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Lancaster Conservancy

@lancasterconservancy

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🌳Providing wild and forested lands and clean waterways for our community, forever.
📍50 nature preserves located in Lancaster & York counties, PA

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Tickets are live for Trail Fest 2026! Music, food, and community await as you explore one of the Conservancy’s newest nature preserves before it’s fully open to visitors!

Join us at the beautiful Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve in York County for:

🎶 Music by @cumberlandhoneypa
🌳 A Nature Discovery Walk & Trailside Talks
🍻 Beer and cider from @collusiontapworks
🍟 Food from @travelingjs23, Tipsy Boar BBQ, and @mezclaicecream
🎨 Susquehanna River Art Collection curated by @robevansart

Plus, check out the incredibly preserved and restored historic structures at Graham Nature Preserve that demonstrate the longstanding relationship between humans and our environment.

Get your Trail Fest tickets now at the 🔗 in our bio!

📸: Michelle Johnsen by @lancasterconservancy

Lancaster Conservancy’s “Summer Stew Crew” of seasonal land stewards provides hands-on preserve stewardship experience for folks who are interested in conservation work. The 2026 crew tackled projects from restoration site upkeep to trail building and maintenance.

Learn more about the 2026 crew at the 🔗 in our bio!

Thank you to the Summer Stewardship Crew for all of your hard work and everything you accomplished this summer! by @lancasterconservancy

Thank you to everyone who joined us for an energizing (if slightly chilly) Trail Fest! 🌳 We explored the intertwined human and natural history of Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve, kicked back to listen to some beautiful tunes, enjoyed food and drinks from local vendors, and spent a gorgeous fall afternoon learning and celebrating nature in the company of fellow outdoors enthusiasts. 🍂

Trail Fest would not be possible without the support of our sponsors, vendors, partners, and community. Thank you all for helping make this fun and inspiring event happen!

📸: Nick Gould Photography
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Music: Cumberland Honey, Mark Rast & Leo DiSanto
Food & Drinks: Collusion Tap Works, Traveling J's, Tipsy Boar BBQ, Mezcla Ice Cream
Sponsors: Jay Group, The Martin-Harnish Foundation, Kinsley Properties, Apex Advertising, Clark Associates, Diesel Pro, Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc., Lancaster Civil Engineering Co., Outdoor Business Alliance of Pennsylvania, WellSpan Health, and Deerin Companies
Partners: Nimblist, Triode, TAIT, Whitestone, Modern Art, York Audubon Society by @lancasterconservancy

This week, the Conservancy completed a prescribed burn at Clark Nature Preserve in partnership with the @pagamecomm as part of our efforts to care for the preserve's meadows. Grassland habitats require active management to control invasive species and support the growth of native plant life, and prescribed burns are an important and effective tool for stewarding this kind of habitat.

Prescribed burns are a lot of coordination, build up, then hurry up and wait. Safety of staff, preserve visitors, and neighboring private property is paramount. The weather conditions are monitored closely, and conditions must be just right before a burn can proceed.

This was the second prescribed burn implemented on Lancaster Conservancy property. We are excited to celebrate this successful prescribed burn, which is an important tool for caring for our natural lands!

📸: Greg Smolin by @lancasterconservancy

ANNOUNCING A NEW ACQUISITION! 🎉 We are excited to announce the upcoming acquisition of an over 20-acre property which will expand Climbers Run Nature Center and protect an additional section of the Climbers Run stream.

The property, which is located between Climbers Run Nature Center and Trout Run and Steinman Run nature preserves, includes upland forest, forested bottomlands, and a pond, in addition to a section of stream that provides habitat for native brook trout.

“The Conservancy is delighted to work with this property owner to protect a beloved forest and stream while expanding Climbers Run Nature Center, our home for hands-on conservation education in Lancaster County. Preserving this priority wildlife habitat and stream corridor is central to our commitment to keeping this landscape intact and healthy for generations to come,” said Lancaster Conservancy President and CEO Fritz Schroeder.

The Conservancy is grateful to the @padcnr Bureau of Recreation and Conservation Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund as well as the County of Lancaster for providing funding assistance to acquire this property. We are continuing to fundraise for this acquisition.

➡ Learn more at the 🔗 in our bio!

(Please Note: This addition to Climbers Run Nature Center will transfer from the owners to the Conservancy in late spring 2027 and remains closed to the public.)

📸: Anne Harnish by @lancasterconservancy

We're getting ready for Trail Fest at Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve! Trail Fest is tomorrow, October 17th, and there's still time to grab your tickets! Music, food, and community await as you explore one of the Conservancy’s newest nature preserves before it’s fully open to visitors 🌳🎶🥾🧡

Learn more and get tickets at the 🔗 in our bio!

🎥: Spencer Maldonado by @lancasterconservancy

Trail Fest is just 2 DAYS AWAY! 🎉 We can't wait to see you at Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve for a day of celebrating and enjoying the outdoors.

Trail Fest entry is easiest when you purchase your tickets in advance! If you don't have your tickets yet, you can still get them at the 🔗 in our bio.

Here are some things to know for Trail Fest:

🪑 We recommend bringing chairs or blankets for seating.

💧 Please bring a reusable water bottle. We'll have a water bottle refilling station at the event.

🥤 If you purchased a reusable Trail Fest cup last year, bring that along to use for beer and cider again this year! To reduce the use of single-use plastics at this event, those wishing to have beer or cider must bring or purchase a reusable Trail Fest cup.

🍟 Food will be available for purchase from Traveling J's, Tipsy Boar BBQ, and Mezcla Ice Cream. While we encourage you to support our food vendors, you are also welcome to bring your own food.

🍺 Beer and cider will be available for purchase from Collusion Tap Works. Outside alcohol is not permitted.

🌳 The Nature Discovery Walk will be an easy hike of about 1/2 mile over grassy surfaces with about 50 feet of elevation change. The trails at Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve are not accessible for mobility devices/strollers with wheels at this time.

🚶‍➡️The Conservancy is still in the planning process for the Graham Nature Preserve, including planning for future trails. If you want to get in a more rigorous hike ahead of attending Trail Fest, consider Robert A. Kinsley Nature Preserve (a 10-minute drive from Trail Fest).

🐶 While dogs are welcome to visit our preserves (on leash) with you regularly, we ask that you do not bring pets, other than service animals, to Trail Fest for the safety and comfort of all in attendance.

➡ More information, including the schedule, can be found on the Trail Fest website in our bio!

**Please note that Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve is closed for general visitation while Lancaster Conservancy develops a management plan for the preserve. It is open for select educational events only. by @lancasterconservancy

THANK YOU to our Trail Fest 2026 sponsors who make this event possible: @jaygroup1965, The Martin-Harnish Foundation, Kinsley Properties, @apex_advertising, @clarkassociateslancaster,@dieselpro_, Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc., Lancaster Civil Engineering Company, Outdoor Business Alliance of Pennsylvania, @wellspan_health, and Deerin Companies.

Thank you also to @nimblist, @trioderentals, @taittowers, and @whitestone_branding for their in-kind support of Trail Fest.

Trail Fest is this Saturday, October 17th at Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve! Get your tickets now at the 🔗 in our bio and join us for live music, food and drinks, and opportunities to learn about hiking and our natural lands! 🌳 by @lancasterconservancy

From the toads on the ground to the birds in the trees and everything in between, Trail Fest celebrates nature and the trails that connect us with the outdoors! 🐦 Show off your love of nature with the 2026 Trail Fest t-shirt, designed by Libby Modern of @itsmodernart!

Trail Fest is this Saturday, October 17th, at Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve. Join us for live music, food and drinks, and plenty of outdoor fun for the whole family!

Get tickets to Trail Fest and order your own Trail Fest t-shirt at the 🔗 in our bio! (Limited shirt sizes will also be available for purchase at the event.) by @lancasterconservancy

Fuel up at Trail Fest with food from @travelingjs23, Tipsy Boar BBQ, and @mezclaicecream and beer and cider from @collusiontapworks! 🍔🍦

We can't wait to see you at Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve next Saturday, October 17th for Trail Fest! Get your tickets today at the 🔗 in our bio

📸: Michelle Johnsen by @lancasterconservancy

The 17th annual Dine on Harvest Moon was an incredible celebration of nature and the work we do, together, to create places where both wildlife and people can thrive! 🐦🌳🧡

Thanks to the amazing generosity of this community, over $500,000 was raised through Dine on Harvest Moon sponsorships, tickets, raffle, live auction, in kind contributions, and donations to help the Conservancy continue protecting and restoring our wildlands and providing access to nature.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who chooses to be part of this work. THANK YOU!

📸: Nick Gould Photography by @lancasterconservancy

Celebrate all the ways we connect with nature during Trail Fest on October 17th! 🌳 Join us at Ingrid Graham Historic Hellam Nature Preserve for live music, educational Trailside Talks, a Nature Discovery Walk, food, drinks, ice cream, and opportunities to expand your outdoors knowledge.

Get your tickets now at the 🔗 in our bio!

🎥: Video by Natural Light Films

#nature #outdoors #lancasterpa #yorkpa by @lancasterconservancy