PA Environment Digest Blog: WeConservePA Land Conservation Census: Land Trusts Are Conserving 51 Acres A Day, 18,698 Acres A Year

WeConservePA has published the latest PA Land Conservation Census 2025 which found land trusts are conserving 51 acres a day and averaged preserving 18,698 a year from 2016 to 2025.

Over the last decade, land trusts have a total of 186,980 acres--

-- 24,110 acres of land to their holdings with 208 acquisitions

-- 95,735 acres with 1,040 conservation easements

-- 67,136 acres were acquired and transfer to governments for parks, game lands and other public spaces.

"Without community, humans don’t do so well. With community, we flourish. What makes a community? Intertwining personal relationships, a sense of belonging, common purpose," said Andy Loza, Executive Director of WeConservePA in the introduction of the report.

"Shared values, interests, experiences…and often place. Land trusts bring place to the community recipe.

"This census report focuses on our success in preserving places that people value, love, develop relationships in, or otherwise nurture deeper ties for each of us within the interconnected web of life of which we are a part."

Click Here for a copy of the Land Trust Census 2025.

Upcoming Events

-- Sept. 16-18: Eastern PA Greenways & Trails Summit

-- October 24: Environmental Advisory Council & Municipal Sustainability Conference

-- November 13: Municipal Open Space Summit

For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the WeConservePA website, Click Here to sign up for regular updates from WeConservePA, Like them on Facebook, and Follow them on Twitter. Click Here to support their work.

The 2027 PA Land Conservation Conference will be held April 14-16 in Gettysburg.

More than 96,000 Pennsylvanians contribute to local land trusts.

Related Articles This Week:

-- DCNR Honors Park Rangers, Civilian Who Helped Save Mountain Biker’s Life At Swatara State Park, Lebanon, Schuylkill Counties [Video + Photos]

-- DCNR Makes Multi-Million Dollar Investment To Improve Campground At Cook Forest State Park In Clarion, Forest, Jefferson Counties

-- DCNR Grants News: Anthracite Adventure Area Underpass Improves Safety; New Fishing & Boating Access Strategy; Spring Grove YMCA Center; Dates To Remember

-- PA Environmental Council Now Accepting Applications From 10 Counties For Trail Organization Capacity Building Mini Grants [PaEN]

-- DCNR State Parks Environmental Education News Back To School Edition! [PaEN]

-- Dept. Of Agriculture Invests $9.1 Million To Preserve 2,565 Acres Of Farmland On 34 Farms In 16 Counties [PaEN]

-- WeConservePA: 6 PA Land Trusts Preserve 693 Acres Of Forest, Watershed, Farm Land In Adams, Centre, Erie, Lebanon, Westmoreland Counties [PaEN]

-- WeConservePA: Call For Presentations For 2027 PA Land Conservation Conference April 14-16; Nominations For Lifetime Conservation Leadership Award [PaEN]

-- US Forest Service Proposal To Rescind ‘Roadless Rule’ Could Open Allegheny National Forest Wilderness To Logging, Extractive Industries [PaEN]