Contact:
Jim Thorne
1031 Palmers Mill Road
Media, PA 19063
610-353-5587



Location: Northern Chester and southern Berks Counties
Watershed(s): French Creek and Hay Creek
Landscape Type: Contiguous Forest on rocky terrain with wetlands
Size: Approximately 100 square miles (73,000+ acres)

The last, large unbroken forest left in southeastern Pennsylvania, Hopewell Big Woods is one of the most important natural areas in the region. It is an exceptional resource with hundreds of plant and bird species, pristine forest, unique wetlands, and clean streams providing open space, drinking water, and unique scenic, cultural and natural resources.

Home to Natural Lands Trust's Crow's Nest Preserve and the recently-preserved Birdsboro Waters, Hopewell Big Woods is one of the region's finest outdoor recreation destinations with more than 100 miles of trails, thousands of acres of state parks, national historic sites and nature preserves featuring excellent hiking, camping, birding, rock climbing and more.

Natural Lands Trust is working with over 30 public and private partners to preserve as much of the remaining unprotected lands in the Hopewell Big Woods.

To learn more, visit www.hopewellbigwoods.org

Ecological Features:

• Extensive forest habitat
• Exceptional and High Value Streams
• Globally unique broadleaf acidic swamp
• Regionally unique periglacial swamp with more than 200 plant and 150 bird species.

Special Designations

• Important Bird Area, PA Audubon.
• Important Mammal Area, PA Audubon
• Highest priority rank in Schuylkill Watershed Conservation Plan
• Priority Area, Chester County Linking Landscapes Plan
• Exceptional Value stream designation for French Creek, PA Dept. of Environmental Protection
• High priority ranking for Pine Swamp, Chester and Berks County Natural Areas Inventory
• Ranked most important wetland in Chester County Natural Areas.

Threats
Despite an unusually large amount of protected land in the target area, many priority properties remain unprotected. Nearby highways and reasonable commuting times to businesses along the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the US 202/30 corridors make this an attractive area for residential and sprawl development in the near future.

Successes
The first major success of the Hopewell Big Woods partnership was the preservation of the 1,842-acre Birdsboro Waters property. The largest unprotected parcel in the Big Woods, the land is owned by the Birdsboro Municipal Authority and provides drinking water for the surrounding community. Now under conservation easement, Birdsboro is open for hiking and nature appreciation.

Download a profile of the Birdsboro Waters (PDF, 5MB)