The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association and PennTrails are seeking sites for two workshops that will teach attendees how to build trails in wet areas. Once sites are selected, the workshops will be scheduled for sometime in 2020. Sites must include: A wet area for the trail-building demonstration Indoor space with electricity and seating for up to 30 people for read more
New Guide: Solar Energy Development and Land Conservation
An enormous boost in solar energy production is one of the actions needed to help stop the dramatic rise of carbon in the atmosphere and better ensure civilization's long-term prospects. The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association (PALTA) recently created and published a new ConservationTools.org guide to explore issues that conservationists may want to consider in order to both read more
PALTA Finalizes Trail Group Finder
Following two months of public review of the beta version, the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association finalized its tool for finding trail groups across Pennsylvania. The map-based tool allows users to search for groups by county or identify the groups associated with a specific trail. It also allows users to search by trail type and other criteria. The tool’s purpose is to help read more
PALTA Publishes 24 New and Revised Guides, Including Guide to Permits for Using Conserved Lands
Permits for Events, Hunting, Camping, and Other Uses of Conserved Lands Requiring permits for certain activities on conservation lands (such as events, hunting, and camping) helps land managers ensure that the activities do not negatively impact the land or others’ enjoyment of it. The permit-application process can also serve to inform users of the rules for using the land. read more
PALTA Publishes New Guidance on Liability Protection
The Pennsylvania Land Trust Association has published new and updated guidance on the protections provided to land trusts, local governments, and other landowners against claims of personal injury and loss of property by people using their land. PALTA developed substantial amendments to Pennsylvania's Recreational Use of Land and Water Act (RULWA) signed into law by Governor read more
Pennsylvania General Assembly Protects Conservation Easements from Irresponsible Exercise of Eminent Domain
Following votes in the Pennsylvania House (177-15) and Senate (37-12), Governor Tom Wolf signed HB 2468 into law as Act 45 of 2018 on June 24. The bill, which was introduced in early June by Representatives Warren Kampf, Kate Harper, and Marcy Toepel, establishes for conservation easements a crucial new safeguard: school districts, county and local municipal governments, and read more