Easement and land acquisition

$4,400,000

2200 acre focus (27,144 acres overall)

Easements held by Berks County Conservancy

Conservation lands in the Oley Hills will protect the area's exceptional water resources and maintain the mature forests which are essential for ecological carbon sequestration. The Oley Hills serve as home to six pristine watersheds that have received state-wide recognition as 'Exceptional Value', the highest water quality designation awareded in Pennsylvania. The protection of these six watersheds represents 46% of exceptional value watersheds in the entire Schuylkill River watershed. We attribute this pristine water quality to the fact that this land is undeveloped, and it is a goal to maintain this status by permanently protecting the land with conservation easements, municipal outreach and best management practices for land and water.

Conservation efforts here will both benefit threatened species as well as provide public benefits in the protection of public water supplies, augmenting existing preserved lands, and protecting the local quality of life.