Saving Our Special Places

From the Allegheny and Ohio to the Delaware, Pennsylvania holds places of extraordinary natural beauty. We all reap the benefits of this bounty every day - clean air and water; world-class outdoor recreation; abundant, diverse wildlife; and quiet places where we can recharge.

These resources are so essential to our well-being that communities across the state have enthusiastically voted for bonds and taxes dedicated to conserving their forests, fields, watersheds and treasured open spaces. Growing Greener has empowered them to do much more than they ever could on their own and the results have been remarkable: more than 42,000 acres saved in just the past four years. These 42,000 acres include lands for:

• New recreational trails and extensions of popular existing trails;
• New and expanded local, county and state parks;
• Expanded hunting and fishing opportunities;
• Protecting wildlife and natural areas for public enjoyment; and
• Preserving other green spaces of importance to communities, whether for aesthetics, recreation, historic battlefield preservation, flood prevention, community identify or other conservation purposes.

The same development pressures that consume working farms and forests still threaten the natural and scenic landscapes that are vital to our health and prosperity. Pennsylvania is losing three acres of open space for every acre we protect. Should Growing Greener come to an end, our communities will struggle to preserve the special places that define their heritage and sustain their quality of life.