Grove Township, PA – December 22, 2025– Hikers, hunters and anglers have additional forestland in Cameron County to explore and recreate on, thanks to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s permanent protection of 183 acres, which were immediately conveyed to the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry to be added to Elk State Forest.
Located in Grove Township, the property is adjacent to Sinnemahoning State Park in the heart of the Pennsylvania Wilds. The property consists of ridgetops and steep slopes with a mature Appalachian northern hardwood forest and includes a portion of a large river floodplain along First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek, a popular trout stream. It is directly across the stream from the 40 Maples Day Use Area, which is a popular recreation spot and scenic area within Sinnemahoning State Park.
The property is fully surrounded by public land, including Elk State Forest to the north, east, and south, and Sinnemahoning State Park to the west. Because of its proximity to other protected lands, the property will help mitigate the impacts of climate change by providing more connected forested lands for migrating species and for plant and animal species moving to more favorable habitats.
“We are pleased to protect this forest along First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek, so that this land will continue to safeguard water quality and be a recreation and biodiversity asset in this region for generations to come,” says Conservancy President and CEO Thomas Saunders.
Open Space Institute’s Mid-Atlantic Senior Program Manager Bill Rawlyk says OSI is proud to partner with the Conservancy to add this unlogged, mature hemlock and northern hardwood forest to Elk State Forest.
“Surrounded by more than 200,000 acres of public land, this newly protected forest strengthens a connected landscape, safeguards clean water along the First Fork of Sinnemahoning Creek, stores carbon, and provides vital habitat for wildlife,” adds Mr. Rawlyk. “This is exactly what the Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund was created to do—secure climate-resilient lands that benefit communities for generations.”
Funding to protect this land was made possible thanks to grants from DCNR Bureau of Forestry and OSI’s Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund. The Fund is made possible with a lead grant from the Doris Duke Foundation and with significant support from the Lyndhurst Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation, Riverview Foundation, Tucker Foundation, Lookout Foundation, Footprint Foundation, Anonymous Foundation (2), as well as other foundations and individuals.
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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