The property contains a mix of farmland and mature forestland, including forested slopes that drain to Clark Hollow Run, a tributary to Loyalhanna Creek.
It also contains the Clark Hollow Natural Heritage Area, which hosts special habitats such as those for the buffalo-nut (Pyrularia pubera), a shrub native to the Appalachian region and a state-designated rare species of concern.
In addition, the farm fields and open areas on the property contain soil types designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Farmland of Statewide Importance.
The property, which is approximately 80 percent forested, will remain privately owned and contains a small apple orchard and open fields of mixed grasses and wildflowers. Honored to continue a legacy of conservation, the landowners’ family farmed the property for many decades.
“We’re glad to continue partnering with Ligonier Valley landowners to protect land in the valley – it is a landscape with wonderful ecological resources and beautiful views,” says Conservancy President and CEO Thomas Saunders.
This land is protected via a conservation easement, a land protection option available to landowners who want to continue owning their property while preserving the land’s conservation values in perpetuity.
Easements are permanent deed restrictions that limit future development of the land, ultimately helping wildlife species and their habitats, supporting climate change initiatives and saving natural lands for future generations.
Conservation of this land was made possible thanks to grants from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, Babcock Charitable Trust, Hillman Foundation and Stork Impact Partners.
To date, the Conservancy has permanently protected more than 30,000 acres of land in the Ligonier Valley, of which more than 12,000 are through conservation easements.
For more information about conservation options, please contact the Conservancy at 724-238-2492 or laurelhighlands@paconserve.org.
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places.
A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than 290,000 acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats.
The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature.
In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 125 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers.
The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members.
Related Articles This Week:
-- Foundation For Sustainable Forests Loving The Land - Landowners Tell Their Stories: Remembering Working Forest Landowner Robert Crawford [PaEN]
-- Western PA Conservancy Easement Protects More Farmland, Forestland In Westmoreland County [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension Hosts 5-Part Woodland Stewardship - Guided Engagement With Your Land Webinar Series Beginning Sept. 23 [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Morning Call: 11 Lehigh County Farms Slated To Be Saved From Development
-- Centre Daily Times - Mark Nale - Afield: Why It May Be Time To Rethink Lawn Care, Sizes In Pennsylvania
[Posted: July 28, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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