The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources this week announced the commitment of $1.2 million in state funds to help acquire about 5,000 more acres of prime watershed and forestland in Lackawanna County.

In addition to the state funds, Lackawanna County is providing $4 million from its 2006 capital budget. The state's $1.2 million is from Growing Greener II funding.

The joint land conservation effort was announced by Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis and Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robert C. Cordaro at the 16th Annual Evening for Northeast Pennsylvania's Environment hosted by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council.

"It is not often we get a chance to save lands that hold so much value for a region," said Secretary DiBerardinis. "These parcels protect highly diverse ecological habitats including extensive wetlands in the Frytown section, riparian habitats along Roaring Brook and barrens habitat on Moosic Mountain. They also provide important connectivity to state game lands, protected lands on Moosic Mountain and Tobyhanna and Goldsboro state parks."

"From the beginning of our administration, we recognized that one of our critical missions had to be restoration and protection of the natural environment," said Cordaro. "No other county in Pennsylvania suffered more from coal mining, heavy industry, landfills and hazardous material sites than we did. In that regard, we have developed a plan and created the resources to execute that strategy. We are very pleased that the state, The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy have come on board with us to assist. It is important to note that this is only phase I of our efforts in Lackawanna County."

The land parcels are located along eastern Lackawanna County, near its border with Wayne County, stretching north to south from near Carbondale to near Frytown. The largest parcels are about 1,500 acres in the Frytown and Moosic areas. The land purchase is made up of contiguous and non-contiguous parcels.

The Conservation Fund and The Nature Conservancy are facilitating the land purchase and providing some funding for miscellaneous costs associated with legal, administrative and closing requirements.

"Thanks to the leadership of Lackawanna County and the support and commitment of the commonwealth and the Theta Lands Corp., we are protecting sensitive wildlife habitat, preserving water quality and expanding important recreational lands," The Conservation Fund President Larry Selzer said. "This public-private partnership demonstrates the extraordinary results that can be achieved when corporations, public agencies and nonprofit organizations work together to find balanced conservation solutions."

"Identifying environmentally significant lands to preserve is a crucial element in Pennsylvania's long-term conservation success," said Bill Kunze, The Nature Conservancy's Pennsylvania state director. "In conjunction with DCNR and other conservation organizations, we have identified these parcels as strategic conservation targets for the continued health and restoration of Penn's Woods and Waters. By working together, we are leveraging our scientific and conservation expertise to better protect the commonwealth for future generations."

Once the purchase is complete, which is expected to take place by spring 2007, the land will be turned over to Lackawanna County and DCNR's Lackawanna State Forest.

These 5,000 acres are part of thousands of acres of prime watershed lands in the region owned by the Theta Lands Corp. In 2004 the Commonwealth, Luzerne County and The Conservation Fund purchased several parcels of Theta lands covering more than 10,000 acres in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. The majority of those lands are being managed today as part of DCNR's Lackawanna State Forest.

10/20/2006