PROPERTY OWNER DONATES A CONSERVATION EASEMENT AGREEMENT TO PROTECT HIS FOREST AND WETLANDS

TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY – January 3, 2006 – In 2005 a landowner worked with the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy to place a conservation easement on 373 acres of forest land he owns on Bradford County's Robwood Mountain. Now he's done it again!

The Bride Farm, in Bradford County's Asylum Township, is the farm on which the current owner was raised. Bradford County's agricultural conservation program holds an agricultural easement on 87 acres of the farm and recently the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy completed a conservation easement agreement with the landowner to protect the remaining 72 acres. Although there are small wetlands, most of this area is wooded -- including the acres of trees that the owner and his father planted many years ago as well as the trees he has planted in the last few years.

Because it is at the transition between oak forests and northern hardwood forests, an extremely diverse mix of tree species occupies the forested acres of the Bride Farm. This woodland also protects the watershed of two streams that flow directly into the Susquehanna River.

The property can be managed for wildlife habitat, forest products, as well as recreation and other traditional uses. The current owner has been working for many years to improve his woodlot and provide nesting sites for bluebirds. These activities and others will continue for years to come.

The Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy is a non-profit, regional, land conservation organization whose mission is to conserve the working lands and identifying waters in this area. NPC formed in 1990 and has conserved over 9,000 acres since that time. More information on NPC, how you can help, and what types of land conservation are available can be found at www.npcweb.org, or by calling 570-323-6222.