THE CONSERVANCY’S ROLE IN PROTECTING PUBLIC LANDS
It’s almost impossible to overestimate the importance of land: it provides habitat, shelter and sustenance for all living things. Land can be defined by geographic features and physical and living elements, but it is ultimately shaped by its ownership and use. Land is a legacy passed through generations, carrying our stories with it.
Since the 1940s, protecting and restoring Pennsylvania’s natural landscapes has been a core element of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s mission. As a conservation organization, the Conservancy has a long-term perspective on land. The properties that we protect provide habitat for a diverse collection of plants and wildlife and support clean water and air and help sustain human life. They preserve history, regional character and the wild nature of undeveloped space. These areas are open for all to experience and appreciate nature.
Pennsylvania’s public land includes state forest (about 2.2 million acres), game lands (1.5 million acres) and 124 state parks (300,000+ acres). Although most public land across the nation is managed by federal, state or local government or a tribal nation, land trusts and nonprofits like the Conservancy also own properties that are open to all.
Pennsylvania would look much different without the effort undertaken to preserve these landscapes. And the statewide economic impact of outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania is estimated at nearly $19 billion each year. But the contribution to quality of life and vitality of our region is incalculable.
Of the more than 290,000 acres that the Conservancy has protected in our history, more than 200,000 acres have been conveyed as public land to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and other agencies. DCNR oversees the Bureau of Forestry and the Bureau of State Parks, while PGC manages game lands. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission protects and manages aquatic resources. All of these groups work together to protect and steward our natural landscapes.
WPC Preserve or State Land?
Last year, the Conservancy protected 22,477 acres through outright purchase, property donation or the purchase or donation of a conservation easement, which permanently protects property from development while keeping the land in private hands. Of this, 2,300 acres were added to our state forests, parks and game lands. So, who decides, and how is it decided, whether WPC retains a property or transfers it to a state agency?
Land protection projects may begin in several ways. Often a private landowner will contact us, sometimes a family who has managed their property for years and would like to see it protected in the long term, or a natural resource company that wants to divest its holdings. Other nonprofits and government agency partners frequently approach us to protect an important property. We also proactively reach out to landowners who own properties in priority conservation areas.
The Conservancy has detailed ecological information on much of Western and Central Pennsylvania land, and this data guides our protection efforts. Once we determine a property’s conservation and/or public recreation value (such as habitat and species diversity, proximity to other protected lands, etc.), we determine who or what agency may be willing to own and manage it. Protecting additional land adjacent to state parks and forests is a priority, but sometimes an agency is unable to take on a new property. Funding also determines whether or not we can pursue a project, and we consider the financial investment and time that it will take to acquire the land, and the staffing and other resources needed to manage it.
ADDING TO FEDERAL AND STATE LANDS
Pennsylvania’s National Forest
Federal public lands include national forests, national parks and wildlife refuges managed by governmental agencies. National park land is primarily protected for natural beauty, biodiversity and recreation, while national forests, managed by the USFS, can have a multiple-use mandate and be used for timber and resource extraction as well.
The Allegheny National Forest (ANF), comprising more than 514,000 acres stretching across Forest, Elk, McKean and Warren counties, is the only national forest in Pennsylvania. The ANF was established in 1923 to protect the Allegheny River watershed, but the forest had already been so depleted by logging that many places were completely barren. The USFS implemented management techniques to help the ANF recover significantly by the 1940s.
WPC’s involvement in the ANF began in 1965 when we commissioned a study to set criteria for land protection. In the 1970s, WPC began acquiring land along the Allegheny River, including its shoreline and islands. WPC’s effort in this region has continued steadily throughout the decades, adding more than 9,640 acres along the Clarion and Allegheny rivers to become part of the Allegheny National Forest
Just last May, WPC worked with The Conservation Fund to place an easement on nearly 20,000 acres of forest along the Clarion River in Elk County and Kinzua Creek in McKean County. The Clarion Junction conservation easement was the largest easement in the Conservancy’s history. It protects an important connection among state forest, game lands and the Allegheny National Forest. We appreciate the valuable partnership with The Conservation Fund.
The Conservancy, the USFS, state agencies and other conservation organizations are active in watershed conservation work in ANF streams, floodplains and along the rivers. WPC’s surveys on stream health have led to projects to improve connectivity and aquatic habitat, and also guide further land protection work. Watershed protection work includes removing obstacles like dams and replacing insufficient culverts to allow aquatic life to move along streams, and to minimize erosion and flood risk To stabilize streambanks, WPC and partners use natural engineering methods such as placing logs and burying root-wads (dead trees with the root system attached) into streambanks, and the large-scale planting of trees, shrubs and grasses along shorelines Reintroducing mussel populations into the river, nature’s own water filtration system, has been very successful in helping to improve water quality. This restoration effort wasn’t even possible decades ago due to the condition of rivers like the Clarion being unable to support aquatic life.
A major project completed last year in the ANF at Clear Creek State Park in Jefferson County stabilized 1,200 feet of a severely eroding streambank along the Clarion River. Log and root-wad structures were constructed along the base of the riverbank and more than 11,500 live tree stems were planted on graded terraces, with additional shoreline plantings in the fall.
State Public Lands
State parks are designated primarily for public recreation, and are protected for their natural features and scenery or historical significance. The parks often have amenities such as parking, trails, boat launches, shelters and camping areas
Valley Forge was the first state park in Pennsylvania, designated in 1893. By 1955, eight million people visited Pennsylvania’s 44 state parks. Visitation tripled by 1961 due to factors including widespread car ownership, new interstates and more leisure time. To meet the demand, the first director of the Department of Parks and Forests, Maurice K. Goddard, declared a goal to create a state park within 25 miles of every resident. State funding became widely available for forestry, conservation and parks in the early 1960s, resulting in a public lands growth boom.
By this time, the Conservancy had already begun protecting Pennsylvania’s landscapes with its first acquisition in the 1940s: 1,000 acres of the Slippery Rock Creek Gorge and an historic mill in Lawrence
County, which became McConnells Mill State Park in 1957. This acquisition was the beginning of the Conservancy’s focus on acquiring land to protect unique natural landscapes in Western Pennsylvania.
In 1951, Fallingwater owner and WPC board member Edgar Kaufmann Sr. helped the Conservancy acquire the 100-acre Ferncliff Peninsula along the Youghiogheny River, which would become the first parcel of Ohiopyle State Park. The Conservancy added 10,000 more acres in the 1960s and continues to expand the park to this day. Just last winter, WPC added 52 acres next to the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail, a property that had been a missing puzzle piece surrounded by the park on three sides. Ohiopyle State Park is now 20,500 acres and attracts millions of visitors to the Laurel Highlands each year to hike, ride the rapids or bike on the Great Allegheny Passage.
The 1960s continued to be prolific years for growing the Commonwealth’s parks. During this decade, the Conservancy acquired the seed properties that would form Moraine, Raccoon, Laurel Ridge and Oil Creek state parks, eventually helping to establish 11 in all
State Forests
The state forest system originated from an effort in the late 19th century to reforest Pennsylvania and better protect the landscape and watersheds that had been devastated by rampant logging and other industry There are 20 state forests located in 50 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. State forests are open to the public and allow hunting and fishing. While state parks are managed primarily for recreational activity, state forests are managed by the Bureau of Forestry with a more multiuse approach, allowing activities such as certified sustainable logging, while offering more “rustic” camping opportunities.
The Conservancy has contributed nearly 100,000 acres to the state forest system, and continues to protect more parcels each year. WPC’s largest single land acquisition occurred in 2015 with the preservation of 27 square miles (17,488 acres) in McKean County, which was conveyed to the DCNR Bureau of Forestry to become an addition to Elk State Forest.
A recent addition to a state forest is 1,495 acres in Benezette Township in Elk County that was added to Moshannon State Forest. This property in the heart of the Pennsylvania Wilds has a high-quality trout stream, Johnson Run, flowing through it and includes significant areas along the Bennett Branch Sinnemahoning Creek. The Conservancy has transferred about 6,500 acres to Moshannon State Forest since 1983.
State Game Lands
The Pennsylvania Game Commission was formed in 1895 as a response to the diminishing population of wild game such as wild turkey, grouse and believe it or not deer. The first game lands were established in Elk County in 1920, and were purchased and managed, as they are now, through hunting fees. The PGC now owns more than 1.5 million acres of state game lands managed primarily for wildlife habitat and hunting and trapping. The land is managed less for visitors than other public lands, without designated trails and visitor amenities. The Conservancy has helped to protect 48,675 acres of game lands, including two new additions this spring.
In April, WPC conveyed a 653-acre property in Cherry and Clay townships in Butler County to become part of SGL 95. This area includes habitat for a federally threatened species and protects portions of the North Country Trail and The Glades Wildlife Natural Heritage Area.
The second addition to game lands this year illustrates the long-term effort it can take to protect a property. The landowner had initially contacted WPC in 2004 about their interest in preserving 203 acres in an area known as Rattlesnake Swamp in Mercer County Due to a series of challenges and delays, it took until May of this year to finalize the land protection transaction. The parcel is flanked by Otter Creek, a tributary to Neshannock Creek, and consists of swamp forest, thickets and marsh. This addition was worth the wait as it provides a much-needed connection to a smaller parcel of the game lands, increasing access to this popular hunting and fishing area.
WPC Preserves
The Conservancy owns and manages 45 nature preserves totaling more than 15,000 acres, which are open to the public for outdoor recreation and managed by WPC’s stewardship staff. These properties
are located throughout the region and were added to WPC’s portfolio because of their conservation, scenic and/or recreational value. In most cases, the properties were not adjacent to state public lands and therefore it did not make sense to convey to a state agency.
Because WPC intends for these lands to be protected in perpetuity, an important factor in the decision-making process is the longterm cost of caring for the land. Each potential project is evaluated on investment factors such as the costs of land stewardship visits, restoration and/or cleanup needs, reforestation and creating recreation opportunities (which can include adding or improving trails, parking lots, signage, etc.)
Sometimes the cost of stewardship may outweigh our ability to take on a property.
Basking Hill Nature Reserve includes one of the most intact floodplain forest ecosystems in Cambria County.
WPC’s newest preserve is Basking Hill Nature Reserve in Cambria County. The 365-acre property encompasses a 1.4-mile corridor of the upper reaches of the West Branch Susquehanna River, a section that now has a stable population of trout. This property provides Cambria County’s first public fishing access along the West Branch It also includes more than 100 acres of floodplain and wetlands, one of the most intact floodplain forest ecosystems in the county.
One of WPC’s smallest preserves is a fen known for its display of the blue fringed gentian (Gentianopsis crinita).
Another aspect of land protection is understanding and honoring the historical significance of a landscape. Local stories and initial research revealed that the property may be part of the Kittanning Path, a major east-west Native American trail that crossed the Allegheny Mountains, connecting the Susquehanna River valley with what is now Western Pennsylvania.
While WPC’s flagship property is Bear Run Nature Reserve, with more than 5,100 acres surrounding Fallingwater, land projects do not have to be physically large in scope to be important. Relatively small acquisitions have preserved rare landscapes or crucial habitat for threatened species. WPC has protected river islands in the Allegheny that provide valuable habitat for aquatic birds and other wildlife, and other pockets that protect habitat important to the endangered Eastern massasauga rattlesnake or rare plants.
Another example is the protection of rare tracts of old-growth forests. These properties, many less than 100 acres, were relatively
untouched during the decades of timber clearcutting, mostly due to their location in difficult to reach areas such as ravines. The Conservancy is studying the qualities of old-growth forest and the indicator species that rely on them. An outcome is to develop a rapid assessment to identify current forests that have the best likelihood of reaching this apex state, requiring conservation protection.
Tryon-Weber Woods Natural Area in Crawford County is a WPC-owned preserve recognized by the Old-Growth Forest Network. This small stream valley contains a 40-acre forest of American beechsugar maple with trees that are more than 120 years old. Last fall, the Conservancy added 23 acres of forest and vernal pools to this natural area, bringing the total to 131 acres.
Bennett Branch Forest in Clearfield and Elk counties, another WPC preserve, demonstrates the benefits of restoring land that has been impacted by use, while still serving as a sustainably managed forest and recreation area. In 2008, WPC protected more than 5,300 acres between Elk and Moshannon state forests, adding nearly 3,900 acres to Moshannon. The Conservancy took ownership of the remaining 1,465 acres to address environmental challenges and restore and share the landscape as a recreational and sustainably managed forest.
Although it was crossed with old logging roads and impacted by surface and deep mining that contaminated streams and left hills of mining waste, Bennet Branch Forest remained a largely contiguous forest with a broad range of wildlife, including migrating song birds and elk. Its streams eventually join the West Branch Susquehanna River, and ultimately flow to the Chesapeake Bay. In order to improve the water quality, WPC identified two significant mining discharge sites above Cherry Run about a mile before it flows into Bennett Branch. WPC and partners constructed a passive treatment system of retention ponds that filter discharge water, capturing aluminum and other contaminants, allowing cleaner water to join Cherry Run.
WPC created a sustainable forestry plan for the property, which included planting 20,000 seedlings, protecting 140 acres to establish an old-growth forest, and designating 1,000 acres for sustainable timber harvest, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Finally, in order to make this wilderness more accessible, WPC upgraded a parking area and added trails, signage and an information kiosk. The property that had been closed to the public for more than a decade was open once again, even serving as a living classroom for groups of students, while on its way to recovery.
The importance of conserving land now can’t be overstated. Every day we experience the benefits of nature – clean water, healthy forests, open spaces to walk, hike, fish and hunt. The Conservancy is grateful for the strong working relationship with our state agencies and other conservation-minded nonprofit organizations. And, we’re grateful that, year-in and year-out, you see the value of this work. Your support and commitment allow us to pursue opportunities as they arise and then care for our preserves in perpetuity. This summer, I hope you’ll take some time to visit one of our 45 preserves and enjoy what you’ve helped to make possible.
