Massive land deal protects Kelley’s Run in Lancaster
(Photo: Kate Penn, York Daily Record)
Area energy companies gave the Lancaster County Conservancy 1,825 acres of land for preservation.
(Undated) — The path is looking clear for Kelly’s Run hikers. The popular hiking trail near Martic Township, Lancaster County is among the properties the Lancaster County Conservancy recently secured in a massive land transfer deal, said Kathie Gonick, the Conservancy’s director of land protection.
Kelly’s Run was closed last year after Talen Energy cut off access to its trail head in Holtwood Park, which it owns. The energy company ceased operations in southern York and Lancaster counties and didn’t want to continue maintaining the park and the trail head.
After swift outcry from hikers, however, Talen Energy, Martic Township and Lancaster County Conservancy came to an agreement that allowed hikers to access the trail head, even as Holtwood Park remains closed.
The formal deeding of the land to the Conservancy is a long-term win for those who want to see Kelly’s Run, and other places like it, preserved for perpetuity, Gonick said.
It didn’t come quickly, however. The partnership between the Conservancy and PPL began in 2009. When Talen Energy spun off from PPL in 2015 and merged with Riverstone Holdings, the Conservancy added those companies to its list of partners.
Talen Energy reached a verbal agreement with Lancaster County Conservancy, allowing hikers access to parking and the Kelly’s Run trailhead in Holtwood Park. Kate Penn
In total, the partnerships have led to more than 1,825 acres of land protected by the Conservancy, Gonick said.
The land donated to the Conservancy is valued at $10 million, Gonick said. The companies, as well as the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, also helped the Conservancy donated $6 million in funds set aside to preserve the land and allow for recreation and tourism.
“The journey to save these lands from development has been long and challenging,” said Phil Wenger, Conservancy president and CEO, in a news release. “Our success will be measured by future generations who hike along these pristine streams and who enjoy the clean water our preservation of these forests allowed.”
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