In Pennsylvania, the Fund preserves the state's historic areas and threatened landscapes – from Gettysburg National Military Park to the shores of Lake Erie. With a record of more than 66,000 acres protected in Pennsylvania since 1985, the Fund seeks solutions that blend environmental protection and economic development.

Recent Projects

Michaux State Forest

The 2,500-acre expanse of forest, streams and open fields known as Tree Farm #1 provides Adams County residents with clean water and places to hike, fish and hunt. Just over an hour’s drive from Washington, D.C., this critical property was once a prime target for development. When the land went up for sale, concerned residents and local organizations needed to quickly raise funds to protect it. We provided bridge financing for the purchase and are now working with the Land Conservancy of Adams County, U.S. Forest Service, Adams County, The Nature Conservancy and other partners to raise full funding. We will then add the property to Michaux State Forest, to be managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for everyone to use and enjoy. The Richard King Mellon Foundation has provided key support for this effort.

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Past Projects

Panoramic view of Bald Eagle Mountain. Photo: Ruhrfisch/Wikimedia

Bald Eagle Mountain

Bald Eagle Mountain, a forested ridge near State College, is one of the best sites in the eastern United States for viewing the migration of the golden eagle. Protected by the Fund in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation, and the Game Commission, the 2,510-acre area adjoins Bald Eagle State Park and also offers prime habitat for deer, bear, and wild turkey.

Brandywine Battlefield

On September 11, 1777, American and British troops clashed outside Philadelphia in one of the Revolutionary War's biggest battles. Most of the action took place on roughly 100 acres near the Brandywine River. This critical piece of land, at the heart of what is now the Brandywine Battlefield National Historic Corridor, remained the only unprotected piece of the battlefield until 2007, when we enabled its purchase through a loan to the Brandywine Conservancy.

Hubler Run Acid Mine Drainage Treatment

The Fund’s Freshwater Institute provided technical assistance in designing an acid mine drainage remediation system for Hubler Run in Clearfield County. A serious consequence of surface mining, acid mine drainage is common in Appalachia, where mines were abandoned and wastes not properly contained. Using Institute-designed technology, water is treated in a cost-effective manner to remove toxic contaminants, again becoming viable for fish production and other economic uses.

Lake Erie

Boasting beautiful beaches and scenic bluffs, the shores along Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie rank among the most breathtaking, yet threatened, landscapes in the Great Lakes ecosystem. Lead funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation enabled the Fund to provide bridge financing to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to acquire the largest remaining tract of undeveloped land on the commonwealth’s Lake Erie shore. In partnership with Reliant Energy, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, and the state of Pennsylvania, the Conservancy plans to transfer this 540-acre parcel to the state’s park system for public enjoyment.

Loyalsock State Forest (formerly Wyoming State Forest)

In the first project of its kind, Pennsylvania Suburban Water Company—the region’s largest water utility—joined the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the state of Pennsylvania, and The Conservation Fund to set aside a pristine 9,000-acre valley. The land encompasses lakes and streams critical to the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay watershed. The Fund designed a “win-win” solution that enabled the state to acquire the land but allowed the company to retain rights to the property’s associated water infrastructure. In this unique project, Suburban Water continues to provide safe drinking water to its customers while the state adds prime recreation lands to its Loyalsock State Forest.

Pennsylvania State Gamelands

Rolling grasslands, endless mountains, and water-carved ravines characterize the diverse landscape of Pennsylvania’s gamelands. Working with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Fund acquired more than 1,000 acres of gamelands in Huntingdon County, in the central part of the state, to support diverse wildlife populations and recreation activities.

Schuylkill River Watershed

The Fund spearheaded a coalition of 25 nonprofit groups in southeastern Pennsylvania to publish Report on the State of the Schuylkill River Watershed, the first attempt to develop indicators to measure the state of the watershed’s health. The venture received support from the Claneil Foundation, William Penn Foundation, the state, and the Wyomissing Foundation.

Sproul State Forest

Six world-class trout streams, outstanding scenic views, productive timberlands, and popular recreation areas are now part of the Sproul State Forest because of the acquisition of an 11,900-acre inholding. With assistance from the Fund, the Richard King Mellon Foundation worked with Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to provide matching monies for this forestland purchase, one of the largest in the state’s history.

Swatara Creek

The Swatara Creek is located in South Hanover Township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The Fund planned and designed the Swatara Creek Greenway on behalf of the Milton Hershey School Trust. This land is the first of a long term land conservation program along the Creek from the Susquehanna to its headwaters. The Greenway is designed to protect public access and provide educational opportunities along an 11-mile corridor of lands owned by the Trust.

Read about the following projects in detail: