DCNR Designates Wild Plant Sanctuaries on Properties Owned by the Natural Lands Trust in Southeastern Region

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has designated portions of three preserves owned by Natural Lands Trust in Chester and Montgomery counties as Pennsylvania Wild Plant sanctuaries, Secretary John Quigley announced today.

Most of Pennsylvania's threatened and endangered plants are found on privately-owned land.

"The Wild Plant Sanctuary Program encourages the conservation of natural areas and native plants, and recognizes private landowners who serve as models of good conservation and stewardship of these special resources," Quigley said. "With strategies to conserve rare plants as part of their management plans, these properties serve as models for other landowners."

Many of the plants found on the three Natural Lands Trust, or NLT, sites are species of special concern.  NLT has been actively managing these preserves to protect the unique ecological features that allow the rare species to thrive. The sites also provide habitat for a number of threatened or endangered butterfly species.

"We are thrilled to have three of our nature preserves designated as Wild Plant Sanctuaries," said Molly Morrison, NLT's president. "We believe that protecting open spaces from development is only the first step in conservation; we are equally committed to managing and restoring our lands to ensure ecological excellence and sustainability. The presence of these rare plants at our preserves is a wonderful validation of our land stewardship practices."

The DCNR-designated sites are:

• The Unionville Barrens on Natural Lands Trust's ChesLen Preserve (Newlin Township, Chester County). Situated along the West Branch of the Brandywine Creek, the 1,263-acre ChesLen Preserve is the largest private nature preserve in southeastern Pennsylvania. Serpentine barrens derive their name from the presence of serpentinite, a type of rare, greenish bedrock from which the soils are weathered. The soil's peculiar chemical characteristics— high in magnesium and nickel and low in calcium— make it inhospitable to all but a few tenacious plant species that have adapted to these extreme conditions.
• The Sugartown Serpentine Barrens on Natural Lands Trust's Willisbrook Preserve (Willistown Township, Chester County). The 126-acre preserve includes just over 20 acres of serpentine barrens that support a diversity of rare plants. NLT preserves and maintains this unique ecosystem through periodic controlled burning of the grassy barrens, which prevents the neighboring woodlands from overtaking the rare ecosystem.
• The Fulshaw Craeg Preserve (Salford Township, Montgomery County). The 298-acre Fulshaw Craeg Preserve is situated in a wild and rugged valley. Ridge Valley Creek, edged by beautiful wildflower meadows, runs through the property. The meadows support a variety of plant species of special concern, as well as butterflies and birds that rely on the habitat for food and shelter.

Natural Lands Trust is the region's largest land conservation organization and is dedicated to protecting the forests, fields, streams and wetlands that are essential to the sustainability of life in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. NLT owns and manages 41 nature preserves totaling over 21,000 acres, and holds conservation easements and other restrictions exceeding 18,000 acres. For more information or to download preserve trail guides, go to www.natlands.org.

The Wild Plant Sanctuary Program, created as part of the Wild Resource Conservation Act of 1982, established a voluntary statewide network of native plant sanctuaries. Landowners agree to protect the area and educate others about the importance of native and wild plants and habitats. In return, they receive assistance with a management plan if needed, and have access to technical assistance and ecological checkups.

For more information, contact DCNR's Bureau of Forestry at 717-787-3444, email [email protected], or visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/wildplant.

Media contact: Terry Brady, 717-772-9101

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources