"In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks." This John Muir quote is a favorite among nature lovers because it resonates with so many people. Within the context of the story of Charlie Jaeger and Adele Vessey, it means so much more. Charlie and Adele were each enjoying their own separate hikes about three years ago on Haycock Mountain in Haycock Township read more
30
May
7
May
Land Conservancy of Adams County Preserves 36 Acres
The Land Conservancy of Adams County and a Franklin Township fruit grower recently preserved nearly 36 acres of woodland bordering Arendtsville. Ed and Linda McDannell, owners of McDannell’s Fruit Farm and Market on High Street in Arendtsville, preserved 35.97 acres of woodland in Franklin Township and Arendtsville Borough. The woodland includes a portion of the Conewago read more
2
May
Tinicum Conservancy Helps Preserve 57-Acre Farm
With the assistance of the Tinicum Conservancy, Carl Kwartnik and Maureen Santina recently conserved their 57-acre farm in Durham Township through the Bucks County Agricultural Open Space program and the Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program. The property sits on the upper southern slope of the Cooks Creek watershed, which is a Pennsylvania read more
17
April
27 Farms Preserved Through State Program
On April 16, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Reading announced that the state's Agricultural Land Preservation Board safeguarded 2,793 more acres on 27 farms during its recent meeting. "The farms preserved today exemplify our diverse production agriculture industry – each is unique in the products it grows and the people who call it home,” said read more
13
April
PALTA: Condemnation of McCormick Farm is Ethically and Legally Suspect
The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association issued the following letter to the Cumberland Valley School Board on April 12 regarding its condemnation of McCormick Farm, upon which Natural Lands holds a conservation easement. Re: Condemnation of McCormick Farm Is Ethically and Legally Suspect Dear Directors: These comments regarding the Cumberland Valley’s condemnation of read more
9
April
Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County Acquires 200 Acres
The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County (TLC) has announced the acquisition of a 180-acre property located in Elk Township. The property, which is located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, will constitute TLC’s sixth nature preserve. The property was formerly owned by the Patricia du Pont Foundation and the proceeds will go directly to support the work of the read more
27
March
Wildlands Conservancy Protects 500 Acres Near Lehigh Headwaters
Wildlands Conservancy recently protected approximately 500 critical acres situated near the headwaters of the Lehigh River, an area that supports drinking water for 180,000 local residents. The wooded property, known locally as “Klondike,” contains several miles of the Lehigh River and more than 200 acres of special wetlands. The parcel was immediately transferred to the read more
14
February
Brandywine Conservancy Trustees Approve Purchase of Key Battlefield Property
The Brandywine Conservancy Board of Trustees have approved for purchase a 13-acre tract of land in the heart of the historic Brandywine Battlefield. This parcel of land is the final piece of Brandywine's 25-year endeavor to preserve over 500 contiguous acres around Meetinghouse Road in Birmingham Township, where the fiercest fighting occurred during the Battle of Brandywine in read more
8
February
Natural Lands Expands ChesLen Preserve
The largest privately owned nature preserve open to the public in southeastern Pennsylvania just got even bigger with the addition of 20 acres of rare habitat. Natural Lands announced on February 5 that its ChesLen Preserve in Newlin Township, Chester County, expanded to 1,282 acres when the organization purchased land from an adjacent neighbor. ChesLen was the vision of read more
5
February
Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy Acquires New Conservation Easement
Vera Grove Rishel studied in London and spent time in Europe, but her heart was always in central Pennsylvania. She and her husband lived most of their lives there and enjoyed living near the Susquehanna River and watching the landscape change with the seasons. When Vera passed away in 2009, her friend and executor Andrew Pruden worked to find a way to meet Vera’s wish of read more
5
February
Brookfield Renewable to Donate 500 Acres to Lancaster County Conservancy
The final phase of utility land transfers from Brookfield Renewable to the Lancaster County Conservancy began in January 2018. The energy company is donating approximately 500 acres of forested land in the River Hills section of the Susquehanna Riverlands to the Conservancy; the Conservancy will leverage the donations as matches to public funding in order to preserve additional read more
30
January
ClearWater Conservancy Protects Nittany Noll Preserve
ClearWater Conservancy recently finalized a conservation easement that will protect and preserve 452 acres of mostly forested land in Pleasant Gap. The property, known as Nittany Noll Preserve, had been owned by the Noll Family of Spring Township since the 1850s and was purchased by Graymont Inc. in January 2017. Conserving the Nittany Noll Preserve has been a long-time read more
30
January
Land Conservancy of Adams County Protects 500 Acres
The end of 2017 was busy for the Land Conservancy of Adams County--the organization preserved over 500 acres in the month of December, bringing its yearly total to 744 acres. The first December easement was on the Strayer and Nikki Yake farm in Hamilton Township near New Oxford, a 28-acre property with a charming farmstead tucked away from the road. The farm has a 19th-century read more
19
December
Newly Conserved Lands in Pike County Protect Clean Water and Wildlife Habitat
An additional 50 acres in Pike County are now permanently conserved by Delaware Highlands Conservancy and are protecting clean water and wildlife habitat. Tri-Angle Farm is home to beautiful 150-year-old apple and pear trees—the remaining part of the orchard on the farm when it belonged to its original owners, the Angle family. Over the last 24 years, the diversity and the read more
15
December
Central Pennsylvania Conservancy Protects Three Properties
Two New Conservation Easements Central Pennsylvania Conservancy recently announced the acquisition of two new conservation easements. One of the properties encompasses 176 acres of land situated in Juniata County. The other property is located west of Carlisle, covering 54 acres of land directly next to 56 acres that the Conservancy protected in 2013. The easement on the read more
