French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust has preserved forever 71.6 acres in Charlestown Township, northern Chester County, through a conservation easement on property owned by Robert Berry. The property, which is highly visible to the public from Merlin Road, Pikeland Road and Church Road, would be able to have 23 more residences on it under current zoning ordinances. The easement, funded through the township’s Open Space Initiative dedicated tax dollars, limits the property to a total of four additional residences, whereby retiring forever 19.
“Thanks to the Mr. Berry’s generosity, his property will continue to provide the beautiful vistas the public has come to enjoy, as well as protect wildlife habitat and water quality,” noted Pam Brown, French & Pickering Conservation Director.
Consisting of an assemblage of five contiguous farmland parcels with rolling topography, the property includes 12.6 acres of mixed aged woodlands that provide habitat to numerous plant and animal species, as well as 50.7 acres of soils considered to be “Prime Agricultural Soils” by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Property also includes nearly ½ mile of an unnamed tributary to the Pickering Creek. The Pickering Creek and its tributaries are designated as having High Quality water by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust is grateful for Mr. Berry’s generosity and for the opportunity to protect this biologically valuable and beautiful property with the support of Charlestown Township.
