Located in Doubling Gap, a scenic notch in the Kittatinny Ridge, the property’s complex topography enhances its climate resilience and carbon absorption.
These benefits are further strengthened by the property’s connection to other protected lands, especially the Tuscarora State Forest, helping ensure large, contiguous blocks of forested land remain available for wildlife migration, groundwater recharge, and carbon sequestration.
Beyond its ecological value, the property also offers a unique recreational resource, a half-mile segment of the Tuscarora Trail featuring a stone bench and scenic overlook reminiscent of the popular Flat Rock Trail at Colonel Denning State Park.
As farmers, entrepreneurs, outdoorspeople, and lifelong residents of Cumberland County, Jim, Jay, Joseph, and James are deeply connected to the land and community.
They decided to pursue a conservation easement to honor their family’s legacy of land stewardship and to formally protect the natural resources they have long cared for.
The conservation easement limits disturbance of forest resources by requiring sustainable forestry practices, ensures public access to the Tuscarora Trail, and restricts new construction, helping preserve the land’s scenic and natural character.
“The Open Space Institute is proud to support the protection of this remarkable property,” said Bill Rawlyk, OSI’s Mid-Atlantic Senior Program Manager. “Situated in a scenic gap along the Kittatinny Ridge—a nationally recognized migration corridor for birds and wildlife, safeguards a high-quality cold-water stream, and strengthens climate resilience through its diverse forests, varied topography and significant carbon storage. By securing public access to the Tuscarora Trail and connecting to the 190,000-acre Tuscarora State Forest, this project delivers lasting benefits for wildlife and people alike.”
The project was finalized on November 19, 2025, when the four brothers met with CPC President Anna Yelk, Executive Director Peggy Fogarty, and Land Protection Director Cameron Weiser to sign the easement documents for recording at the County Courthouse.
Project funding came in large part through a grant from OSI’s Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund (ALPF), which protects climate-resilient lands for wildlife and communities.
The ALPF is made possible with a lead grant from the Doris Duke Foundation and with significant support from the Lyndhurst Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Riverview Foundation, Tucker Foundation, Lookout Foundation, Footprint Foundation, Anonymous Foundation (2), as well as other foundations and individuals.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, through its Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, also supported the project with a generous grant through the Community Conservation Partnership Program, which is funded by the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund.
Key support also came from The Nature Conservancy, which introduced CPC staff to the landowners and later helped close a funding gap that threatened the project’s completion.
This project would not have been possible without the dedication of the landowners, the generous support of DCNR, OSI, TNC and CPC’s donors.
Thank you for your interest in land preservation and for your support of CPC’s charitable mission to preserve land throughout Central Pennsylvania.
Click Here for the Conservancy announcement.
The Central Pennsylvania Conservancy is a member-supported, nonprofit land trust formed in 1982 with a mission to acquire, preserve, and protect land and natural resources in south central Pennsylvania.
[Posted: December 22, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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