Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the world’s first refuge for birds of prey, an international center for raptor conservation, and local year-round outdoor destination, has selected Jamie Dawson as its next Director of Education. Jamie replaces Erin Brown who stepped down earlier last year. “This is an exciting time for the Mountain. Jamie is the perfect match for our read more
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March
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March
Wildlands Permanently Protects 27 Acres in the Lehigh Valley
In March 2020, Wildlands Conservancy announced the permanent protection of 27 acres, situated in Salisbury Township, Lehigh County. The recent acquisition will expand its Emmaus-based South Mountain Preserve to 402 acres. “South Mountain is the mountain that gave rise to our mission more than 40 years ago,” says Christopher Kocher, president of Wildlands. “Everyday read more
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February
Robeson Township Farm Protected by Berks Nature Conservation Easement
In February 2020, Berks Nature closed on a conservation easement project in southern Berks. The Love family has protected about 80 acres of their family farm, located in Robeson Township along a tributary to Beaver Run, in the Hay Creek Watershed. The farm includes a mixed landscape of woodland, pasture, and sorghum and hay fields. The conservation easement protects read more
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February
Irina Beal Joins PALTA as GIS Analyst
Irina Beal joined PALTA in February 2020. Irina creates, improves, and analyzes spatial data to support conservation-related efforts across Pennsylvania. Her many geographic information system-based projects include updating and improving PALTA's statewide database of privately and publicly conserved lands. Prior to PALTA, Irina worked on living shorelines and shoreline read more
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February
Molly Morrison Receives Conservation Lifetime Achievement Award
The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association (PALTA) will honor Molly K. Morrison of Chester County with its Lifetime Conservation Leadership Award at an awards dinner in Gettysburg on April 2nd. Morrison recently retired from Natural Lands, the Greater Philadelphia region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, after serving 14 years as the non-profit’s read more
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February
Northeast PA Funder Webinar Hosted by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Learn about National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) watershed restoration and conservation grant funding opportunities in a free one-hour webinar. When: Wednesday, March 11, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. What: NFWF Program directors will discuss Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund and Delaware River Watershed Program funding opportunities for conservation work and read more
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February
2020 Get Outdoors PA Mini-Grant Applications Due February 28th!
Get Outdoors PA Mini-Grants fund equipment and/or staff training to become instructors for guided programs that fit within the 16 Get Outdoors PA activity categories. Eligible partners can apply for grants ranging from $750-$3,000 to provide up to 50% of the total eligible costs associated with the training and/or total equipment purchase, in-kind matches are not accepted. read more
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February
Settlers Hospitality Guests Raise Funds for Conservation
On February 13, 2020, representatives from Settlers Hospitality properties presented the Delaware Highlands Conservancy with a check for $14,852 for funds collected in 2019 through the Green Lodging Partnership program. The funds were collected at The Settlers Inn, Ledges Hotel, and Silver Birches, located in Hawley, PA, and Hotel Anthracite, located in Carbondale, read more
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February
Hilary Hirtle Joins PALTA as Communications Specialist
Hilary Hirtle joined the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association in February 2020. She writes, researches, and edits a wide variety of communications materials and educational resources, manages PALTA’s online presence, and spearheads projects to better tell the story of conservation. Before moving to Harrisburg, Hilary was involved in communications initiatives for a number of read more
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February
PALTA Says Good Bye to Two
PALTA ended 2019 with fond farewells to two staff, Nate Lotze and Josh VanBrakle. Both can now be found at the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources--Nate in the legislative affairs office and Josh handling communications and grant work for the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. Nate ably served PALTA for nearly four years, taking on increasingly read more
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February
Allegheny Land Trust Protects Bethel Green
Local non-profit land conservation organization Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) announced today that it will finalize the acquisition of 40.5 acres of woodlands in Bethel Park before March 31, 2020. The permanent protection of this rare remaining green space along Route 88 near its intersection with Valley Drive has been ensured by ALT after working for almost a year in read more
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February
Comments on New Model Amendment Due March 4
The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association has completed the first round of public review of the draft Model Amendment of Grant of Conservation Easement and Declaration of Covenants. The guidance has been revised and PALTA welcomes suggestions for improvements to this final draft. Reviewers are also encouraged to suggest examples of potential amendments that could be addressed in read more
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February
Municipal Authorities Now Eligible for Conservation Easement Assistance Program
The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association’s Conservation Easement Assistance Program (CEAP) provides grants of up to $7,500 to help organizations plan and complete conservation, trail, and other public access easements in Pennsylvania. PALTA is now expanding the pool of eligible applicants for public access easement projects to include municipal authorities whose articles of read more
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February
Merrill W. Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy Preserves Meadow Lane Farm
Pennsylvania Land Trust Association member, Merrill Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy, successfully protected Meadow Lane Farm in Snyder County, preserving the farm forever. Here's their story in their own words. In 2018, representatives of the Merrill Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy in Lewisburg were invited by a landowner to have a look at her property for easement read more
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February
PA Sea Grant & LERC Conserve 179.8 Acres of Elk Creek
On-going collaborative efforts to acquire a portion of the Gilmore Farm in Girard Township, Erie County, have been finalized, creating a new destination for anglers seeking a world-class steelhead fishing experience, and for outdoor enthusiasts seeking to explore a unique natural resource via foot-trails. Pennsylvania Sea Grant brought together partners in the fields of read more
