North Pocono C A R E

09/03/2026

As summer comes to a close, North Pocono CARE wants to thank and celebrate our first ever summer intern! Thanks to Wellesley College's summer internship program and stipend grant, we had the amazing support of Kassandra Cruz as we prepare for the native plant garden that will be installed at the future Thornhurst Riverfront Park!

Kassandra hails from Cape Cod, Massachusetts and her fondest childhood memories involved connecting with nature. Her previous volunteer experience includes co-developing a milkweed propagation guide for the public to reestablish monarch butterfly populations in the Cape Cod area. At Wellesley, Kassandra is majoring in Peace and Justice Studies but was excited to continue her environmental advocacy work with North Pocono CARE.

Kassandra worked with board members to create materials about the native plants species that will be featured in the new park. She researched each plant, then created beautiful signage designs for visitors with fun facts including which are ‘host plants’ for specific beneficial insects. Kassandra also produced a family-friendly scavenger hunt activity (in English AND Spanish) that will help future visitors connect with and appreciate the natural beauty and features of the native garden and park at large. We can't wait to show you the final products once the park opens.

08/28/2026

Governor Shapiro signed an Executive Order last week to regulate data centers. The legal teams at Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services and PennFuture explore what it does and doesn’t actually do — and what it means for communities facing the data center rush in PA.

Check out our blog on our websites!

08/26/2026

As August comes to an end we wanted to take a moment to recognize that this is National Water Quality Awareness Month! As an organization dedicated to the health and protection of the Upper Lehigh watershed, we take threats to our water quality seriously.

Did you know that we perform monthly water monitoring we test water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity and nitrate-nitrite at eight locations along the Lehigh River and its tributaries? Water monitoring is important for catching any environmental concerns early, as well as establishing baseline data if/when new development (like warehouses or data centers) comes into play.

We are so fortunate to live in an area with "exceptional value" waterways, but that doesn't mean we don't all have a role to play in advocating for and protecting our watershed. Our top tips keeping drinking water and aquatic life safe:
* : whether you're fishing, boating, hunting, picnicking, or hiking, be sure to take all of your trash with you. (Yes- even the seemingly small stuff! standard fishing line takes 600 years or more to break down in the environment.)
* Properly dispose of fluids like motor oil, chemicals, and paint- never pour them down sinks, toilets, or outdoors. Instead, take automotive fluids to recycling centers, use local hazardous waste programs, and throw away unwanted non-flushable items in the trash.

Pictured: an especially beautiful stretch of the Lehigh River bursting with native blooms.

08/24/2026

Thank you to WVIA for covering our important local issues!

Clifton Twp. supervisors held a public meeting to get residents' input on a new ordinance to zone for the data center industry.

08/23/2026

IMPORTANT UPDATE!

North Pocono CARE members were very active this week attending Tuesday's Clifton Township Planning Commission meeting and Thursday's Clifton Township Board or Supervisors meetings due to a new draft data center ordinance on both agendas. As such, we want to take a moment to share the current status of the Clifton Township data center project and proposed data center ordinance.

As most of you know this has been going on since 2nd quarter of 2025. The developer filed challenges to the current Clifton Township zoning ordinances indicating that the zoning specifically excluded the land use of a data center. The challenge is currently being heard in the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas and a decision will be rendered, by the judge, in the next few months. (As a reminder, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a constitutional requirement allowing any legal use for land must be provided for in every township.)

Concurrently, Clifton Township is working to amend the township zoning ordinances to include provisions for a data center. A draft ordinance was created and sent to the Lackawanna Planning Commission and the Clifton Township Planning Commission for their review and comments. During the Planning Commission meeting to review the ordinance, many local residents spoke about language that needed to be added to the ordinance to better protect the community and environment. Clifton Township Planning Commission was very interested in the public’s input and listened carefully and respectfully to all of the input. They submitted their suggestions and comments to the Clifton Township Board of Supervisors. The Lackawanna County Planning Commission submitted a letter to the Township Supervisors with suggestions as well.

On Thursday evening, as part of Clifton Township’s monthly Board of Supervisors meeting, a Public Hearing was held to discuss the proposed ordinance and to get public input. There was strong turnout from residents and many comments and suggestions were provided to the supervisors.

This topic is very complex. A number of regulations and laws must be followed by the township when writing and adopting any ordinance. The supervisors decided to continue the hearing until September 17, 2026 to review all of the suggestions and to assess the legal viability of including them in the proposed ordinance.

Our continued awareness and participation will, inevitably, make a difference in the advocating for and protecting the health, safety and welfare of the community. This ordinance must be as comprehensive as possible without being exclusionary. The developers have nothing to lose by raising court challenges against any language or regulations that they feel won’t allow them to build what they want.

The current statement from developers across Pennsylvania is that they cannot build a “Modern Data Center” under today’s ordinances. Our response to that is they should build their “Modern Data Centers” with no impact to the environment and the community, using “modern construction and engineering techniques”. If they can’t or won’t do that then we must have as many protections as possible in our ordinances.

Our voices are already being heard as the latest plans submitted by the developer have been significantly pared down. How this will play out is anyone’s guess.

We must keep fighting for our community and the future environment for our children and grandchildren.

Thank you for your continued support!

08/19/2026

URGENT- PLEASE SHARE!

TOMORROW/THIS Thursday, August 20th at 7pm - the Clifton Township Board of Supervisors will be discussing a proposed data center ordinance. It’s SO important our elected leaders see that community concern remains strong and united, so please attend if you are able!

Where: Gouldsboro Fire House (490 Main Street Gouldsboro PA 18424).

08/15/2026

08/13/2026

One week to go until the next Clifton Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Thursday, August 20th at 7pm at the Gouldsboro Fire House (490 Main Street Gouldsboro PA 18424). On the agenda: a proposed new data center ordinance! It’s so important our elected leaders see that community concern remains strong and united, so please attend if you are able! See ya there!