North Branch Land Trust (NBLT)

Land conservation nblt holds 58 conservation easements on over 11,400 acres of natural Land in bradford, columbia, lackawanna, luzerne, sullivan, susquehanna, wayne and Wyoming counties of northeastern Pennsylvania. Each easement requires annual monitoring to determine if any violations of restrictions provided for under the conservation easements have occurred on the Land. Fee-owned lands nblt owns and manages several properties in our service area for the benefit of the public and for the protection of rare and endangered plant and animal species. Most of these lands are open to the public from dawn to dusk for passive recreation activities while some lands are closed or open by appointment only due to the fragile nature of the ecosystem found there. The Land Trust welcomes and accepts gifts of conservation Land and other property providing that all Land Trust policies and procedures governing the acquisition of the Land or other property are adhered to. On march 18, 2016 North Branch Land Trust acquired 39.08 acres of old rail bed lands in laurel run borough and planes township, luzerne county Pennsylvania. This property represents 2.5 miles of old rail bed which will be converted into a hiking and biking trail for public recreation. Once the trail is completed it will be deeded over to the Pennsylvania bureau of forestry. The trail is currently under construction.

Outreach and education nblt sets out to ensure that the communities in which it operates understand and value the conservation of private and public Land by broadly educating the community about the importance of Land conservation and smart growth strategies.

Transfer lands North Branch Land Trust will acquire Land from time to time and transfer the Land to a like-minded conservation organization. The Trust will do this because sometimes other conservation organizations are better suited to manage the conservation values found on that Land. During the prior year, the Land Trust received grant awards from the pennsylania department of conservation and natural resources for the acquisition of 1400 acres of natural lands in newport and hanover townships, luzerne county Pennsylvania. The Land was purchased and transferred to the bureau of forestry. The project protects endangered species and habitat, a cold water fishery, and scenic mountain highlands.