Preserved Properties

Henderson Property (2022)
12 Acres | This South Londonderry Township property sits atop a hill that on a clear day provides views out to Indiantown Gap and Blue Mountain. Property owners, Dr. Rugh and Sylvia Henderson, shared that the land has been farmed for over 200 years and the property has historical significance back to the 1700’s and the time of the French and Indian War. The property is home to white tail deer, red fox, and turkey vultures and provides habitat for monarchs and swallowtails. There are well established trees and wooded areas on site. Preserving this farmland helps control runoff to the nearby Spring Creek, a tributary of Swatara Creek.

Minnich Property (2022)
16 Acres | This Union Township property has been in Albert Minnich’s family for 100 years. It is located along the Kittatinny Ridge, an important bird and wildlife corridor. The farm is near Swatara State Park and a local campground. The property is farmed and also has wooded areas that provide important wildlife habitat.

Schaeffer Property (2022)
7.5 Acres | Dr. William Schaeffer and the late Kathleen “Kitty” Schaeffer preserved their Cornwall, Pa, property to protect wooded areas, animal habitat, and a span of Anthracite Run, a tributary of Snitz Creek. The home on the property dates back to 1865 and was originally used as a manager’s office for mining operations in the area.

Gibble Property (2021)
53 Acres | TLVC worked with the Gibble family to conserve over 40 acres of historically significant and ecologically important land in the Mt Gretna area. Highlights of this land include a wetland and pond, extensive forest, and a portion of the Conewago Creek.

Jegla Farm (2021)
16 acres | The Lebanon Valley Conservancy, together with the Jegla family, protected 16 acres in Millcreek Township, Lebanon County. The land has been protected in perpetuity with a grant of conservation easement. This valuable property includes a beautiful stretch of young forest, a wetland area along the Furnace Creek, and acres of sustainably farmed agriculture and grazing land. This land also contains native wildflowers, a heritage oak tree, and various birds and animals.

Bachman Paul Donation (2020)
8 acres | This easement in Bethel Township was made possible by a generous donation of land from the Bachman Paul family. The land is an all wooded parcel along the Kittatinny Ridge corridor.

Timothy and Debra Shuey Farm (2019)
100.739 acres | The Shuey property, along Bordnersville and Fort Swatara Road, has been owned by the Shuey family for more than 30 years. It contains a house and farm outbuildings, with Forge Creek running 250 yards through the property. The farm falls within the Agricultural District and is currently used for grain farming. According to the appraisal, there is a moderate development threat with this property. The Shuey property has high conservation values in terms of agriculture, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, preservation of scenic open space and protection from urban development. Evidence of white tailed deer, bobcat, porcupine and raccoon were observed at the farm.

Richard Nye Farm (2019)
71.75 acres | This property has been in the Nye family since 1920 and transferred to Richard in 1984. The property contains 71.75 acres along Fort Swatara Road with right-of-way through the Shuey farm. It contains a house and farm outbuildings with Forge Creek running 650 yards through the property. The farm falls within the Agricultural District and is currently used for row crops. According to the appraisal, there is a moderate development threat with this property. The Nye property has high conservation values in terms of agriculture, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, preservation of scenic open space and protection from urban development. The property has approximately 550 feet of road frontage of scenic open space. Both the Shuey and Nye Farms abut each other creating a large 172 acre protected area.

Richard and June Blouch (2006)
25.47 acres | This property along the Swatara Creek in Union Township is important for its agricultural and streamside habitat values. It is strategically placed at the foot of the Kittatinny Ridge, an area known as a feeding and nesting ground for the thousands of raptors and songbirds which migrate through the Lebanon Valley, along the Ridge. While the acreage protects some floodplain, important in natural storm water control to keep the watershed healthier, it is actively farmed by local families, using good conservation to contribute to the local economy.

Hartman Family Trust (2007)
16.5 acre | This conservation easement in North Cornwall Township protects significant frontage along the Quittapahilla Creek. It serves as a buffer for agriculture to an area that is experiencing considerable development pressure.  A historic limekiln, along with several small woodlots, are present. Approximately half of the farm has been organically farmed for many years. The acreage is farmed by a local family as part of a larger operation and the property is now owned by Nevin and Beth Copenhaver.

Herr Family Easement (2004)
73.6 acres | The rolling farm and woodland In Union Township provide scenic vistas and open space. This conservation easement is along the Kittatinny Ridge, a migration flyway in spring and fall for thousands of hawks and eagles and millions of songbirds. The area has been officially designated by Audubon as the state’s largest “Important Bird Area.”  The Herr property contains a small, unnamed waterway, riparian areas, and wildlife habitat with a sustainable forestry program in place. Bobcat, bear, deer, turtles, and fox are just some of the wildlife that depend on the Herr property.

Conrad Property (2002)
152 acres | This farm in Swatara Township includes a three-quarter mile stretch of woodland along the Swatara Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River. Remnants of the historic Union Canal are visible on the opposite bank of the creek. The property includes black birch, sugar maple and white oak, and managed tracts of thousands of black walnut and pin oak trees which were planted with the long-term intent of reforesting and selective harvesting. Trial plantings of American Chestnut and four ponds also diversify the property.

Brian Keck (2009)
21.446 acres | The Keck property in North Annville Township is bordered by a wooded lot with an unnamed stream that is a tributary to the Quittapahilla Creek. Protection of this tract has made neighboring lands eligible for preservation by creating larger contiguous areas of agricultural land.

Izaak Walton League (2012)
36.96 acres | This property, located along the Swatara Creek in Union Township, encompasses a wildlife preserve granted to the League in 1949 by Elizabeth Weidman to honor the memory of her great-great grandfather, Lt. John Weidman, who fought in the Revolutionary War under General George Washington. The preservation of the land was an initiative of the League and helps to further protect the integrity of the Kittatinny Ridge.

Charles and Jean Henry (2013)
122.26 acres | This well maintained working farm in West Cornwall Township was preserved in the spring of 2013. The farm includes a lovely 1830’s farmhouse as well as various other farm buildings. The agricultural lands are contiguous with a farm previously preserved through the county ag program and the wooded portion is part of a much larger forested area that provides habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals

Clair Wagner, Clair Wagner II and Wanda Morgan (Clair’s daughter) (2013)
294.07 acres | The Wagner property lies within the Lebanon Valley, in the northern end of Lebanon County. It contains a significant amount of forest and is adjacent to State Game Lands 211 and Swatara State Park. This property helps to further the mission of the Lebanon Valley Conservancy by protecting several hundred acres of healthy forest, which is adjacent to lands that are already protected by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and lies within the high priority northern tier of the county. The property is in close proximity to the Kittatinny Ridge, which has been designated as a globally significant travel corridor for migratory birds. The forested slopes protect the headwaters of several streams, including at least one native trout stream. There are several agricultural fields, offering open space and scenic views from the adjacent public roads, as well as buffers to streams and a pond. This project protects lands that lie within the focus areas of several organizations, including Audubon PA, The Kittatinny Ridge Coalition, The Highlands Coalition, and The Nature Conservancy. This property is also in close proximity to Fort Indiantown Gap Macrosite, which was identified in the 2003 Lebanon County Natural Areas Inventory as a top priority natural area in Lebanon County. While there have not been any federally listed species documented on this property, it is situated close to several sites where listed species have been documented, including The Fort Indiantown Gap Macrosite, Swatara State Park, and Swatara Hillside Forest, where a small population of Blackseed Needlegrass is currently the only extant record in Pennsylvania. In addition, the rural integrity of this property was under potential threat of development by the expansion of an adjacent amusement park.