The good news about Walking Purchase Park in Salisbury Township is it includes one of the most pristine stands of woodland in the Lehigh Valley.

The bad news is Walking Purchase Park has limited public access, is beset by ATV riders, is the site of a minimum security Lehigh County prison, is said to house a homeless camp, has a Norfolk-Southern freight line slicing through it and has become a dumping site for discarded tires, construction materials and other junk.

The Salisbury Township Environmental Advisory Council probably can’t address all these matters, but it is doing something about the last item: the trash.

The EAC will hold a cleanup at Walking Purchase Park 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 22, which is the annual date of Earth Day.

The event is open to the public. Volunteers are to bring their own work gloves and drinking water. Trash bags will be provided. Those interested are to meet on Constitution Drive at the Norfolk Southern crossing gate.

Interested volunteers are to contact the Salisbury EAC at 610-797-4000 or eac@salisburytownshippa.org.

The EAC decided to hold the cleanup after hearing a talk about Walking Purchase Park by Abigail Pattishall, Wildlands Conservancy vice president of conservation, who was invited to address the Feb. 15 meeting.

The conservancy and, specifically, Pattishall, was involved in one of the phases of a master plan for Walking Purchase Park, also known as Lehigh Mountain Park.

The park, located between Lehigh Mountain, north of East Susquehanna Street, the Lehigh River, is accessed by Constitution Drive from Allentown and Riverside Drive from Bethlehem.

In her slide presentation, Pattishall explained the history and facts about the park, which is in Salisbury Township, is 530 acres and is bordered by Allentown and Bethlehem.

The 156-acre park lowlands and the 232-acre park uplands were purchased by Wildlands in 1989.

Wildlands sold the park to Lehigh County (50 percent), Allentown (40 percent) and Salisbury (10 percent). Nonetheless, each municipality has an equal vote in decisions about the park.

Lehigh County purchased an additional 141 acres from the Bethlehem Water Authority in 2006.

The park derives its name from the farmstead of Solomon Jennings, one of the Walking Purchase runners, with remnants of a structure there remaining.

Through the Walking Purchase, sons of the William Penn family acquired 1.2 million acres from the Lenape Native Americans.

In 2007, Salisbury Township received a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant to develop a master plan for the park. The township asked Wildlands to revise the plan in 2010.

Pattishall outlined the park’s natural resources:

•Large natural area in an otherwise urban landscape. The uplands area of the park is approximately 230 acres “of unusually healthy forest habitat.”

•Lehigh Mountain seeps, “a wetland habitat with documented species of concern.”

•Power line has relatively healthy plant community

•2.5 miles of Lehigh riverfront

Pattishall listed challenges facing Walking Purchase Park, including:

•Lack of shared vision, goal

•Park identity

•Unwelcoming public access

•Dumping

•Unauthorized uses

•Excessive trails

•Habitat degradation

•Bisected by railroad

Pattishall enumerated opportunities and recommendations, including:

Park management

•It could provide a safe place for surrounding communities to enjoy nature-based recreation

•Size and location means it has potential to be an outdoor recreation destination

Natural resource protection

•Upland forest and wetland need better protection

Recreation opportunities

•Lowlands (300-plus acres) is a good place to concentrate active use

•Lehigh riverfront provides opportunity for boat launch

•Opportunities for historical interpretation and education

In her presentation, Pattishall said, “The uplands has forest quality not seen elsewhere in the Lehigh Valley.”

In conclusion, Pattishall said, “The three owners [Lehigh County, Allentown, Salisbury] should coalesce around a shared vision and goal for the property.”

She added, “The property has tremendous potential.”

The Salisbury Township Environmental Advisory Council next meets 7 p.m. April 19 in the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.

The 7 p.m. March 8 zoning hearing board meeting is canceled.

Upcoming meetings include: 7 p.m. March 9: board of commissioners; 7 p.m. March 22: planning commission and 7 p.m. March 23: board of commissioners, all in the municipal building.