(Left to right) Marv Woodall, Heritage Conservancy Chairman, Mary Lou McFarland, President of the Conservancy of Montgomery County, and Jeffrey L. Marshal, Heritage Conservancy President, at Heritage Conservancy's annual Christmas for Aldie gala on December 2, 2012. Credit: Mike Landis

(Left to right) Marv Woodall, Heritage Conservancy Chairman, Mary Lou McFarland, President of the Conservancy of Montgomery County, and Jeffrey L. Marshal, Heritage Conservancy President, at Heritage Conservancy’s annual Christmas for Aldie gala on December 2, 2012. Credit: Mike Landis

Heritage Conservancy, an accredited not-for-profit conservation organization that specializes in preserving its natural and historic heritage, is pleased to announce that The Conservancy of Montgomery County will merge all of its programs and conservation easements with Heritage Conservancy, becoming an important strategic element in a larger, stronger organization.

The merger will result in Heritage Conservancy acquiring eleven conservation easements, totaling 126- acres in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, several historic building facade easements, as well as their historical research project and stewardship funds. Heritage Conservancy assumes responsibility of maintaining the conservation easements, preserved historic structures, and areas of land preserved in Montgomery County.

As part of the merger, Mary Lou McFarland, President of the Conservancy of Montgomery County, will join Heritage Conservancy in an important leadership role. As Senior Conservation Specialist for Heritage Conservancy, Ms. McFarland will oversee the continual maintenance of the eleven acquired conservation easements, in addition to the conservation easements in Montgomery County already preserved by Heritage Conservancy. With an extensive background in historical research, she will head historic preservation projects in Montgomery County and surrounding areas as well.

“We are very pleased to join Heritage Conservancy, which will assure the continued protection of the important preserved land and historic resources in Montgomery County,” said Ms. McFarland. “I look forward to continuing to work to promote preservation with Heritage Conservancy.”

“Heritage Conservancy and The Conservancy of Montgomery County share a common preservation mission. Working together, we will be stronger and more capable of fulfilling that mission,” said Jeffrey L. Marshall, President of Heritage Conservancy. “We welcome Ms. McFarland, as she brings local knowledge, experience and expertise to our professional staff. This union ensures the perpetual preservation of Montgomery County’s beautiful natural landscapes and historic resources well into the future.”

About Heritage Conservancy
Based in Doylestown, PA, Heritage Conservancy is an accredited not-for-profit conservation organization that specializes in open space preservation, planning for sustainable communities, natural resource protection, property stewardship, historic preservation, adaptive reuse of existing structures, wildlife habitat restoration and biodiversity. Through 50+ years of professional land use planning and design; innovative land conservation and historic preservation strategies; public outreach and education; and the application of “best management practices” for property stewardship, the Conservancy has established itself as a acclaimed full-service leader. Its recent national accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission affirms Heritage Conservancy’s commitment to excellence, trust and permanence. Learn more by visitingHeritageConservancy.org.