Natural Lands Trust Preserves Property in White Clay Creek Watershed
9-7-2011
Natural Lands Trust today announced that it has preserved 25 acres along the White Clay Creek in London Britain Township, Chester County, through an agreement known as a conservation easement. The easement represents an important step in the Trust’s work to conserve land in the White Clay Creek Watershed.
“This property is a significant part of what is becoming a broader protected area,” said Molly Morrison, president of Natural Lands Trust. “The White Clay Creek Watershed is home to wetlands, forests and diverse plant and animal species that are essential to our region’s ecological health and sustainability.
“We are grateful to the landowners, public officials and community leaders who have been our partners in preserving this important watershed,” Morrison continued.
To date, Natural Lands Trust has helped conserve more than 600 acres in the White Clay Creek Watershed.
The newly preserved property is owned by Thomas and Barbara Schaer and known as the Meadowset Farm. Under the conservation easement, the land will remain privately owned but is permanently protected from future development.
The Schaers run a grass-based sheep dairy on the farm and have bee colonies that produce honey, pollen and beeswax. The property contains open meadows, mature woodlands and wetlands. The White Clay Creek, which is a federally designated “Wild and Scenic River,” crosses the southern third of the property.
“It is a privilege for us to carry on the tradition of farming at Meadowset Farm,” said Thomas Schaer. “We strive to be good farmers by practicing sustainability, and we are proud to be stewards of the land for the future generations that will farm after us.”
Preservation of the Schaer property was made possible by generous support from the landowners, Chester County, London Britain Township, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Virginia Cretella Mars Foundation.