Nicholas

In December 2006 a Tioga County resident donated a conservation easement on her 97 acre farm in Charleston Township to the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy. The Nicholas farm has been in the family for over 50 years. Initially it was a dairy farm, but today hay is the primary crop.

The property is about 2/3 farmland, 1/3 woodland, and has small streams that are tributaries to the Tioga River. The property has some frontage on a public road which allows people driving by to enjoy the beauty of the property.

This property helps recharge ground water supplies supporting local families residential wells. The areas along the stream, the riparian buffers, hold the stream bank in place, reducing erosion, and increasing the likelihood of aquatic life (insects and fish and crayfish) being able to survive in the stream. Silt can clog the gills of small aquatic creatures, suffocating them.

By conserving her land, the landowner has greatly increased the likelihood that her farm will remain in agricultural production for years to come. The impact of her decision extends beyond her property line. This farm is important to the vitality of Tioga County and its agricultural landscape. It’s good to know that productive farmland is not going to be growing houses.

Like other properties protected by a conservation easement, the Nicholas property remains in private
ownership and can be purchased and sold just like other lands. However, the conservation easement will permanently remain on the property, binding all future owners, and ensuring the property will remain undeveloped.