The Allegheny Land Trust recently partnered with Susan Orenstein to protect her historic 12-acre “Catch the Wind Farm” in Allegheny County.
The agreement will protect a woodlot, scenic pasture, and shallow valley through a voluntary conservation easement. The easement will allow Orenstein or any future owners to continue to use the land, and ALT will control its future development.
Orenstein says, “I’m thrilled to give up my right to profit financially by development in order to preserve the far more important value of the land itself.”
Currently, ALT protects over 2,200 acres of green space. Although Allegheny County has substantial green space for an urban area, it’s changing at a rapid pace.
As the population declined 25 percent between 1960-2014, developed land increased by 69 percent during that same period. This continuous growth has made a significant impact on the County.
In 2000, the County was about 50 percent green space and 50 percent developed. By 2020, the amount of green space will have shrunk to below 40 percent. ALT wants to preserve large parcels of land, such as Hays Woods and the Orenstein’s farm to ensure that a meaningful portion of green space remains protected.
Despite the importance of green spaces, according to the National Land Trust Alliance’s website, few Americans have heard of land trusts. ALT holds environmental education programs and invites landowners like Orenstein to preserve their land.
For more information on programs, initiatives, how to preserve your land and upcoming events, visit the Allegheny Land Trust website. Click Here for a list of events and programs. Click Here to sign up for their newsletter. Click Here to support their work.
To find a land trust in your community, visit the PA Land Trust Association website.
To learn more about green innovation in the Pittsburgh Region, visit the Pittsburgh Green Story website.
(Reprinted from the Pittsburgh Green Story website.)
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