There's a new opportunity to enjoy nature in York County. The Lancaster Conservancy and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and National Resources (DCNR) have announced that almost 1,100 acres in Hellam Township will be the home of Pennsylvania's newest state park. Susquehanna Riverlands State Park will join the Conservancy's two existing nature preserves in the Hellam Hills Conservation Area, providing protection for 2,100 acres of contiguous forests.

Phil Wenger, president and CEO of the Lancaster Conservancy, explained that the park is the result of collaboration. "For this new state park, the Conservancy identified the land to be protected, negotiated the sales agreement, completed the due diligence and allowed DCNR to purchase the land without all the work that goes into acquisition," he said. "At this point, they will begin a planning process with neighbors and partners to create a new state park that many folks from central PA will be able to enjoy."

Wenger noted that the park is currently open to the public, but there are no restrooms and the only access at the moment is via the Mason-Dixon Trail. "But after planning, it will likely have water access to launch your boat or kayak," he stated. "It will have numerous trails and viewing areas of the river. It will likely have camping in some form."

Protecting the property has been a goal of the Conservancy for some time, said Kate Gonick, senior vice president of land protection and general counsel for the Conservancy. "This property has been on the radar of conservation groups for years," she shared. "It protects water resources, upland forests and fields in a highly valued, prioritized natural landscape. We are thrilled that the commonwealth recognized its significance and chose to work with the Conservancy to develop a new state park."

Since its founding in 1969, the Lancaster Conservancy has protected more than 10,000 acres, and it owns 50 nature preserves that are open to the public. In York County, the Conservancy has focused its efforts on the Susquehanna Riverlands, which covers lands within the towns that border the river.

Both DCNR and the Conservancy have made major commitments to preserving the Susquehanna Riverlands conservation landscape, investing more than $25 million in clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation opportunities by protecting the forested hills of the lower Susquehanna River. A goal of the two organizations is to commission a public recreation plan for the Susquehanna Riverlands.

"The river and its natural resources are a treasure that locals and visitors will utilize," said Wenger. "We are working closely across the entire landscape on integrating all the public landowners, including county parks, utility companies and municipalities, to work together on protecting and managing this landscape. Our work doesn't stop with this announcement. We will continue to protect additional wooded areas of the Susquehanna Riverlands. We are in a race against time, and only by joining together, with public and private resources working across the landscape, will we achieve the success future generations rely on."

For more information on the park, including directions to it, visit http://www.dcnr.pa.gov and search for "Susquehanna Riverlands State Park."