Lancaster Conservancy

Lancaster Conservancy Nonprofit land trust providing wild and forested lands and clean waterways for our community, forever

Lancaster Conservancy is an accredited land trust that protects and restores natural lands for future generations. Since our founding in 1969 by local anglers and hunters, the Conservancy has saved over 7,500 acres of land to protect the ecosystems and landscapes upon which we depend for food, clean water, clean air, economic and public health, and the restoration of the soul and spirit. We manage

the lands we own in 47 nature preserves and care for over 45 miles of hiking trails. Our preserves, located in Lancaster County as well as along the Susquehanna River in York County, are open to the public free of charge 365 days a year and provide opportunities for passive recreation like hiking, fishing, hunting, and swimming. We have protected some of the most beautiful and beloved natural places in the area – places like Climbers Run, Welsh Mountain, Tucquan Glen & Pyfer, and Shenks Ferry Wildflower preserves. Our work cultivates a connection with nature and educates everyone on the importance of clean water, native species, biodiversity, and proper land use. By partnering with other non-profit organizations and government entities, we work to protect the health of our land, watersheds, and local wildlife - forever. Join us as a member today to help support this critical effort to save nature.

We're looking forward to being part of York Watershed Week, hosted by Watershed Alliance of York PA! During this week of...
09/03/2026

We're looking forward to being part of York Watershed Week, hosted by Watershed Alliance of York PA! During this week of events highlighting the importance of our local watersheds, join the Conservancy for:

🐟 Creek Stomp at Graham Nature Preserve on 9/14
🐟 Underwater World of the Susquehanna Riverlands presentation on 9/15
🐟 Watershed Experience Hike at Mill Creek Falls Nature Preserve on 9/18

Learn more and sign up at https://watershedallianceofyork.org/watershed-week

📸: Mill Creek Falls Nature Preserve by Rachel Haynes

The start of September has us looking forward to fall! While you're gardening this autumn, keep these tips in mind to he...
09/01/2026

The start of September has us looking forward to fall! While you're gardening this autumn, keep these tips in mind to help support habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife:

🍂 Leave the leaves! Many insects spend the winter among the leaves as eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, or adults.

🌱 Keep the stems! Leaving wildflower stalks and seed heads in your garden over the fall and winter can help provide food and habitat for bugs.

🪏 Grow your garden! Replace lawn with native plants, which provide habitat for wildlife while also helping protect healthy waterways. Get your plants in the ground up to six weeks before the first frost.

Learn more about ecological gardening for fall at ➡️ https://www.lancasterconservancy.org/news/ecological-gardening-for-fall/

📸: Nick Gould

Climbers Run Nature Center update!Over the summer, efforts to stabilize the berm and dredge accumulated sediment out of ...
08/27/2026

Climbers Run Nature Center update!

Over the summer, efforts to stabilize the berm and dredge accumulated sediment out of the Climbers Run pond were completed. Renovation of the Russo Family Foundation Barn & Education Center is now in progress.

Updates to the barn will include installing an observation deck, raising the interior beams to create an improved layout, installing bird-safe glass and a modern HVAC system, and creating the C. Alan Bruns Water Quality Lab where volunteer water testing will be conducted.

Learn more about the project and follow along for updates at ➡ https://www.lancasterconservancy.org/news/transforming-climbers-run-nature-center/

📸: Keith Williams

Recently, we partnered with Western Pennsylvania Conservancy for a series of workdays at Shenks Ferry Wildflower Preserv...
08/26/2026

Recently, we partnered with Western Pennsylvania Conservancy for a series of workdays at Shenks Ferry Wildflower Preserve. Lancaster Conservancy volunteers and staff and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy staff worked together to remove invasive burning bush and round-leaved bittersweet.

We love the opportunity to connect and collaborate with partners that are caring for our natural lands!

📸: Becky Chalupa

We are excited to announce the opening of a new hiking trail at Safe Harbor Nature Preserve! The trail takes visitors th...
08/20/2026

We are excited to announce the opening of a new hiking trail at Safe Harbor Nature Preserve! The trail takes visitors through a restored meadow and patch woodlands that provide critically important grassland and edge habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. 🦋🐝🐦🌱

Learn more about this restoration project and check out a trail map ➡ https://www.lancasterconservancy.org/news/meadow-restored-new-trail-opened-at-safe-harbor-nature-preserve/

📸: At Safe Harbor Nature Preserve by Avery Van Etten

This is not a healthy wetland, but soon it will be! Lancaster Conservancy is beginning restoration work to improve a 17-...
08/18/2026

This is not a healthy wetland, but soon it will be!

Lancaster Conservancy is beginning restoration work to improve a 17-acre floodplain, including a wetland, at Wizard Ranch Nature Preserve in Hellam Township, York County. The work will improve habitat as well as stormwater absorption and filtration.

⚠️ Wizard Ranch will be closed starting Monday, Aug. 24, in advance of this restoration work. We expect the preserve will reopen within 6-8 months.

Learn more about this restoration project ➡ https://www.lancasterconservancy.org/news/floodplain-restoration-at-wizard-ranch-nature-preserve/

📸: An impaired wetland at Wizard Ranch Nature Preserve centers around a stream with extremely steep, eroding banks. Restoration will reconnect this stream to its floodplain, improving the wetland habitat and its ability to filter pollutants out of stormwater while also reducing flooding downstream. (Photo by Keith Williams)

Join us for an evening of impact at the 17th annual Dine on Harvest Moon Dinner & Auction on October 2nd at the Lancaste...
08/12/2026

Join us for an evening of impact at the 17th annual Dine on Harvest Moon Dinner & Auction on October 2nd at the Lancaster County Convention Center! 🌕✨

We invite you to step into the trees and dine among the birds. Be transported to the treetops of our woodlands and the open skies of our meadows. Your night will come alive with the vibrant beauty of nature in a space transformed to honor the feathered friends that grace our forests and fields.

Protecting and restoring our natural lands is key to the Conservancy’s mission and to ensuring that our community and wildlife can thrive. The loss of birds has long been seen as a warning that something is not right in our natural world. But their return can offer an equally strong message — a message of resilience and hope. Join us for Dine on Harvest Moon and be part of this remarkable celebration to save nature!

Learn more and get tickets at: https://www.lancasterconservancy.org/harvestmoon/

- Illustration by Bailey Watro -

"Benthic macroinvertebrates" is a big name that basically means the tiny forms of life without backbones who live on the...
08/11/2026

"Benthic macroinvertebrates" is a big name that basically means the tiny forms of life without backbones who live on the bottom of streams.

They are often thought of as river bugs because many kinds of benthic macroinvertebrates are the aquatic juvenile forms of insects, but the benthic macroinvertebrate group includes a wide variety of life: crayfish, leeches, freshwater clams, mussels, and snails all make up the community that lives on the bottoms of streams and is so ecologically important to our waterways’ health.

The species that compose this community tell us about water quality. When we find organisms we know are sensitive to poor water quality, we can be certain clean water flows most of the time in the stream where they are found.

Learn more about the critters that may call our local waterways home ➡ https://www.lancasterconservancy.org/news/river-bugs-and-other-underwater-critters/

Remember, when you're cooling off in your favorite stream, please be respectful of the wildlife that lives there. Don’t flip, throw, or rearrange rocks on the bottom of the waterway. While it may be fun to build rock dams, they completely alter stream flows and destroy habitat and can even kill aquatic bugs that may be living on the rocks.

📸: Michelle Johnsen

Tickets are live for Trail Fest 2026! Music, food, and community await as you explore one of the Conservancy’s newest na...
08/06/2026

Tickets are live for Trail Fest 2026! Music, food, and community await as you explore one of the Conservancy’s newest nature preserves before it’s fully open to visitors!

Join us on October 17th at the beautiful Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve in York County for:

🎶 Music by Cumberland Honey
🌳 A Nature Discovery Walk & Trailside Talks
🍻 Beer and cider from Collusion Tap Works
🍟 Food from Traveling J’s, Tipsy Boar BBQ, and Mezcla Ice Cream
🎨 Susquehanna River Art Collection curated by Rob Evans

Plus, check out the incredibly preserved and restored historic structures at Graham Nature Preserve that demonstrate the longstanding relationship between humans and our environment.

Get your Trail Fest tickets ➡ https://www.lancasterconservancy.org/trailfest/

📸: Michelle Johnsen

We want to hear from you! Take the Lancaster River Hills Conservation Area Public Input Survey and help shape the future...
08/05/2026

We want to hear from you! Take the Lancaster River Hills Conservation Area Public Input Survey and help shape the future of this treasured landscape!

➡ Take the survey: https://www.lancasterconservancy.org/lancaster-river-hills-conservation-area-master-plan/

The Lancaster River Hills Conservation Area is a remarkable landscape of sprawling woodlands, stream valleys, and scenic overlooks of the Susquehanna River. Within this area, the Conservancy stewards more than 1,800 acres of land, nine stream corridors, and portions of the Conestoga Trail.

As the Conservancy creates a Master Plan for this region, we want to hear from you! Please help us by taking the public input survey to share your experiences and thoughts. The survey should take 10-15 minutes and will be available through September 8, 2026.

📸: Kellys Run Nature Preserve by Michelle Johnsen

Address

117 S West End Avenue
Lancaster, PA
17603

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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