Pittsburgh, Pa. – April 8, 2022 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy today announced the purchase of a conservation easement to permanently protect and limit development on a 289-acre forested property in Cook Township, Westmoreland County.
The property provides more than a half mile of frontage along two tributary streams, Campbelle Run and one unnamed, within the Fourmile Run and the larger Loyalhanna Creek watersheds.
The property is surrounded by other large tracts of forestland along Chestnut Ridge. Portions of the property fall within and are adjacent to the Campbelle Run Natural Heritage Area, which hosts important native habitats that support species of special concern such as the buffalo-nut shrub mainly found in the Appalachian Mountains.
“This project is a continuation of efforts by the Conservancy to enhance the scenic character and values of the Ligonier Valley landscape while protecting priority riparian lands, streams and wildlife habitat corridors,” says Conservancy President and CEO Thomas Saunders. “This conservation easement will protect the forest along this stream, which has wildlife benefits, helps mitigate the effects of climate change, and protects the beautiful forested views in the area.”
This private land is 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 following foundations: Richard King Mellon, Hillman, Katherine Mabis McKenna and Babcock Charitable Trust. Funding was also provided by individuals who made donations to support land conservation in the Ligonier Valley.
To date, the Conservancy has permanently protected nearly 27,000 acres of land in the Ligonier Valley, of which more than 10,000 are through conservation easements. For more information about conservation options, please contact the Conservancy at 724-238-2492 or laurelhighlands@paconserve.org.
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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 hundreds 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 that are planted with the help of more than 5,000 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
Director of Communications
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
412-586-2358 – work
cbray@paconserve.org