Campaign Goal Two

Restore

Our job does not end once the land is purchased. When we protect land, we must care for it forever.

$7 million to steward over 8,000 acres and counting

Once the land is protected, our Stewardship team undertakes the very deliberate and time-consuming process of assessing and incorporating the new land into an overall management plan for our preserves. It is no small task to look after over 8,000 acres of forested land – and those acres continue to grow with the success of our land protection efforts. We constantly balance the needs of the natural habitat with the demands of humans.

Visitors fall in love with the beauty of our preserves as they travel our trails, glens, and streams 365 days a year. Places like Tucquan Glen & Pyfer, Ferncliff, Fishing Creek, and Shenks Ferry are flooded with people and parking lots that are filled to capacity.

With these challenges a new vision for stewardship has emerged! We must invest in infrastructure that allows visitors to explore our preserves without impacting our work to actively restore biodiverse habitats, water quality, and air cleaning ecosystems. When the balance between visitor readiness and habitat restoration is achieved, the Conservancy’s preserves have the power to inspire respect for nature and a passion for conservation.

The Lower Susquehanna River Corridor

in Lancaster and York has been discovered for the natural beauty we all know and love. The region was recently designated a national heritage area and outdoor tourism is on the rise.

TUCQUAN GLEN & PYFER, FERNCLIFF, FISHING CREEK, AND SHENKS FERRY

are being loved to death. We are looking for significant support to help make the necessary investments in managing these beautiful areas.

WE BELIEVE A MAJOR INVESTMENT IS NEEDED

in the next five years to improve visitor infrastructure and to permanently provide money to care for nature preserves.

We envision half of this money invested in skilled design, engineering, and labor to complete a balance of infrastructure and habitat restoration projects such as:

  • Improved signage and kiosks that will help visitors safely explore our preserves, keeping them on trail and off of fragile ecosystems.
  • Bridges that will prevent stream bank erosion on well-loved paths.
  • Additional parking that will let more members of our community immerse themselves in nature, while simplifying logistics for volunteer workdays spent managing invasive species and keeping our waterways clear of debris.

The other half of these gifts will increase our stewardship endowment, providing funds in perpetuity to ensure that the lands will always be cared for.

  • As acres increase and the number of visitors grows, so does the need for annual funding for proper land stewardship.
  • Our commitment to care for preserved land is a forever promise. A strong and growing endowment fund helps us keep that promise.
  • Annual endowment income will also allow the Conservancy to invest in staff and volunteers to educate and engage the public, building an army of supporters who are passionate about caring for these special natural places.
“Carol and I made a transformative gift to the Protect & Restore campaign to ensure that the beloved trails and ecosystems of Tucquan Glen and Pyfer Nature Preserves are sustainable for this generation and the next. I spent my childhood exploring these beautiful riverhills and they influenced my passion for nature and scouting. While protecting more natural land is a priority we want to make sure that the stewardship and restoration of these lands is ongoing.”

JOHN PYFER, FORMER BOARD CHAIR AND PROTECT & RESTORE CAMPAIGN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

We Need Your Help

Gifts of all sizes are needed, and every gift will make a difference in this $21 million fundraising campaign. Gifts can be made in many forms, including cash, gifts of stock/bonds/mutual funs, personal property, and real estate. Commitments may be paid over a period of up to five years and you may augment your current gift with a new or increased planned/estate gift.

For more information on how to get involved in this campaign please contact
Fritz Schroeder, SR VP of Community Impact, 717-392-7891 x210
fschroeder@lancasterconservancy.org