First Posted: 9/23/2013
North Branch Land Trust recently closed on a very important land conservation project in the Back Mountain.
Even though NBLT has conserved over 13,000 acres across our region, this is the very first property conserved in the Back Mountain. The property is the Forest Echo Bird Sanctuary formerly owned by Wyoming Seminary.
Forest Echo Bird Sanctuary is a priority property for protection, given its proximity to the Huntsville Reservoir and encroaching residential housing developments. The property provides direct watershed protection to the Huntsville Reservoir and buffers runoff from the surrounding developments.
The 17-acre property, located off West Center Hill Road in Dallas Borough, will forever be a sanctuary for birds as per the wishes of the original donors, Rachel and Dr. Sarah Wyckoff.
NBLT held a ribbon cutting at the sanctuary on Monday, Sept. 23. Kip Nygren, president of Wyoming Seminary, members of NBLT’s board of directors and the donors who made the project possible were in attendance.
