Southern Chester County Farm Saved from Development

Natural Lands Trust purchased a 113-acre property in Franklin Township, Chester County last week, ensuring that the farm will remain as open space, forever.

The land was purchased from Wilkinson Nottingham, LLC, a developer which had received approval for a subdivision on the property. Natural Lands Trust will combine the parcel with an adjacent property it already owned to establish the 173-acre Peacedale Preserve. The preserve will have approximately 1˝ miles of trails and will be open to the public for hiking once amenities like a small parking area are constructed.

“We are very excited to establish a new nature preserve in southern Chester County and grateful to our partners for making this possible,” said Molly Morrison, president of Natural Lands Trust. “This property will provide a wonderful place for area residents to enjoy nature while at the same time furthering the protection of important water resources.”

The newly-acquired property includes two streams that flow into Big Elk Creek which in turn leads to the Chesapeake Bay. The property also includes woodlands and pasture lands, some of which Natural Lands Trust staff will work to convert to native grass meadows in the coming years.

“I am pleased that we were able to cooperate with Franklin Township and Natural Lands Trust to conserve such environmentally significant land that is adjacent to other land already under the stewardship of Natural Lands Trust,” noted Charles Wilkinson, Managing Member of Wilkinson Nottingham. The purchase is just the latest conservation success in the area. In December, Natural Lands Trust partnered with Franklin Township and neighboring London Grove Township to preserve 83 acres that is bisected by the White Clay Creek, a federally-designated Wild and Scenic River.

Wilkinson Nottingham donated a portion of the land’s value to the conservation effort and will construct a small parking area at no cost to Natural Lands Trust. The remaining funds for the land purchase were provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Chester County Preservation Partnership Program, Franklin Township, and the Virginia Cretella Mars Foundation.

The Peacedale Preserve is one of more than 40 nature preserves covering over 20,000 acres that are owned and managed by Natural Lands Trust in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.