LANCASTER COUNTY CONSERVANCY

Program 2 land stewardshipaccess & restorationfrom opening new trails including our third universal access trail to our first installation of standardized wayfinding signage, lancaster conservancy continues to focus on providing opportunities for our community to access nature safely and responsibly. As we strive to facilitate that access, we also work to care for our woods and wetlands, meadows and streams through ecological restoration projects.improved access at clark nature preservethe conservancy completed the installation of the new universally accessible lloyd clark trail at clark nature preserve. This trail will provide opportunities for community members with mobility concerns and those using wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, or other mobility devices to explore the meadow and woods. The lloyd clark trail is named in memory of the clark associates' founder, lloyd clark, and in recognition of the clark associates charitable foundation's historic investments in the conservancy's land protection and stewardship work through the protect & restore campaign.additionally, the conestoga trail through the preserve was rerouted from the preserve's steepest slopes challenged by erosion to explore further into the reed run watershed, passing through a 15-year-old reforestation area. The conservancy installed standardized wayfinding signage around the preserve to help visitors safely navigate this scenic destination.partners & funders: pa recreational trails program, federal highway administration, pennsylvania dcnr bureau of recreation and conservation, national park service, clark associates charitable foundation, mjheller llc, c.s. Davidson, inc., kinsley construction, penn trails, keystone trails association, lancaster hiking club new trails in york countythe conservancy opened nearly 14 miles of additional trails at wizard ranch and robert a. Kinsley nature preserves in york county. The new trails at wizard ranch traverse forest, meadow, and riparian habitats, including the site of the conservancy's first-ever prescribed burn where black locust and pawpaw are now reemerging. The trail system at robert a. Kinsley nature preserve is built around the mason-dixon trail as it climbs across the landscape from the banks of the susquehanna river, up the dugan run gorge, wrapping through a coniferous forest on its way to the improved buzzards roost overlook before descending down to the wildcat bluff overlook, and following wildcat run out of the preserve and into susquehanna riverlands state park. Hundreds of acres opened to huntingin total, the conservancy allows public hunting access in pursuit of regulated game species on more than 6,000 acres at 34 nature preserves, all supported by enrollment in the pennsylvania game commission's public hunting access cooperator program. In 2024, we enrolled three additional york county preserves and four additional lancaster county preserves into this program nearly 700 acres opened to public hunting access.hunting plays a role in the management of local wildlife populations, which can otherwise grow to unhealthy levels due to the modern absence of important predator species and an abundance of agricultural food sources, among other factors. Large populations of browsing animals such as white-tailed deer can be devastating to the regeneration of native hardwood species within a forest.ecological restoration in actionclark nature preserve: volunteers are removing invasive shrubs, mostly bush honeysuckle, from the forest surrounding the meadow at clark nature preserve. These areas between ecosystems are called ecotones and should be rich in biodiversity. The removal of invasive plants fosters that biodiversity.climbers run nature center: the shrub layer at climbers run nature center is dominated by multiflora rose, which is limiting native shrub and wildflower growth. Volunteers are removing invasive shrubs from a 10-acre parcel of the preserve, the first step in a comprehensive ecological restoration process.conoy wetlands nature preserve: in the spring of 2024, all lancaster conservancy staff gathered for a tree planting event at falmouth forest garden at conoy wetlands nature preserve. Work began on the forest garden in 2018, and with the april 2024 plantings, the final phase of the planting plan was executed. Species such as black chokeberry and allegheny serviceberry, once common in the floodplain forests of lancaster county but now rarely found in wild populations, were intentionally planted to return these species to conoy wetlands nature preserve.donegal highlands nature preserve: in 2024, the conservancy implemented a prescribed thinning at donegal highlands, which assists the ecological succession process how the species in an ecosystem change over time and promotes the growth of hickory and oak seedlings. The aim of this restoration practice is to increase species diversity and climate resiliency in the future woodlands at this site.kellys run nature preserve: in 2024, lancaster conservancy used a no-till drill seeder to establish three distinct pollinator meadows encompassing over 10 acres at kellys run. The seeding is the culmination of planning and restoration work that began in 2020. The seed mixes planted at this preserve will provide habitat for a wide range of native pollinators including american bumblebees, monarch butterflies, columbine duskywings, and regal fritillaries. This project was designed in collaboration with natural resources conservation service and pheasants forever.wizard ranch nature preserve: the conservancy began planting and vegetation management at the site of the first prescribed burn in the organization's history, which was implemented at wizard ranch in 2023. We began site preparation work for a warm season grass meadow that will be seeded in april 2025. We also continued to manage the riparian buffer that was installed in 2023 with funding from the pennsylvania dcnr. The habitat work we are doing at wizard ranch is the organization's largest and most comprehensive ecological restoration project to date. 2024 volunteer impact- 75 volunteer events- 800+ volunteers donated 1,500+ hours- 6,000 gallons of invasive garlic mustard pulled- 1,100 cubic yards of invasive shrubs removed