Located in southern Lancaster County, Rock Springs is part of the state-designated Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape as well as the State Line Serpentine Barrens, a globally rare ecosystem which includes the last remaining serpentine grasslands in the eastern United States.
Rock Springs consists of a unique habitat of global significance – serpentine barrens – caused by thin infertile soil derived from underlying serpentine rock geology.
Serpentine soil has too much toxic nickel and chromite and too little calcium for most plants, but because of these unusual conditions, it supports an array of rare and unusual plant species that have evolved to survive in this environment.
Managing serpentine landscapes as barrens requires significant effort and resources. Left unmanaged, the barrens, characterized primarily by scrubby grasslands, give way to early successional forest.
Serpentine barrens require routine disturbance such as prescribed burns for this landscape to retain its uniqueness.
The Bureau of Forestry has proven its ability to effectively manage serpentine barrens through routine disturbance like prescribed fire, implementing these management strategies at other properties only miles away from Rock Springs.
“The Lancaster Conservancy is pleased to transfer Rock Springs Nature Preserve to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry, a proven land manager of the globally rare serpentine barrens. This transfer ensures that the ecosystem will be actively managed to retain its global importance,” said Brandon Tennis, senior vice president of stewardship at Lancaster Conservancy.
This strategic transfer brings the Bureau of Forestry into land ownership and management within Lancaster County and the Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape for the first time.
“DCNR is proud to welcome this new addition to William Penn State Forest and the management of its globally rare ecosystem,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “We are confident that the dedicated William Penn team will bring its expertise management of this land and ensure this unique landscape endures for future generations’ use and enjoyment.”
Named for the founder of “Penn’s Woods,” William Penn State Forest spans multiple tracts across southeastern Pennsylvania.
The forest is home to several wild and natural areas and provides opportunities for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, primitive camping, hunting, and more.
Rock Springs was acquired by The Nature Conservancy in the 1990s with funding from DCNR, then transferred to the Lancaster Conservancy in 2004. It has now been transferred from the Conservancy to the DCNR Bureau of Forestry.
Click Here for the Lancaster Conservancy announcement.
The Lancaster Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust that has protected over 11,000 acres of natural land since its founding more than 50 years ago. The Conservancy manages over 50 nature preserves in Lancaster County and in York County in the Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape.
Related Articles This Week:
-- Lancaster Conservancy Transfers 175-Acre Rock Springs Nature Preserve To DCNR To Protect The Future Of Globally Rare Serpentine Barrens In Lancaster County [PaEN]
-- Natural Lands Finalizes The Protection Of 60 Acres Of Forest In Hopewell Big Woods, Berks County [PaEN]
-- Lancaster Conservancy Partners With Landowner To Protect 11.6 Acres Of Woodlands In Canoy Township With New Conservation Easement [PaEN]
-- WeConservePA Now Accepting Applications For Project Planning Grants [PaEN]
-- Reforesting Appalachia: Suntory Group And Bosland Growth Join Forces To Elevate Hardwood Conservation In Pennsylvania, West Virginia [PaEN]
-- Registration Open! WeConservePA Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference April 29 - May 1 In Lancaster [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- WESA: The Nature Conservancy Acquires 279 Acres In Cambria County To Protect Rare Birds
-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Game Commission Board Votes For Land Swap Widely Opposed By Limerick Residents
[Posted: January 30, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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