Explore Land Conservation
Conserve Your Property
Heritage Conservancy works with private land owners and municipalities to preserve land through conservation easements.
What is a Conservation Easement?
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement that a property owner puts in place with a holder (a private land trust or government entity) to permanently preserve their land. It restricts certain uses and activities to protect the conservation values associated with a property’s natural resources and wildlife habitat.
Heritage Conservancy holds conservation easements on more than 250 properties in Bucks, Montgomery, and Northampton Counties, and we have helped facilitate over 100 more.
These easements safeguard water quality, farmland, scenic views, and natural resources — like agricultural soils, woodlands, and wildlife habitat — to ensure land is permanently protected. Though most of this land is private, the community benefits from clean air and water, local wildlife, and the beauty of nature and local character.
Does your property qualify for conservation?
We consider many factors when assessing a property to determine if it has the ecological value to qualify for a conservation easement.
Some of our criteria include:
- Total size of the property
- Connectivity to other preserved lands
- Abundance of natural resources, like streams, woodlands, agricultural soils, wildlife habitat, etc.
- Location relative to state- or county-identified conservation priority landscapes
Our property assessments include:
- An initial call with the landowner about the basics of conservation sasements
- A property visit to walk the land, observing and documenting existing uses and the health and abundance of its natural resources
- A kitchen table discussion to explore your conservation goals and plans for your property, and to answer questions about the conservation process
- Protection-level property mapping
- Funding viability and third-party grant options
Worthington Farm in East Rockhill Township is 54.8 acres and features expansive vistas of agricultural fields.
The Oleksa Property in Williams Township, Northampton County, is 22 acres set in the forested headwaters of Fry’s Run.
The Gerding Property in New Britain Township is 12 acres of fields and woodlands on a former farm.
Heritage Conservancy's Protected Properties
This map shows the properties that Heritage Conservancy currently helps protect, many in partnership with local municipalities. Please note that most of these are privately owned and not publicly accessible, though we all benefit from the protected land and open space.
Agricultural Preservation Easement (these are often family farms)
Conservation Easement (natural land and open space)
Fee Simple (lands we own and manage; some are public preserves, others are sensitive habitats)
Facade Easements (protected historic buildings)
Facade and Conservation Easement (these properties include preserved land and protected historic buildings)
If you would like to conserve your land through a conservation easement, please contact us to explore possibilities. Inquire at landconservation@heritageconservancy.org
To explore options, contact our team:
Senior Resource Protection Specialist
215-345-7020 ext. 135
mbabbitt@heritageconservancy.org
Resource Protection Specialist
215-345-7020 ext. 113
tcamp@heritageconservancy.org
Resource Protection Specialist
215-345-7020 ext. 153
kjohnson@heritageconservancy.org
Have questions about an existing conservation easement? Please reach out:
Easement Stewardship Manager
215-345-7020 ext. 106
ktoner@heritageconservancy.org
