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The Lancaster Conservancy has announced it plans to acquire more than 300 acres along the Susquehanna River in Hellam Township, York County.
The conservancy said the acquisition will protect old-growth forests, plants and wildlife, and outlooks with stunning views, as well as the viewshed from Lancaster County's Chickies Rock County Park.
The area to be acquired by the conservancy is historically known as Roundtop, which is located north of Wrightsville and the Route 30 bridge and is adjacent to the Conservancy's Wizard Ranch Nature Preserve in the Hellam Hills Conservation Area.
The Hellam Hills Conservation Area runs from just north of Wrightsville to the Codorus Creek and is the conservancy says it's the largest contiguous forest in the triangle between the cities of York, Lancaster, and Harrisburg. The conservation area currently includes the conservancy's Hellam Hills and Wizard Ranch nature preserves, as well the new Susquehanna Riverlands State Park — a total of more than 2,000 acres of contiguous forests, which will expand with the addition of Roundtop.
One of the parcels to be acquired at Roundtop is part of the estate of June and Warren Evans. The Evans' land include 52 acres of old-growth forests with "gorgeous rock overlooks" in Hellam Township.
"Acquiring the highly visible Roundtop has been an important land protection target for the conservancy and its partners since the first tract of Hellam Hills Nature Preserve was acquired in 2016," the conservancy said in a news release. "Protecting this land is critical for the health of waterways like the Susquehanna River and a local stream that provides habitat for native fish, plants, and other animals."
The cost of the lands to be acquired exceeds $4 million. The conservancy anticipates raising the necessary funds to purchase the properties over the next year through grants and private donations, with settlements to occur in 2024. The conservancy has already received commitments from the Powder Mill Foundation and a York County Open Space and Land Preservation Grant providing more than $687,000 toward this project.
"Roundtop is a critical connector piece for both wildlife and humans within the incredible Hellam Hills landscape of the Lower Susquehanna," Kate Gonick, senior vice president of land protection and general counsel at the Lancaster Conservancy, said in the news release.
Until the conservancy has fully acquired Roundtop, this property is not open to the public.
The Lancaster Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust that was founded in 1969, and has helped protect over 10,000 acres of natural land and owns 50 nature preserves for the public to hike. The conservancy's efforts in York County are centered around the Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape, which consists of lands that fall within the York and Lancaster county municipalities that border the river. The conservancy has protected more than 3,000 acres of land along the Susquehanna River in York County.
"As the conservancy protects and restores the York Susquehanna Riverlands, we are protecting this amazing river gorge forever," conservancy president and CEO, Phil Wenger, said in the news release.
To donate to the project, go to www.lancasterconservancy.org/donate.