Stories of Land and People
These stories of land and people provide real life examples of how land trusts, landowners and others have worked cooperatively to conserve special places in Pennsylvania for the benefit of all.
Stories
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Children's Lake
The community of Boiling Springs and the Appalachian Trail Conference Land Trust came together to purchase a plot of land encompassing Boiling Springs Lake and an important parcel of land for the Appalachian Trail.
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Leaving a Legacy
Casper Kohler worked with the Manada Conservancy to make sure his farm would never be developed. Well into his 80s, Cap still plants trees on his property because he believes in leaving the land better than he found it.
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Christmas Trees and Conservation
Margaret Hull and her sisters combined different types of conservation easements--donating one to the Countryside Conservancy and selling one to the Lackawanna County Agricultural Land Preservation Board--to protect nearly 250 acres of their farmland in a way that best suited their needs.
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Oasis in the City
Glenwood Green Acres is just one of more than 20 community gardens owned by the Neighborhood Gardens Association in the Philadelphia metro area. The garden allows residents to grow produce and connect with the land, and brings the whole community together in a shared green space.
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Conserving Caves
Kim and Tom Metzger have worked for years to protect Pennsylvania's unique limestone caves, and in 1997 they helped form the Mid-Atlantic Karst Conservancy to make sure that the lands housing these caves and the little-known creatures inside them are protected forever.
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The Power of Vision
Moraine State Park exists because of the commitment and vision of local landowners and conservationists working with organizations like the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to protect and restore the area, which now enjoys a million visitors every year.
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Conserving Montandon Marsh
Tony Markunas bought a tract of land for its valuable sand and gravel, not for its marshland. But after being approached by the Merrill W. Linn Land & Waterways Conservancy, he decided to conserve 77 acres of the sensitive marsh through a conservation easement.
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A Quilt Made to Last
The Lancaster County Conservancy worked to consolidate fourteen parcels of land, totaling nearly 500 acres, into a work of art comprised of many pieces: the Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve.
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Dead Man's Hollow
Thanks to years of dedication from the Allegheny Land Trust, Dead Man's Hollow, once the site of a sewer pipe factory, now offers the local community forested walking trails in this natural sanctuary surrounded by development.
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The Real Country
After unsuccessfully trying to place conservation easements on different parts of their land, Mary Swann and Josh Brumfield decided to work with the Farm and Natural Lands Trust and the PA Game Commission to conserve the 600 acre property in a way that protects the land and their desires as landowners.
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Family Preserves Homestead
Through the help of the Land Preservation Fund and the Lancaster Farmland Trust, the Landis family was able to place a conservation easement on the farm that has been in the family for more than 100 years.
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A Ribbon of Blue, A Ribbon of Green
Inspired by her mother's love for the area around Wissahickon Creek, Ellen Lea and her brothers decided to forgo their inheritance and donate all of their family's 300-acre tract to the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association.
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Growing Greener
Denise and Greg Bayley live on half an acre, but thanks to Conservation Design they can enjoy a 50 acre apple orchard right in their backyard. They live in a new community designed with conservation and land stewardship built into the development plans.
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Saving Blue Mountain
Through smart land purchases and generous donations, the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy has managed to conserve the majority of the land around Blue Mountain--an area important for wildlife as well as the drinking water of surrounding communities.
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Have You Been to the Bog?
Begun by the fledgling Nature Conservancy in 1956, conservation efforts at Tannersville Cranberry Bog have a long history. Today the Bog's unique carnivorous plants and ancient peat mosses delight visitors and educate local school children.
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Seeding a Dream
The Gerstemeier tract is surrounded by protected land on all sides, but it took years of dedication by neighbors like Peter Schlotterer and organizations like the Montgomery County Lands Trust to finally see it protected as well.
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Keeping the Land Open for People and Elk
The Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation collaborated with other organizations to protect nearly 4500 acres along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. They reintroduced elk to the area after an absence of more than 120 years.
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Washington's Crossing
Sam Marrazzo planned to build an 80,000 ft shopping plaza near where General George Washington launched his historic crossing of the Delaware River. But after talking with local landowners and working with the Wildlands Conservancy and Pennsylvania DCNR, he agreed to sell the land to expand Delaware Canal State Park.