Decades of dedication to preserving the natural beauty of Chester County by saving its treasured open spaces has come to fruition with an amazing milestone, as the total area of preserved natural space has now passed fifty thousand acres.   

On December 1st last year, the number of acres saved from development by the county was 49,899 with the land preserved through three program areas, municipal parks, conservancies and farmland, and preservation, writes Michael Rellahan for Daily Local News.

Six days after that, a contract that will save an additional 151.61 acres of farmland in West Nottingham was approved by the commissioners. This parcel of land, which is directly across the road from Nottingham County Park, pushed the county over the threshold of 50,000 acres saved by programs administered by the Department of Open Space Preservation.

People from across the state and the country involved in the preservation of open spaces have hailed the milestone as an amazing achievement. Very few other counties have invested as much effort and residents’ tax dollars into preserving open spaces. The achievement gets even more astonishing when preserved county parks and private land that the county has also invested in are included.

According to numbers provided by Bill Gladden, the Director of the Open Space Department, with these additional spaces, the total acreage saved in the last quarter century climbs to 25 percent of the county’s 485,845 acres.

“Reaching 50,000 acres of open space is noteworthy, and it helps us remain on track to reach our goal of 30 percent preserved land,” remarked Chester County Commissioners’ Chairman, Terence Farrell. “We know that our open spaces are assets that generate significant economic value, and through our 10-year economic development strategy, VISTA 2025, our focus is to embrace the need for open space alongside urban development, to spur economic growth.”

Chester County is truly the leader when it comes to saving open space. In the five counties of southeastern Pennsylvania, the total protected space is 239,414 acres of federal, state and local parks, as well as farmland, and privately held property. Over half of that, 127,246 acres, is situated in Chester County.  The only other county that can rival this is Bucks County.

Due to the financial crisis of 2008, fewer big plots of land require protection from development, slowing down the acquisitions made by the County over the years.  Nevertheless, in the past five years the County has managed to preserve 10,712 acres of land through 188 projects ranging from farm preservation and municipal park creation to conservancy grants.

From the very beginning of program, which first saw the light 25 years ago, the county has invested $189,210,946.87 in open space projects, which accounts for over half the $362 million that was spent overall, including both state and private funds. During these two and a half decades, the program has preserved 416 farms, completed 377 municipal park projects, and funded 168 public and private preserves.

As soon as the announcement that the odometer had tipped over 50,000 acres, accolades started to pour in, said Gladden.

Among the first one to congratulate the County was Molly Morrison, President of the Natural Lands Trust and one of the people responsible for the inception of the program as a then-member of the commissioners’ staff.

“Fifty thousand acres is an extraordinary accomplishment,” she said, continuing to note that the 50,000 acre milestone “is the result of unwavering leadership from county commissioners past and present, strong commitment on the part of local communities, hard work from land trusts and other non-profits, financial support from the state and others, and the foresight of landowners from all walks of life and every part of the county who chose conservation.”

Bonnie Van Alen, President of the Willistown Conservation Trust, echoed the sentiment by praising the Chester County Preservation Partnership program, saying that the preserved open space creates numerous opportunities for outreach, education, and connecting of the residents with nature.

Morrison also added that despite the milestone, the program remains as important as ever.

“It would be hard to imagine life in Chester County without its scenic vistas, rolling farm fields, expansive forests, trails, parks, and preserves,” she said. “They help to define the sense of place that makes the county one of the most desirable places in the country to live and work. As we celebrate all that we have done together to protect Chester County’s essential character, we must remember that there is still much more to be done.”