It seems that woodland owners I meet are increasingly warming to the idea that they are really caretakers of their land. They accept the idea that stewarding the land involves not just working to improve its health and well-being now, but also involves planning for who and what comes after their tenure. They are asking questions about how they can ensure that someone who cares for the land will hold it in the future and will pass it forward across generations. ~ Dr. Jim Finley Center for Private Forests at Penn State
…the decisions we make about land, woods, and water
“Today, for the first time human history, more people live in cities of more than a million people than live in less urban or rural places. As a result, our connections 
to the land and the values it provides to support ecological functions are eroding. Increasingly, understanding that we depend on the land for our very existence is almost a foreign construct. We appreciate connections to electricity more than we appreciate our connection to and dependence on nature. Today, I believe that our connections to the past and future also erode. We need to understand that the decisions we make about land, woods, and water extend across both space and time.” ~ Dr. Jim Finley Center for Private Forests at Penn State
PA’s Conservation and Preservation Easements Act
June 22, 2017 is the 16th anniversary of the Conservation and Preservation Easements Act (Act 29 of 2001)!! This act strengthened the validity and enforceability of conservation easements in Pennsylvania. It also broke new ground in the United States by establishing the principle that when there is ambiguity in the text of an easement document, the courts must resolve the ambiguity in favor of the conservation purposes of the easement and the legislative act. Thank you Pennsylvania Land Trust Association for leading the effort to get this legislation passed!!
National Get Outdoors Day
It’s National Get Outdoors Day where are you going to celebrate?
It’s an Eel!!!
It’s an eel!!! Dr. Matt McTammany (Bucknell Biology)and his students were sampling a Union County stream last week to document its conditions before a streambank stabilization project takes place this summer. During their electrofishing they found an eel!!!
Eels were once common in the Susquehanna River watershed but hydroelectric dams began preventing their migration in the 1920s. Several years ago US Fish and Wildlife released juvenile eels in Buffalo Creek and Pine Creek. The eels have spread beyond those drainages as this photos documents.
Annual Election of Director Results
Thank you to everyone who came out last night for NPC’s annual Membership Meeting at the Peter Herdic House Restaurant. Dennis Ringling and Tom Burkholder were recognized for their service as they leave the Board of Directors. Phyllis Reynolds and Roy Siefert were elected to a second term on the Board, while Adrienne Craig and Tiffani Kase were elected to a first term on the Board. (There was also chocolate mousse cake)
CCSWA Wetlands
The Clinton County Solid Waste Authority donated a conservation easement on a portion of their Wayne Township Landfill as part of a permit application. The Conservation Easement area includes a large wetland complex. The wetlands are holding water this spring.
Remote Intelligence recently flew a drone over the Cavanaugh Access to give a better idea of the extent of the wetlands. The photo is created from a series of photos stitched together electronically. It will be helpful to land managers to have this photo to compare to past aerial/satellite images and to look at going forward.
Annual Membership Meeting Set for May 2, 2017
NPC Annual Membership Meeting will be May 2, 2017 at the Peter Herdic House. The Meeting will begin after dinner and dessert. There will be a report on 2016’s accomplishments, the election of directors, and take any questions from the members present.
The cost is $35.00 per person. Reservations are required by April 28, 2017. Refunds will not be given after this date.
On the menu that evening, Liz Miele will be preparing:
*Simple Green Salad made with locally raised greens
*Chicken Breast in a Champagne Cream with Mushrooms, Grapes and Toasted Almonds
*Chocolate Mousse Cake
*Coffee and Tea Included
A Vegetarian Option is available, please be sure to mark the appropriate line on your reservation form
Celebrity Waiter Night Tonight!
Dinner plans tonight? It’s not too late. Gloria is willing to fit a few more reservations in at the Peter Herdic House for tonight’s Celebrity Waiter. The Celebrity Waiters and bartenders will be earning tips to benefit the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy’s land protection program. To make your reservations, call 570-322-0165.
Celebrity Waiters…
Susan Durrwachter, CNN/Turner Broadcasting
Jason Fitzgerald, PennStrategies
Dr. Steven M. Hawley, UPMC Susquehanna
Rick Mason, Photographer
Tony Nardi, Fish Real Estate
Peachie O’Connor, Community Volunteer
Amie Penfield, Berkshire Hathaway HomeService
Dr. Zachary T. Ritter, UPMC Susquehanna
Mark Shuman, I Heart Radio Media
Jerry Walls, Community Planning Consultant