The public will soon gain greater access to a storied trout stream and adjacent acreage, thanks to a coalition of local organizations and state agencies.
A gathering Thursday morning celebrated the preservation of 58 acres straddling more than a mile of Conewago Creek along Ziegler Mill Road in Butler Township.
Plans call for installation of a 10-space parking lot and access lane in the coming weeks and development of trails with educational signs in the longer term.
About 20 donors and representatives of entities involved in two-year purchase process took part in a ceremonial groundbreaking at the site near Rose Lane, about three-quarters of a mile southwest of Ziegler Mill’s intersection with Biglerville Road (Pa. Route 34).
Helping to make the purchase happen was “the biggest challenge ever” and “a dream come true” for Adams County Trout Unlimited (ACTU), said its treasurer, Dave Swope. ACTU had a hand in gaining about 13 donations of $1,000 or more from groups and individuals plus “hundreds” of smaller gifts, Swope said.
The 274-member group has an agreement with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) to manage the creek, Swope said. The stream is open only to catch-and-release fly fishing and is stocked with trout three times yearly by PFBC and once yearly by the Mummasburg Sportsman’s Association, Swope said.
The creek is well known among anglers, including members of the Trout Unlimited chapter in northern Virginia, who have been the Adams chapter’s longtime partner in caring for the stream, Swope said. Representatives of the Virginia group attended Thursday’s event.
The creek is “iconic,” PFBC President B.J. Small said, offering “kudos” to all who made the purchase a reality, including the seller. Knouse Foods “was a terrific landowner as far as working with the coalition” through a process that required “a lot of determination and patience,” Small said. No Knouse representative was present.
Knouse “should be commended” for its “foresight” and public-mindedness in facilitating a purchase that guarantees preservation, Adams County Land Conservancy (LCAC) Conservation Director Sarah Kipp said. The purchase creates a “corridor” of protected land because it abuts a farm where land has already been preserved through an easement, she said.
Knouse acquired the land in 1986 and partnered with ACTU to allow public use of the creek, according to an LCAC release. In 2019, Knouse reached out to parties interested in preservation, including the Watershed Alliance of Adams County, and began conversations about a potential sale, according to the release.
LCAC acted as a “main artery” as funding was assembled, Swope said.
LCAC applied for and received a $200,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and, after the purchase was completed, transferred the parcel to the PFBC at the end of 2021, according to the release.
PFBC contributed $84,000 while ACTU raised $16,000 from its members and the Virginia chapter, and added a $40,000 grant from the Warehime Foundation of Hanover, according to the release.
ACCD was able to gain $75,000 for the purchase through the state’s Unconventional Gas Well Fund, according to the release.
Those dollars “pushed it over the finish line,” ACCD Director Adam McClain said Thursday. The project “has everything” from conservation to opportunities for recreation and bank stabilization that can improve water quality, he said.
State Rep. Torren Ecker, R-193, was in attendance Thursday.
During 20 years with the Adams County Office of Planning and Development, Rural Resource Planner Mark Clowney said he has rarely seen a project that brought so many partners together.
The project is “a feather in the cap of Adams County,” Clowney said.
Adams County Commissioner Jim Martin agreed, saying such amenities draw people to the county, giving the project an “economic development” aspect.
Gifts from businesses, including in-kind services, totaled more than $62,000, Swope said. As just one example, he said Sharrah Design Group of Gettysburg donated drawings needed for the Butler Township regulatory process.
At the event, Adrienne Capps represented Vulcan Materials Company of Hanover, which is donating stone for the parking lot.
Also present was Greg Smith of Conewago Enterprises, who said the Hanover business planned to donate work including grading and installation of stone.
“We’re excited to help out,” said Smith, noting New Enterprise Stone and Lime of Gettysburg plans to provide asphalt portions of the project, necessitated in part to provide handicapped access.
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