Press release by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy posted 6 January 2026
More than 2,400 undeveloped forested acres located on Chestnut Ridge in Derry, Fairfield, and Ligonier townships in Westmoreland County are now permanently protected, thanks to the donations to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy of land and a conservation easement on property owned by several local families.
The property provides a forested buffer along several miles of Trout Run, McGee Run, Hillside Run and their tributaries. These streams are designated Cold Water Fisheries by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
The unique physiographic setting of Chestnut Ridge has created one of the most ecologically significant sites in Westmoreland County. During the formation of Chestnut Ridge, tectonic movement pushed older, deeper rock layers, such as Loyalhanna Limestone and Pottsville Group’s sandstones, closer to the surface. Centuries of erosion further exposed older rock and groundwater dissolved areas of limestone to form caves and crevices that provide critical habitat for rare species.
The Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program has recognized a portion of the ridge as the Chestnut Ridge Penn View Mountain South Natural Heritage Area, a site of global significance. A portion of the donated property is within this NHA. This NHA provides habitat for Allegheny woodrat, Western hairy rock-cress, spreading rockcress, stiff cowbane, thick-leaved meadow-rue and a number of other species of concern.
The property has an industrial past. An iron furnace operator owned the property in the 1830s. The land was later sold to local developers who mined sandstone and limestone in small, hand-worked operations. At least seven areas on the property were quarried, and several remains of buildings are visible around these sites. Until the late 1920s or early 1930s, portions of the property were farmed. As a result of grassroots efforts to save ecologically important areas on the ridge, the current owners acquired a majority of the property from landowners who attempted to start another quarry in 1991.
Approximately 2,190 acres were placed under a conservation easement, and will remain private property, to provide the highest level of protection for sensitive habitats, such as Trout Run, and species of concern. However, approximately 300 acres of the property were donated to WPC for a nature preserve that is open to the public. The preserve’s name and visitor information will be available soon on the Conservancy’s website at WaterLandLife.org/Preserves.
“This is an ecologically important area in the Laurel Highlands, and we appreciate these gifts to our region that will protect this forested area along the Chestnut Ridge with a perpetual conservation easement and for a nature preserve,” said Tom Saunders, president and CEO of the Conservancy.
For more information about conservation options to protect land, including donating conservation easements or other conservation options, please contact the Conservancy at 412-288-2777 or land@paconserve.org.
About Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.
Media Contact:
Carmen Bray
Senior Director of Communications
412-586-2358, work
cbray@paconserve.org
