In May 2024, Berks Nature permanently protected 139.59 acres of forest with its accompanying streams and seasonal springs in Bethel Township, Berks County. The freshly conserved property is located within a cluster of protected land with another Berks Nature conservation easement property and PA State Gamelands. Most importantly, the new easement lies within the bounds of the Kittatinny Ridge Landscape, a nationally acknowledged important conservation landscape.
The Kittatinny Ridge is considered to be Pennsylvania’s most climate resilient landscape and deemed a Global Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society. The Ridge provides a greenway for migratory animals from the Mason-Dixon Line all the way to the Delaware Water Gap and offers clean drinking water to many communities.
Property owner, Kevin Stein, has spent years collecting individual parcels that add up to a combined 139.59-acres of now protected land.
It has been a childhood dream of Kevin’s to own the Blue Mountain, growing up on these very slopes that are now permanently preserved.
“I think that God created me to preserve this land,” explained Kevin, reflecting on a lifetime of dreaming and the humbling experience of finally being able to own and protect these woods that he and so many cherish.
Kevin also has two farm properties in the area that have been protected through the Berks County Agricultural Land Preservation Program. Despite the importance of the area, Kevin recognized that it is still posed by the threat of development. With many areas along the Ridge maintaining growing populations due to the access of Route 78 and 61, conserving the wooded land in Bethel is helping to mitigate some of the threat.
The Stein Woodland gushes with spring water in the early months of the year with seeps and springs appearing anywhere you look, along with the occasional vernal pool. Knowing that this woodland will never be developed, it is assured that the many springs and streams on the property will continue to provide quality water and habitat for humans and animals alike in the future.
Financial support was provided by The Nature Conservancy of Pennsylvania.