“The Painter property is quintessential Chester County: stone farm buildings surrounded by picture-perfect pastures, meadows, and forest,” said Jack Stefferud, senior director of land protection for Natural Lands. “But its real beauty lies in the environmental services this land provides. It absorbs and filters rainwater, stores carbon, helps clean our air, and provides habitat and food for insects, birds, and other wildlife.”
The Painter property is located within the North Warwick Historic Archaeological District and has been identified by Warwick Township as a Class 1 historical resource.
The conservation easement—which is a voluntary, legally binding, and permanent land protection program—allows the farm to stay in private ownership while ensuring it remains protected from development in perpetuity.
In 2021, Warwick Township reached out to Natural Lands for assistance in seeking landowners who might be interested in conservation easements on properties prioritized by the Township for protection.
The Painter farmstead was identified based on its size and adjacency to already protected State Game Lands and French Creek State Park.
“This site is preserved for the future of the township and the surrounding area. Easements do more than just preserve land; they reduce congestion, enhance our woodlands and farmlands, and establish value to our taxpayers,” said Warwick Township Board Chairperson Eileen Cameron.
The property is part of Hopewell Big Woods, the last large, unbroken forest remaining in southeastern Pennsylvania.
It is also within the Schuylkill Highlands Conservation Landscape, a conservation priority for Natural Lands, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and myriad other partners.
“The idea of keeping land as open space to allow wildlife to continue to flourish is of utmost importance for our ongoing efforts for a healthy environment, as well as encouraging an appreciation and stewardship of nature,” said landowner Jaqueline Painter. “For my family and me, there is a personal benefit in that this plot of land and farm, which were settled by my paternal ancestors in the 1700s, will be spared from future development. Knowing this warms our hearts, and we are grateful to Natural Lands and Jack Stefferud for this opportunity. I am hopeful that Natural Lands will be successful in preserving more and more land for the benefit of future generations.”
Warwick Township funded the Painter property conservation easement. The township also provided funding towards the transaction costs and funds for the stewardship contribution to Natural Lands for the perpetual monitoring, administration, and enforcement of the easement.
Natural Lands is dedicated to preserving and nurturing nature’s wonders while creating opportunities for joy and discovery in the outdoors for everyone.
As the Greater Philadelphia region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, Natural Lands—which is member supported—has preserved more than 135,000 acres, including 40+ nature preserves and one public garden totaling more than 23,000 acres.
Nearly five million people live within five miles of land under the organization’s protection.
[Posted: July 18, 2024] PA Environment Digest
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