Pittsburgh, Pa. – May 25, 2023 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy announced today the permanent protection of 137 acres of steep forested slopes and riparian forest that safeguards water quality and wildlife habitat along Nine Mile Run in Ulysses Township, Potter County.
The property was immediately conveyed to the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to become an addition to the surrounding Susquehannock State Forest, one of several state forests in the PA Wilds.
The land provides 3,500 feet of riparian buffer along Nine Mile Run, a tributary to Pine Creek and a PA Fish and Boat Commission Class A Wild Trout Stream. The run is also designated by the PA Department of Environmental Protection as High Quality-Cold Water Fishery. The property also provides important breeding habitat for many bird species, including black-throated green warbler, scarlet tanager, field sparrow, black-throated blue warbler, brown creeper, winter wren and wood thrush.
“This is a beautiful property that has so many conservation benefits, including forest connectivity, water quality protection, habitat for forest-interior birds, and recreational value,” Tom Saunders, president and CEO of the Conservancy. “We’re glad to continue our longstanding efforts to add lands to the state forest system for the public to benefit and enjoy.”
The Conservancy will continue working in cooperation with DCNR to restore and improve the riparian habitat within the floodplain by removing a dilapidated cabin and establishing a 150-foot forested buffer along the stream.
Conservation of this forestland was made possible thanks to grants from the DCNR Bureau of Recreation and Conservation’s Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, DCNR Bureau of State Forestry and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission Consumption Use Grant Program.
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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.
Media Contact:
Carmen Bray
Senior Director of Communications
412-586-2358, work
cbray@paconserve.org