ClearWater Conservancy and Patton Township, with support from the Hamer Foundation, recently finalized a conservation easement that will permanently protect the 149-acre Gray’s Woods Preserve and ensure it remains available to the public for outdoor recreation use.
The preserve connects to Gray’s Woods Park and the State Gamelands commonly known as the Scotia Barrens and is located within the Barrens Biological Diversity Area, a Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Area.
A conservation easement is a deed restriction that limits development and protects a property’s natural resources in perpetuity, even if it is sold.
According to ClearWater, the easement will protect a habitat that supports rare plant and animal species, as well as a groundwater recharge area that contributes to the region’s drinking water supplies and supports region’s renowned trout fishing as it flows into Spring Creek.
Patton Township acquired the land for $4.25 million in 2017 through its Open Space Program — funded by a .6 mills tax approved in a voter referendum in 2014 — as well as support from the Hamer Foundation. The township previously acquired the Haugh Family Preserve off Circleville Road for $2.5 million to maintain as public open space.
“The township’s Open Space program is a direct result of citizen action encouraging elected officials to act and pledging to support the purchase and maintenance of the Gray’s Woods Preserve and the Haugh Family Preserve,” Patton Township Manager Doug Erickson said in a statement. “These lands will provide, in perpetuity, a wide range of recreational benefits to users as well as protected habitats for wildlife and native plants.”
Trails through the preserves traverse a wide variety of terrain and rare natural features, according to ClearWater. The Scotia Barrens, meanwhile, are historically significant because of iron ore mining town once located there, and ecologically significant because the area holds the largest remaining patch of pitch pine-scrub oak barrens habitat in Pennsylvania.
“ClearWater has been working on efforts to connect and protect important habitat in the Scotia Barrens region for over a decade,” Deb Nardone, executive director of ClearWater, said in a statement. “Patton Township took an important step forward by permanently protecting these lands. This region is a one-of-a-kind gem, treasured by hikers, hunters and outdoor enthusiasts alike. We’re thrilled that Patton Township will make this place accessible for the public to visit and enjoy forever.”
Open to the public year-round, the preserve is accessible from Gray’s Woods Boulevard. Parking available in the Gray’s Woods Park lot and a trail from the park connects to the preserve.
For the next step in the conservation process, Patton Township will conduct a forest management plan with Woods and Waters Consulting.
The easement is part of ClearWater’s large-scale Scotia Barrens to Ridgelines Initiative, a conservation effort focused on connecting vital landscapes and protecting the groundwater below them, according to the conservancy. Last year, ClearWater acquired 1,271 acres known as Scotia West in Centre and Huntingdon counties and through a partnership with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources made it part of Rothrock State Forest.
“A significant part of what we fund at the Hamer Foundation funds is land and water protection,” Pat Morse, Hamer Foundation board member, said in a statement. “The effort to protect the Grays Woods Preserve is something that current foundation board members have been involved with for many years through our association with Clearwater Conservancy. We are grateful to all those who have helped along the way over many years to ensure this property is always conserved and open to the public.”
