromatic native trees and shrubs, and signage.

• Lehigh County Conservation District, $10,000, to support stabilization and fish enhancement along 730 feet of the Little Lehigh Creek in the Lehigh Parkway off Keystone Avenue in Allentown, upstream of the Lil Le Hi Fish Hatchery.

• Lower Mount Bethel Township, $10,000, to support the installation of a vegetated swale at Centerfield School Park and Municipal Complex.

• Upper Macungie Township, $10,000, to support improvements at Grange Park, including planting of more than 30 mature trees and installation of double-sided outdoor information board and publication racks.

• Valley Mountain Bikers, $7,600, to support the production and installation of maps and welcome kiosks at five major mountain bike trail systems across Lehigh and Northampton counties.

• Watershed Coalition of the Lehigh Valley, $3,200, to support the production of illustrated Lehigh Valley watershed maps in poster and brochure-sized formats.

To learn more about Lehigh Valley Greenways, visit: www.lvgreenways.org.