72 acre Chadds Ford section of Brandywine Battlefield to be preserved

A drone view of the portion of the Brandywine Battlefield newly under conservation. As of last week, North American Land Trust (NALT) has acquired a historic Brandywine Battlefield property — located on Oakland Road in Delaware County — with the intent to protect the land forever under conservation easement before ultimately opening its 72 acres to the public as Brinton Run Preserve. Originally...

Kennett supervisors vote to donate $72K to Land Conservancy

KENNETT — On Wednesday, the Township Board of Supervisors voted to donate $72,000.00 to The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County (TLC) to support their land management activities in Kennett Township. “Preserving Open Space in Kennett Township, with a goal of 30% of the Township preserved, is one strategy this Board of Supervisors uses to ensure we maintain the character of our community”...

Commissioners celebrate 30 years of open space preservation

Chester County Commissioners Kathi Cozzone, Michelle Kichline and Terence Farrell at the Chester County Open Space Preservation 30th anniversary celebration on Thursday. NEWLIN — Surrounded by the rolling fields and wildlife of ChesLen Preserve, Chester County officials—along with the region’s leading land conservation and economic development partners—unveiled the first study on the economic...

Commissioners OK $3.8M in open space grants

The Chester County Commissioners marked Earth Day today with the announcement of $3.8 million in open space preservation grants.  The grants, approved unanimously at the County’s public meeting earlier this month, are made available through the Conservancy and Municipal Grant Programs. This commitment of County funds will help leverage an additional $5.7 million of non-County funds.   ...

Chester County to celebrate 30 years of open space preservation

Chester County residents are invited to attend a celebration that will mark the 30th anniversary of the open space preservation program in this county and recognize the economic benefits of these efforts. The Chester County Open Space Summit will take place from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Thursday, May 2, 2019 at the Lenfest Center at ChesLen Preserve, 1199 Cannery Road, Coatesville.    Send...

County adds 80 acres to Nottingham Park

Chester County’s Nottingham County Park has increased in size with the acquisition of 80 acres of preserved land donated by The Nature Conservancy. WEST CHESTER — The Chester County Commissioners announced Monday the acquisition of 80 acres of preserved land which are attached to Nottingham County Park, and will extend the size of the park by more than 10 percent.  The additional acres were conveyed...

Zanin named Chesco Open Space Director

Brianne Zanin Chester County Commissioners Michelle Kichline, Kathi Cozzone and Terence Farrell announce the appointment of Brianne Zanin as Director of Chester County’s Department of Open Space Preservation, effective February 4, 2019.  Zanin, 34, moves to this new role following six years as Deputy Director of the County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation. As Director of Open Space Preservation...

Chester County celebrates preservation of 500th farm

: Chester County Commissioners visit 500th preserved farm. From left to right: Commissioner Terence Farrell; Commissioner Michelle Kichline; farm owner Gerald Rohrer; Commissioner Kathi Cozzone; and Cindy Rohrer. Chester County signed contracts on the preservation of its 500th farm this week, bringing the total number of farm acres preserved in the county to just under 40,000.  In total, more than...

County: 40,000 farm acres preserved since 1990

Chester County preserved farmland in West Nantmeal Township. WEST CHESTER — The Chester County Commissioners announced Thursday an important agricultural land preservation milestone in the County: some 40,000 acres of farmland have been preserved as part of the county’s open space efforts. Since October of 1990, when the first farm successfully went into the program, Chester County’s Agricultural...

Chesco doubles open space acreage preserved in 2017

Portions of the former Strawbridge estate near the Maryland border were preserved as protected open space in Chester County last year. Photo courtesy: Chester County Department of Open Space Preservation . The Chester County Commissioners announced that an estimated 4,240 acres of open space were protected during 2017—more than double the amount preserved the previous year. “We are pleased to announce...