Diakon Wilderness Center Easement
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.
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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.
The new development of suburban uses is changing the landscape’s character. Pastoral and natural features of the Strickler farm are significant to the preservation of landscape resources and the advancement of public policy. Franklin County is a breadbasket for PA, consisting of a fertile valley between South Mountain and the Kittatinny Ridge. The farm is contiguous in an Agricultural Security Area with a large block of land protected through the farmland preservation program administered by Franklin County. Because of less productive soils, the Strickler Farm has not been competitive in the same program, but the sensitivity of those soils, steep slopes, wetlands, and associated resources make it a natural fit for a conservation easement with an independent holder.
The Property and its preservation are intensely important to Tim Strickler, who has committed decades practicing sustainable and restorative agriculture, there. For its owners, and to the public benefit, it secures pastoral character, intact riparian systems, bluff habitats, and abundant wildlife.
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.
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