Ligonier Township, PA – June 1, 2026 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy today announced the purchase of a conservation easement to permanently protect and limit development on a 492-acre forested property in Ligonier Township, Westmoreland County.

The property, located along the eastern slopes of Chestnut Ridge, contains more than two miles of extensive forested stream frontage along Bergstrom Hollow, North Fork and Dark Hollow Run, all PA Department of Environmental Protection-designated High Quality and Coldwater streams within the Trout Run watershed. Dark Hollow Run also supports natural trout production.

This property, along with the surrounding large expanses of forestland, will result in more than 4,500 acres of contiguous protected land along this section of Chestnut Ridge. A land conservation priority for the Conservancy, the property will be important for mitigating the effects of climate change, protecting habitat for common and rare plant and animal species, and supporting forest connectivity initiatives within the Laurel Highlands.

“This project is a continuation of efforts by the Conservancy to protect streams and forests along Chestnut Ridge and Laurel Ridge,” says Conservancy President and CEO Thomas Saunders.

This private land is now protected via a conservation easement, a land protection option available to landowners who want to continue owning their property while preserving the land’s conservation values in perpetuity. Easements are permanent deed restrictions that limit future development of the land.

Conservation of this land was made possible thanks to grants from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, Hillman Foundation, Stork Impact Partners and Babcock Charitable Trust.

To date, the Conservancy has permanently protected more than 30,000 acres of land in the Ligonier Valley, of which more than 12,000 are through conservation easements. For more information about conservation options, please contact the Conservancy at 724-238-2492 or [email protected].

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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 125 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
[email protected]