NPC is guided by the vision that conserved lands nourish communities. Sustainable forests provide resources, jobs, and recreation for families. Farms provide food, resources, and jobs for local communities. Water resources are valued and enriched. People have access to the public forests, trails, and waters of the region.
Land Conservation
There are two main mechanisms through which NPC conserves land: conservation easements or partnered land acquisitions. In each case, NPC works through voluntary relationships with individual landowners to develop the most appropriate conservation option for their property.
Both options may be an attractive opportunity for landowners who own property with significant conservation values but have no heirs, have inherited property they do not wish to own, have substantial real estate holdings, have property that supports the local productive landscape (i.e. forestry, farming, etc.), or are simply motivated to conserve a special place they own in northcentral Pennsylvania.
To date, NPC has conserved over 11,000+ acres through 48 conservation easements and 21 partnered acquisitions.
Water Resources
Northcentral Stream Partnership
NPC works with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and county conservation districts to provide technical assistance to watershed groups on projects to stabilize stream channels, minimize sedimentation, and enhance water quality.
River Planning
NPC led the effort to develop the “Lower West Branch Susquehanna River Conservation Plan.” The plan is on file with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and is listed on the Pennsylvania Rivers Registry. And, as an outgrowth of this work, NPC developed the “Susquehanna River Water Trail – West Branch, Stewardship and Conservation Plan” in 2009.
NPC also took an active role in developing the “Pine Creek Watershed Rivers Conservation Plan.”
