Property Along Penns Creek Purchased

Several years ago NPC staff began working with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry on creating access to Penns Creek in Union County. There are not a lot of access points to the Creek in the western portion of Union County. This can cause some problems during certain hatches when fishermen are trying to get to or from the stream.

Working with staff at the Bald Eagle State Forest, NPC began discussions with property owners near the village of Weikert. When following up with the various property owners, NPC realized that the one property was owned by a sister and brother. The sister was deceased, so NPC then contacted her brother.

The brother was interested in selling the property and liked the idea of helping to create public access to the stream. He began working with his brother-in-law to take full title to the property. This was problematic since the brother-in-law had never probated the estate, and the sister was living in Connecticut at the time of her death, which had happened several years earlier.

After over a year of legal processes, the brother took full title to the property. This was a major step forward in the project. NPC could now work with him as the sole owner of the property.

The property is just over 13.25acres in size and fronts the Creek for over 1,000 feet. It is a mix of forest and fields in the process of reverting to forest.

NPC purchased the property this Spring and is now working with the Bureau of Forestry to convey the property into state ownership. The Fall issue of the newsletter will have more details and information.

(Note: The landowner NPC purchased the property from is on an extended vacation. Since he was not available to review the article or provide permission to use his name, NPC staff did not include that information in this article. If the landowner grants permission, the Fall update will have more details of this transaction.)