The 89-acre Kestrel Hill Preserve, one of the preservation initiatives completed through the Chester County Open Land Preservation Partnership Program in 2024.
Chester County Parks + Preservation announced this week the total number of acres preserved in 2024. Through partnerships with municipalities, conservancies and the state, more than 1,240 acres were confirmed as permanent open space in 2024 and added to Chester County’s preserved land that covers more than 31% of the county.
Chester County’s two preservation initiatives, Open Lands and Agricultural Preservation, leverage diverse funding opportunities to help keep farmers on the land, provide safe and accessible places for children and families to play, and protect the woods and wildlife that make Chester County special.
Chester County Commissioners’ Chair Josh Maxwell said, “As the fastest growing county in Pennsylvania, it is crucial to balance land preservation with land development, ensuring the growth takes place in and around our urban areas, so that we can continue to connect parcels of protected open space.
“We have been protecting land for more than three decades, and over that time have developed a smart approach to open space preservation – be it farms or fields.”
The 2024 Open Land Preservation Partnership Program permanently saved 740 acres. This program offers grant opportunities to municipalities and non-profit land conservation organizations to preserve significant natural, recreational, agricultural, historic, and cultural land resources; enhance public access to those lands; provide public benefit; and implement county and municipal land use policies.
Notable projects funded last year through this program included the 204-acre Crebilly Preserve acquisition by Westtown Township, the156-acre Embreeville acquisition by West Bradford Township for a future park, and the 89-acre acquisition by the Willistown Conservation Trust for the soon-to-be publicly accessible Kestrel Hill Preserve.
Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz noted, “Chester County was the first in the region to formally set aside funds for a rigorous open space preservation program, and that program has grown to be appreciated, not just for the green fields, preserved farms and community parks, but also for the partnerships with municipalities, farmers and conservancies that have leveraged the County’s investment in protected land many-fold.”
The Open Lands Program is currently accepting conservancy and municipal applications for funding through the Preservation Partnership Program until February 28, 2025.
Chester County’s Agricultural Land Preservation Program preserved over 500 acres of farmland through administering the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program and the Chester County Challenge Grant Program. These programs strengthen the county’s agricultural economy, protect prime farmland, and enable the county to purchase conservation easements from farmers.
“Farmland is a key aspect of Chester County’s bucolic legacy,” said Chester County Commissioner Eric Roe. “Thanks to the tremendous partnerships that have been developed with staff from our county departments, members of our Ag Land Preservation Board, our farm owners, conservancies and municipalities, we are able to add hundreds of acres of preserved farmland every year.”
The application deadline for Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program and the Chester County Challenge Grant Program is the first Friday in August. If selected, landowners should expect to hear from the County between Thanksgiving and Christmas to begin the easement process.
To date, Chester County has funded the preservation of over 65,000 acres of farmland, open space, nature preserves, and parks, in partnership with farmers, municipalities, non-profits, and landowners in all 73 municipalities.
For more information on the county’s preservation programs go to www.chescoparkspres.org.
