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You are here: Home / Stories / Saving Our Family Lands

Saving Our Family Lands

05/07/2015

“They never tear down houses and put in orchards.”

Author: Mark Berg
Location: Adams County
Land Trust: Land Conservancy of Adams County

Occasionally, my wife, Temma, and I are asked why we donated a conservation easement on our property to the Land Conservancy of Adams County (LCAC). Our home is surrounded by ten wooded acres and located in Highland Township. It had never occurred to us that we could preserve this land beyond our lifetimes. But one day, I saw a display by LCAC; as I read the booklet, Saving Family Lands, I learned more about the options available to preserve farms, orchards, woodlands, wetlands, etc.

I remembered reading about a meeting concerning Adams County’s agricultural land preservation program, during which a grower had said, “They never tear down houses and put in orchards.” That, to me, was a more relevant statement than the old, “They’re not making any more land.” Since our property was not an orchard or a farm, it was not eligible for the county program; but Saving Family Lands showed us how the LCAC could help us preserve even our 10 acres.

So, why did we do it? Was it the tax savings that resulted from donating an easement? Yes, we did receive a one-time federal tax deduction, but that was only a bonus. We would not have donated an easement if our goal were only financial. We donated an easement simply because we wanted to do our small part to maintain the rural character of Adams County, and because we believe that all of us have an obligation to see that the land we inhabit is not needlessly despoiled before our children and grandchildren have the opportunity to enjoy what we have enjoyed. There are many ways to build houses, stores, and so on, without using up land as we have been doing (especially here in Pennsylvania, where the amount of developed land is increasing at a rate more than ten times the rate of population growth).

In Their Own Words

  • A Gift to the Community
  • A Permanent Agreement Between Us and Nature
  • A Place in the Country
  • A Quiet Satisfaction
  • An Amazing Feeling
  • Essentially as We Found It
  • Five Hills Farm
  • For Future Generations 
to Enjoy
  • Forever Holding on to Holden Farm
  • Greg’s Woods
  • Keeping Bedminster Green
  • Kipp’s Fen
  • Preserve Our Farms
  • Preserving the Character of York County
  • Saving Our Family Lands
  • Solebury Township Landowners
  • The Value of Land Conservation
  • There Was Really No Other Choice

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  • Unlikely Partners BalletX and Natural Lands Make Nature Center Stage

    Unlikely Partners BalletX and Natural Lands Make Nature Center Stage

    What does it look like when the regions oldest and largest land conservation organization and Philadelphia’s Premier Contemporary Ballet Company …Read More »
  • Heritage Conservancy Sets Pioneering Example of Partnership and Preservation with Manoff Market Gardens

    Heritage Conservancy Sets Pioneering Example of Partnership and Preservation with Manoff Market Gardens

    Freda R. Savana for Heritage Conservancy It could be said that Gary and Amy Manoff have farming in their blood. …Read More »
  • Berks Nature Closes on a Conservation Easement of Olivet Blue Mountain Camp

    Berks Nature Closes on a Conservation Easement of Olivet Blue Mountain Camp

    On September 30th, 2020, Berks Nature closed on a conservation easement project in the Schuylkill River Watershed, Kittatinny Ridge and …Read More »
  • Fifteen More Acres Protected Forever!

    Fifteen More Acres Protected Forever!

      Article originally published in September 2020 by Willistown Conservation Trust. The final conservation chapter to the 15-acre Stonehedge Farm …Read More »
View more posts >>
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WeConservePA envisions future generations enjoying—undiminished—Pennsylvania’s natural areas and open spaces.

Thank you to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for supporting the Association’s conservation efforts.

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