TEMPORARY CLOSING – September 18th-November 15th at Letort Spring Garden Preserve parking lot and Melester Barn for ADA trail construction.
The Diakon Youth Services Wilderness Center sits on a 169-acre wooded property, surrounded by PA State Game Lands 305 on three sides and the Appalachian Trail Corridor on its eastern boundary. Little Dogwood Run, a tributary of Conodoguinet Creek, runs through the property.
140 acres of the Diakon property is forested, offering an undisturbed view of woodland from the adjacent Appalachian Trail and Center Point Knob, a short distance away. The remaining area is the Diakon campus. The mission of the Diakon Wilderness Center is “Nurturing change and growth in youths, families, and communities.” With that mission in mind, the Diakon Wilderness Center facilitates programs that enrich young peoples’ lives including the Center Point Day Program, Wilderness Greenhouse and Native Plant Nursery, and Youthful Offenders Program. The latter program gives students a chance to engage in alternative and outdoor education, connecting them to positive experiences that encourage self-growth. The Greenhouse and Native Plant Nursery offer a variety of forbs, shrubs, and trees native to Pennsylvania. Diakon’s dedicated staff guide students in the care of the nursery stock which are sold seasonally.
While the Diakon property is generally not open to the public, each year Diakon hosts an Outdoor Adventure Challenge, a 5km trail run. The Wilderness Greenhouse and Native Plant Nursery also have seasonal public open hours. The conservation easement held by CPC includes a trail easement that provides a section of public access that connects State Game Lands 305 and the Appalachian Trail.
The Strickler Easement is positioned against the West-Branch Conococheague Creek and is crossed by Johnston Run, a coldwater tributary. The farm is just one mile from Mercersburg, a historic town of 1500 and home to Mercersburg Academy. Route 16 connects the community with Interstate 81, just 15 minutes away.
Read More »Beginning in 2004, Central PA Conservancy and community members rallied to save what was, most recently, the historic Yeager Farm. Together, more than half a million dollars was raised to complete the acquisition.
Read More »Walter and Jessie Tyler left suburban Philadelphia in the early 1960’s when the much-opposed construction of the “Blue Route” expressway condemned a portion of their property. In search of an untouched, natural area to relocate, they found their slice of paradise along McCabe Run in Perry County.
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