Featured Project
The Macialek Property
,
Spring Brook Township, Lackawanna County • 75 Acres
In 2006–2007, North Branch Land Trust accepted its first conservation easement in Lackawanna County. Joseph Macialek, who grew up on a Wyoming County farm, donated the easement on 75 acres in Spring Brook Township in southern Lackawanna County.
Throughout the property are important natural areas such as streams, vernal pools, and northern hardwood forests, as well as unique habitats such as a golden saxifrage seep and a palustrine hemlock wetland.
READ MORE ABOUT THE PROPERTY >News
January
18
Valmont Bog Conserved
North Branch Land Trust recently acquired the 59 acre Valmont Bog and uplands located in West Hazleton Borough and Hazle Township. Over the past two years NBLT has been working closely with the owner CAN DO, Inc. along with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PPL Corporation and other stakeholders to make the project a reality.
Located in the heart of the Valmont Industrial Park this unique property boasts a variety of exceptional flora and fauna, interesting topographical features, and even remnants of our industrial past in the form of old rail beds. Two cold water sources, Stony Creek and Black Creek converge on the property.
Representatives of the International Native Orchid Conference, Inc. have visited the Valmont Bog property many times and have affirmed that it is without equal in this part of the country; only the New Jersey Pinelands Reserve can compare in terms of its significance with regard to orchid flora according to the Conference.
In particular NBLT would like to thank Can Do President Kevin O’Donnell and his staff for their time and effort in making this project a reality.
Another important piece of northeastern Pennsylvania’s natural heritage has been conserved. Going forward the staff at NBLT will be working with all stakeholders to establish a master plan for the preserve.
Funding for the project came from a Community Partnerships Program Grant award to NBLT from the Pennsylvania department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Funding for these grants comes from Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund (Key93), the Environmental Stewardship Fund, the Growing Greener Bond Fund and federal funding sources.
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Naturalist's Notes
Linking our Forests and Water Together...
Waters’ ability to pass through, or infiltrate, something is based on that object’s permeability. The more compact and less porous a surface, the less permeable it typically is; take for instance concrete versus a forest floor. On a concrete surface such as a depression on a sidewalk a puddle of water remains until it has evaporated or been swept away. On the other hand, take that same amount of water from that puddle on the concrete and place it on the forest floor. It would be absorbed, infiltrated, translocated, and rarely pool except in times of saturation.
READ THE FULL STORY >Conservation News
December
12
North Branch Land Trust White Paper on Regional Land Conservation Needs
The people of northeastern Pennsylvania have an opportunity to protect the regions truly outstanding scenic and natural areas including watershed lands, forests, and farmlands – those natural assets that many of us take for granted. Our precious landscapes are being developed at a faster rate than we can protect them and significant natural resources that should be conserved and protected are disappearing. We are at a crossroads! Our region still harbors many wonderful and natural amenities but at the same time many of these natural assets are disappearing due to poorly planned and uncoordinated development practices. Now is the time to both protect these natural assets while educating the regional populous on the need to do so.
Click on “Read The Full Story” to learn more and to down load the complete report in pdf format.
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