Lancaster County Conservancy

Program 1 - land protection and acquisitionprotectsusquehanna riverlands state park1,044 acres protectedin 2022, the Conservancy completed the acquisition of the largest contiguous forested tract ever acquired in one settlement 1,044 acres in hellam township. We transferred those lands to dcnr to be held and managed as a new state park known as susquehanna riverlands state park.partners: pa dcnrpinnacle overlook transfer146 acre transferpinnacle overlook was acquired by the Conservancy as part of a large landscape project funded by dcnr, the conservation fund, and york and Lancaster counties, and has always been an active public area with picnic spots, restrooms, and more, making it better suited to management as a state park. In 2022 after years of state park management, the Conservancy subdivided and transferred approximately 146 acres to dcnr, which will use its resources to maintain the site going forward.this new model of acquiring and transferring land to the state resulted in 1,190 acres of new state park lands, including the new susquehanna riverlands state park, in york and Lancaster counties adjacent to Conservancy preserves.partners: brookfield renewable, the conservation fund, pa dcnr, Lancaster County, ppl, talen energy, york county.fishing creek acquisition7.7 acre additionin 2022, 7.7 acres of floodplain, steep slopes, and forests in the middle of fishing creek nature preserve was advertised for a public sale. The Conservancy was the successful bidder at a price less than half of the appraised value. This wonderful addition to fishing creek fills a gap that the Conservancy had worked to fill for years. This acquisition was funded with dollars donated by you. It is only with your assistance and support that we can successfully preserve and manage the best natural lands in the region. Funders: private donors

Program 3 community impacteducatefor our communitywe held 57 engagement events on Conservancy preserves in 2022 that reached 1,343 people of all ages. Caring for our preserves ourselves is only part of our mission at the Conservancy we also want to help others explore these beautiful natural spaces and educate and empower them to care for our planet, as well.educating the next generationwhile it's important to us to help everyone learn to care for nature, we realize that there is special significance to helping young people learn to love our planet, creating another generation of land stewards. The Conservancy served 1,000 school students from 15 schools in 2022 in conservation education programming at Conservancy preserves. Our education programs focus on our land protection work as a Conservancy related to biodiversity conservation and water quality protection. Transportation is often a barrier to getting students outside, so lcswma donated a minibus to help us overcome that barrier. It was put to great use in 2022. Every wednesday last spring, we picked up students from la academia partnership charter school and brought them to climbers run nature center, where they documented the biodiversity of the preserve using photography.conservation communitythe Conservancy is grateful to the hundreds of volunteers who assist us in protecting and restoring natural places in our region. In 2022, we engaged 557 volunteers through corporate and school workdays, public volunteer events, and our volunteer land stewards program. Volunteer land stewards commit to donating 40 hours per year on Conservancy preserves and greatly expand the power of our stewardship team. The Conservancy is a small but mighty team of nature lovers, but we couldn't do all of the important work we do without the help of volunteers.leave no trace outreachoutreach volunteers welcomed visitors to shenks ferry wildflower preserve and kellys run nature preserve and encouraged leave no trace practices to minimize damage to the preserves. These volunteers donated 269 hours and contacted 2,440 preserve visitors with our leave no trace message. People who practice leave no trace help protect wildlife and keep our preserves beautiful, allowing staff and volunteers to spend less time cleaning up garbage left in our natural spaces and more time focusing on other stewardship goals.leave no trace education is made possible with funding from lcswma.lancaster water weekthank you to all of the partners, sponsors, participants, and volunteers who made Lancaster water week 2022 a raving success! This community once again demonstrated a commitment to and passion for clean rivers and streams. Together we toured restored wetlands, paddled the conestoga, competed in a heated water week trivia competition, and more.mark your calendars now for the 7th Lancaster water week from june 2-10, 2023!

Program 2 land stewardshiprestorehellam hills conservation area habitat restorationhabitat restoration is the highest priority identified by the hellam hills conservation area master plan. Working with partners, the Conservancy began restoring 35 acres at wizard ranch nature preserve through: large-scale invasive species removal in riparian, upland, and hedge habitats; new tree plantings converting agriculture fields to old field meadows and woodlands; and site preparation for an 18-acre prescribed burn. The Conservancy also secured funding from the national fish and wildlife foundation for the planning phase of stream and wetlands restoration for 1 mile of stream within a 25-acre wetland complex.partners: the conservation fund, dcnr, horn farm center, hellam township, integrated land management plan partnership, national fish and wildlife foundation, national park service, natural resources conservation services, resource environmental solutions, re:vision, simone collins landscape architecture, wrightsville borough.hellam hills conservation area trail worksecond in priority to habitat restoration in the hellam hills conservation area master plan is public access through parking and trailheads. We want to create a network of trails encompassing a spectrum of accessibility and add features such as hiking destinations. Eight-and-a-half of the 15 miles of trails proposed on hellam hills nature preserve are already in implementation, including a 1.8-mile in-and-out trail to buzzards roost overlook and 6.5 miles of reroute in collaboration with the mason-dixon trail system that will connect to the new susquehanna riverlands state park. Of the proposed 5 miles of additional trails at wizard ranch nature preserve, approximately 2 miles are already being created.partners: the conservation fund, dcnr, hellam township, horn farm center, integrated land management plan partnership, national park service, national fish and wildlife foundation, natural resources conservation services, resource environmental solutions, re:vision, simone collins landscape architecture, wrightsville borough.hellam hills conservation area plans for the futurewith habitat restoration and trail implementation in progress, the next step in planning for the hellam hills conservation area is creating strategic and sustainable access through parking and trailheads. Wizard ranch nature preserve is a great site for an engagement hub with the reuse of existing stone cabins for educational and volunteer programming as well as continuing to serve the scouts' safari event. The character of the hellam hills nature preserve, on the other hand, allows for a more "back-country" experience. Parking at both preserves will include considerations for universal access to the greatest extent possible.partners: the conservation fund, dcnr, hellam township, horn farm center, integrated land management plan partnership, national park service, national fish and wildlife foundation, natural resources conservation services, resource environmental solutions, re:vision, simone collins landscape architecture, wrightsville borough.conestoga trail at clark nature preservethe trail project at tucquan glen and pyfer nature preserves and the lloyd clark trail at clark nature preserve bookend a difficult section of the conestoga trail with steep slopes, streams, and rewarding views of the susquehanna river. With the full establishment of the clark nature preserve, the Conservancy is now able to increase long-term sustainability and public safety by partnering with the keystone trails association and the Lancaster hiking club to reroute the conestoga trail and incorporate it into the preserves' trail systems and the Conservancy's long-standing restoration efforts. This will also establish clark nature preserve as the primary access point for wind cave and provide for emergency vehicle access within a few hundred feet of the cave.partners: the keystone trails association, Lancaster hiking club.bridge installation at climbers runin 2020, a flood coursed through trout run and climbers run, wiping out the only footbridge on the preserve that offered dry crossing to the trails and programming area. A replacement bridge was already in the works, but the design did not account well for equitable accessibility, large groups, or maintenance equipment. The Conservancy took the opportunity to improve the design before investing in a new bridge. With a generous donation, paul mueller helped us bridge the climbers run stream channel, and the Conservancy also constructed a new trail climbing to the highest point and looking down into the center of the preserve.partners: c.s. Davidson, paul mueller.welsh mountain trail improvementsin its sixth year of implementation with the east earl roads department, the Conservancy continues to dedicate several weeks each fall to trail improvements at welsh mountain nature preserve. Welsh mountain used to host a network of all-terrain roads. However, misuse caused the preserve's sandy soils to erode, so much so that an equestrian was able to fully stand on level ground while straddling their horse walking through the rutted gullies. The Conservancy and east earl roads department have now fully restored 1.5 miles of trails.partner: east earl roads department.summer stewardship crewthe Conservancy received a grant for the pilot of a green collar job training program involving a crew of seasonal land stewards earning a fair wage, building a strong resume of diverse conservation skills, and working one-on-one with Conservancy experts. Among other access and habitat projects, the crew managed to complete 80% of the full tucquan glen and pyfer nature preserves trail redesign in just 12 weeks, including the difficult and highly skilled task of installing dry-masonry stone staircases.partners: Lancaster County community foundation, national park service, penn trails llc, truist.