Woods and wetlands that possess “some of the cleanest water in the county” and prime farmland of statewide importance have been eternally preserved thanks to the work of Chester County organizations, the Daily Local News reported.

Warwick Township, a former Chester County Farmer of the Year and a bevy of supporting agencies recently safeguarded 114 acres of rich, rolling farmland once threatened by an expansive development proposal, and The Nature Conservancy handed off almost 700 acres of woods and wetlands “geologically unchanged since the last ice age” to the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust, the article explained.

The moves further reinforce open space preservation as a priority of Chester County’s VISTA 2025 economic development plan and safeguard a pivotal essence of the county’s identity.

“It is one of the things that people mention most, that is most important to them,” Commissioner Terence Farrell said in a previous VISTA Today article. “It is critically important to our citizens. It is one of the things that makes Chester County so special a place, its natural beauty. We love our open space.”

Bill Beam purchased the Yoder Farm after new agricultural and conservation easements were established with the support of Warwick Township, the National Lands Trust, the Chester County Agricultural Land Preservation Board, the Chester County Preservation Partnership Program, the Open Space Institute’s Bayshore Highlands Fund and the Schuylkill River Restoration Fund.

“My son Matt and his wife, Rebecca, plan to operate the farm and renovate the house, making it their home,” Beam told the Daily Local News. “It feels so good to preserve this farm forever.”

As for the Edward Woolman Preserve at Great Marsh, it is now in the hands of a local entity that proved its quality stewardship through an an earlier 300-acre project that partnered with The Nature Conservancy.

“Their vision, commitment to conservation and stewardship plan for the preserve will safeguard the quality of the wetlands, freshwater resources and the unique habitats of this beautiful place,” Pennsylvania Chapter Director of Ecological Management Liz Johnson said.

That expansive parcel in Wallace and East Nantmeal townships is also adjacent to another 550-acre Great Swamp preserve, providing attractive potential for a canoeing and kayaking water trail in the future.

Read more about these two conservation transactions in the Daily Local News here, and check out previous VISTA Today coverage of Chester County’s land preservation accomplishments here.