Preservation of Land Along White Clay Creek

Photo: Kate Raman

MEDIA, Pa., January 13, 2022 – Natural Lands announced the successful preservation of an eight-acre property in New Garden Township today. The property, which the Township purchased outright, is located along the White Clay Creek and is key to a planned trail corridor leading to Pennsylvania’s White Clay Creek Preserve.

“While it may seem like a small property, its conservation is quite significant,” said Oliver Bass, president of Natural Lands, the region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization. “This stretch of White Clay Creek has been a preservation priority for New Garden Township for quite some time. Natural Lands is thrilled to have helped facilitate this conservation success.”

Views of the newly protected property are dramatic, and an excellent example of what New Garden Township’s botanical survey called “Canyon Country of the White Clay Creek.” The Creek runs through conserved land at the bottom of a forested ravine. The steep slopes on either side of the Creek anchor the site, providing a sense of enclosure and privacy.

In addition to providing for a future hiking trail, the property offers public fishing access along White Clay Creek. The State of Pennsylvania has designated the section of the Creek that runs through the property as a “Cold Water Fisheries,” an indication of its excellent water quality and habitat for trout and other native species. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stocks White Clay Creek with trout every spring.

The wooded property also serves as natural flood control. When large storms and heavy rainfall cause White Clay Creek to overflow its banks, the property floods and allows the water to be reabsorbed into the ground slowly, reducing flooding of roadways and water pollution downstream.

Natural Lands applied for and received additional funding from Chester County’s Preservation Partnership Program, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnership Program, Virginia Cretella Mars Foundation, and White Clay Wild & Scenic River program.

Natural Lands is dedicated to preserving and nurturing nature’s wonders while creating opportunities for joy and discovery in the outdoors for everyone.  As the Greater Philadelphia region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, Natural Lands—which is member supported—has preserved more than 125,000 acres, including 42 nature preserves and one public garden totaling more than 23,000 acres. Nearly five million people live within five miles of land under the organization’s protection. Land for life, nature for all. natlands.org.

Please note: “Natural Lands” is the organization’s official operating name and should be used instead of its legal designation (Natural Lands Trust, Inc.).

Media Inquiries:
Kit Werner, Senior Director of Communications
610-353-5587 ext 267
kwerner@natlands.org