North Branch Land Trust

Programs: Land conservation nblt holds 51 conservation easements on over 10,998 acres of natural land in bradford, columbia, lackawanna, luzerne, sullivan, susquehanna, wayne and wyoming counties of northeastern pennsylvania. Each easement requires annual monitoring to determine if any violations of restrictions provided for under the conservation easements have occurred on the land. Fee-owned lands nblt owns and manages several properties in our service area for the benefit of the public and for the protection of rare and endangered plant and animal species. Most of these lands are open to the public from dawn to dusk for passive recreation activities while some lands are closed or open by appointment only due to the fragile nature of the ecosystem found there. The land trust welcomes and accepts gifts of conservation land and other property providing that all land trust policies and procedures governing the acquisition of the land or other property are adhered to. On march 18, 2016 north branch land trust acquired 39. 08 acres of old rail bed lands in laurel run borough and planes township, luzerne county pennsylvania. This property represents 2. 5 miles of old rail bed which will be converted into a hiking and biking trail for public recreation. Once the trail is completed it will be deeded over to the pennsylvania bureau of forestry. During the current year, the land trust applied for a grant from the pennsylvania department of natural resources to purchase 375 acres of watershed property at the crystal lake reservoir which provides drinking water to the local area.

transfer lands north branch land trust will acquire land from time to time and transfer the land to a like-minded conservation organization. The trust will do this because sometimes other conservation organizations are better suited to manage the conservation values found on that land. During the current year, the land trust received grant awards from the pennsylania department of conservation and natural resources and from the pennsylvania bureau of forestry for the acquisition of 1,131 acres of natural lands in newport township, luzerne county pennsylvania. The project will protect endangered species and habitat, a cold water fishery, and scenic mountain highlands.

outreach and education nblt sets out to ensure that the communities in which it operates understand and value the conservation of private and public land by broadly educating the community about the importance of land conservation and smart growth strategies. During this fiscal year, the land trust offered various learning or experiential opportunities to the public and/or land trust members. Following is the list of some of the outreach and education opportunities offered either solely by nblt or in partnership with other groups from july 1, 2016 through june 30, 2017. Twenty eight educational for members and guests were held to build awareness of our mission. Following are some highlights of these events: valmont bog orchard walk showcasing rare wild orchids found only at our valmont bog sanctuary. Forest and stream exploration for children and adults to learn about the unique fauna and flora found in our region. Various guided hikes in northeastern pa including the endangered scrub oak barren habitat on bald mountain, ice harvesting history in bear creek, and bird identification hikes at our picton wildlife and other locations. Winterfest at bear creek camp to enjoy outdoor winter activities. Natural creations utilizing natural minerals to create wreaths and other natural items for display. The 18th annual nblt dinner was held honoring the delaware and lehigh national heritage corridor, which is our major fundraiser of the year. Over 70,000 was raised for the project. The 5th annual taste the harvest event was held which features food sourced from local farms and highlights the importance of local agriculture. Our annual volunteer get-together to honor our dedicated volunteer network which is over 50 strong. Volunteers help with monitoring, office work, and various activities. The north branch land trust annual holiday gathering which brings together members and guests to celebrate and recap the nblt year in conservation.