The authority board of directors welcomed a new member Oct. 10.

Laurie Gostley-Hackett, a lifelong Bethlehem resident and an Air Products employee, spent 15 years on the Zoning Hearing Board before taking on this new responsibility. "I care deeply about this city and look forward to serving," she said.

Executive Director Steve Repasch then described a successful year in controlled burns for forest management programs, saying 595 acres of prescribed burns were completed without complication.

"The Authority has agreed to participate in a Game Commission funded project to restore the scrub oak barrens in the Long Pond area," Repasch explained in an email. "This habitat has been named as one of the 'last 100 great remaining habitats on our planet.' It historically had been burned by Native Americans and then by farmers to grow huckleberries and blueberries. Over the last 50 years or so the scrub oak habitat had not been burned, and so it had become overcome with other plants and vegetation that was not typical and thus the Snowshoe hares and golden winged warblers left for other habitats. The prescribed burn program is designed to revitalize the scrub oak habitat and thus hopefully bring back these and other species that rely on it.

A two-year study will be performed by Penn State to collar and monitor some snowshoe hares.

Laura Gigliotti, a master's student with the school's Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, will be studying the rabbits' habitat and survival based on climate change.

Gigliotti said via email, "This data will allow me to get a better idea of what types of habitats the hares are spending their time in, as well as their movement within the area. My study area in the Eastern part of the state (State Game Lands 38, the Bethlehem Water Authority Land, and the Nature Conservancy's Long Pond Land) is especially interesting because it contains scrub oak barrens that are unique to this part of the state and are considered to be high-quality habitats for snowshoe hares."

Gigliotti continued, "This land is currently being managed to maintain the barrens through the use of prescribed burning, mechanical mowing and timber harvest. Land managers are hoping to learn more about the dynamics of the snowshoe hares in the area in order to optimize future land management actions and sustain hare populations."

During the meeting, directors also discussed the options for attaining a new vehicle for Special Police Officer Dan Meixell, who spends his days patrolling rugged terrain throughout the city's watershed.

President Vaughn Gower said the options of purchasing or leasing a new vehicle must be weighed. The current vehicle, with about 90,000 miles on it, was recently repaired and will be retained for use by Meixell's deputy.

Meixell's watershed office has also recently completed long-awaited renovation. To celebrate, directors voted to advertise the next board meeting will be held there, at Wild Creek Reservoir, northwest of Beltzville Lake, Nov. 14.