Westmoreland Conservancy was recently gifted 52 acres in south Murrysville to be known as the Thompson Reserve. Kathryn Thompson Kemble donated the parcel in loving memory of her father, Jim. The land holds special memories for her as she would gather and husk black walnuts from the property for her grandmother’s homemade fudge. Westmoreland Conservancy is proud to be the protector of such special places and precious memories.
One of the many attributes of the new reserve is that Lyons Run bisects the property. Lyons Run is a stream heavily impacted by acid mine drainage from both underground and strip-mining operations. The Lyons Run Watershed association has obtained the necessary permits to begin the process of creating an Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remediation site. The AMD consists of a series of ponds designed to draw contaminants out of Lyons Run to restore the life-supporting biodiversity of the stream.
In partnership with the Lyons Run Watershed Association, Westmoreland Conservancy is interested in protecting Lyons Run from all negative conditions downstream from the AMD remediation site. The Lyons Run Watershed Greenway is a landscape project in South Murrysville conceived to prioritize properties impacting the stream.
