The North Branch Land Trust (commonly referred to as NBLT) is a

conservation easement In the United States, a conservation easement (also called conservation covenant, conservation restriction or conservation servitude) is a power invested in a qualified private land conservation organization (often called a "land trust") or gove ...

group that aims to buy the developing rights to land in the Back Mountain area of the Northeastern part of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The North Branch Land Trust was established in 1993 and has grown from one conserved property a year to over 12,000 acres of conserved land. The watersheds affected by the NBLT are the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

and

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

watersheds. North Branch has conserved privately owned farms and camps, and bought entire pieces of property. The mission of this conservation easement is to aim for the long-term management of natural resources by the conserving forests and woodlands and preserving the land for continuous use. North Branch works with landowners to sell the developing rights to the land. This will not only help with evening out the construction rate but also help the

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...

and the watersheds in this area.

History

The North Branch Land Trust works to conserve the landscapes that sustain the earth through the landowners and their communities. The NBLT originated in 1993 when friends and neighbors wanted a way to protect their land from developers. In 1995, a couple looking to preserve their 43-acre farm near

Shickshinny Shickshinny is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 630 at the 2020 census. The borough is named after Shickshinny Creek, which runs through the municipality and the surrounding area. According to the book ...

Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Luzerne County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeastern Pennsylvania's second-largest county by total area. As of ...

became the first of many properties conserved by the North Branch Land Trust.

Mission

The North Branch Land Trust's mission is to help landowners conserve their property and help communities establish smart growth strategies for the benefit of their citizens. NBLT aims for the long-term management of

natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...

by the conserving and preserving forests and woodlands, watersheds and waterways, wildlife habitat, agricultural lands and open space in both

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

and urban areas. The North Branch protects and enhances scenic natural beauty and cultural landmarks throughout the Back Mountain. The land owned by the NBLT is for public use at any time during the year. Anyone may use the trails and land at their leisure. The North Branch intends to preserve these lands for the use of the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

and the protection of the land.

Conserved lands

Since the North Branch Land Trust has been conserving lands there has been a total of 53 properties and 10,831 acres, across eight counties in the Northeastern region of Pennsylvania conserved. That does not include the 1,250 acres that the North Branch owns completely. In these counties, countless properties have environmental treasures that are nearly extinct. Such as spring seeps,

vernal pools Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are seasonal pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals. They are considered to be a distinctive type of wetland usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe ...

, acidic shrub swamps, rare red spruce swamps, and an extremely rare glacial kettle bog. This all consumes one property, Bear Creek Camp in Luzerne County. There are other lands conserved with special and biologically significant features such as the Macialek property, and Kuryloski Woods. In 2010 NBLT conserved 3,000 acres in Luzerne County. This property, named after the fact that it was sold for only half its worth, Mocanaqua Tract was preserved to save the rare cranberry bog and

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

that grow on this property. Like most of the lands conserved by the NBLT this property also has a trail system that the public may use at any time.

Watershed

In the Northeastern part of Pennsylvania the watershed is the north branch of the

and the Delaware watershed. Some of the properties eventually end up in the Susquehanna River and the other in the

, which is one of the very reasons the North Branch Land Trust formed. The purpose of the Land Trust is to not only protect the land from being ruined by developers, but also protect the land and rivers downstream and throughout the rest of that side of the state. By protecting the land, the streams can stay free of pollution from humans and construction. The Bureau of Conservation and Restoration is a department through the state of Pennsylvania that aims to bring polluted streams and lakes off of the impaired waters list.

References

*http://www.lexisnexis.com *http://www.nblt.org/brief-history *http://citizensvoice.com/news/land-trust-acquisition-to-boost-preservation-1.1619488 * *http://eds.a.ebscohost.com *{{cite web, url=http://www.nblt.org/luzerne-county/bear-creek-camp, website=www.nblt.org, access-date=2023-09-24, title=Bear Creek Camp, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913000517/http://www.nblt.org/luzerne-county/bear-creek-camp, archive-date=13 Sep 2010, publisher=The North Branch Land Trust *http://www.nblt.org/mission *http://www.depweb.state.pa.us

External links

North Branch Land Trust
- official site Land trusts in Pennsylvania Protected areas of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Protected areas of Wyoming County, Pennsylvania