Brandywine Conservancy's Environmental Management Center
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News
Brandywine Conservancy, Londonderry Township
and Chester County Preserve 117-acre Farm
Easement saves family farm from development and preserves open space
Chadds Ford, PA November 11, 2009-The Brandywine Conservancy yesterday acquired a conservation easement on the 117-acre farm of Henry and Kathryn Redcay in Londonderry Township, Chester County. The easement was jointly purchased by the Brandywine Conservancy and Londonderry Township with township funds set aside for open space preservation and a grant from Chester County's Preservation Partnership Program.
In addition to its prime farmland soils, which comprise over 80% of the property, the Redcay farm includes the headwaters of an important tributary of Doe Run, which feeds the West Branch of the Brandywine River. The farm is located on a township-designated scenic road and adjoins thousands of acres of land already preserved by the Brandywine Conservancy and Chester County. The farm has been owned the Redcay family since 1949.
"Preserving the Redcay's farm has been a priority for the township since our voters approved our open space referendum in 2003," said Richard Brown, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Londonderry Township. "We are grateful to both the Redcay family and the citizens of Londonderry Township for making this important easement possible."
"By preserving their farm, the Redcays have made a lasting commitment to both the agricultural economy and scenic landscape of the region," said John Goodall, the Brandywine Conservancy's Western Area Manager. "This project is a textbook example of a successful collaboration between a municipality and a land trust."
"Our family's property has been a working farm for much longer than the sixty years we've owned it," said Henry Redcay. "Knowing that this easement guarantees it can continue to be farmed in the future gives our entire family something to be thankful for this season."
With this easement ment acquisition, approximately 3,770 acres are now preserved in Londonderry Township, representing about 52% of its total acreage. In addition to preventing development and preserving significant views, the Redcay easement contains restrictions designed to ensure that continued farming on the property does not adversely affect the stream. The Redcays signed a soil conservation plan and installed new streambank fencing prior to the sale of the easement.
The Brandywine Conservancy was founded in 1967. It holds more than 400 conservation easements and has protected over 43,000 acres in Chester and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania, as well as New Castle County in Delaware. The Environmental Management Center provides conservation services to landowners, farmers, municipalities and developers. The staff of professional planners and natural resource managers offers technical assistance and expertise for conservation and comprehensive land use planning. Conservation easements, assistance to local governments and water protection efforts are the key elements of these programs. In 2008, the Conservancy was among the first land trusts in the country to be awarded accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
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