For decades, a 26-acre stretch of land at Safe Harbor Nature Preserve near Conestoga was just a hayfield, cut and baled multiple times a year. That repeated mowing schedule harmed ground-nesting birds and small mammals trying to raise young there. Now that same acreage has been transformed into a native grassland meadow, complete with a newly opened half-mile hiking trail that loops visitors right through the restoration.
The Lancaster Conservancy, which acquired Safe Harbor Nature Preserve in 2019, began planning the ecological restoration that same year, according to PennLive. The preserve sits within the Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape, a region designated by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that spans municipalities bordering the Susquehanna River in Lancaster and York counties. The new yellow-blazed trail winds through both the restored meadow and adjacent woodlands, giving hikers a close look at habitat built specifically for wildlife that has struggled to find room elsewhere in the state.
To pull off the conversion, the conservancy used a custom seed mixture of 32 native plant species grown from local ecotypes by Ernst Conservation Seeds, planted with a drill seeder loaned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission in consultation with Pheasants Forever and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, according to WeConservePA. Restoration work was funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program, per PennLive's reporting. Seven of the 26 acres were also planted with native trees and shrubs that now offer perches for birds, nesting and roosting cover for turkeys, forage and cover for white-tailed deer, and habitat for large mammals.
Built for Five Struggling Pollinators
The restoration specifically targets five pollinator species: the monarch butterfly, American bumblebee, regal fritillary, columbine duskywing, and frosted elfin. All five are classified as Species of Greatest Conservation Need under the Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan and are being targeted for pre-listing conservation efforts by federal and state agencies, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The strategy reflects a statewide push, since grasslands and shrublands are critically limited and declining habitats across Pennsylvania, prompting officials to prioritize converting former agricultural land before these species require formal endangered species protections.
Brandon Tennis said in a news release that the trail gives visitors a chance to observe ecosystem life firsthand and connect with the habitat restoration work taking place on the ground. Beyond the five focal insects, the broader native grassland meadow now provides habitat for ground-nesting and migratory birds, along with a mix of large and small mammals and other pollinator species, PennLive reports.
Working Around Active Power Lines
One complication set this project apart from a typical meadow restoration: PPL retained an active utility right-of-way running through the property. The conservancy worked with PPL to develop a specialized planting mix that establishes productive, low-growth wildlife habitat without interfering with the overhead transmission lines, per the same WeConservePA account. Lancaster Conservancy forester Eric Roper has described these kinds of meadow restorations as natural sponges during heavy rain, capturing stormwater runoff and filtering sediment before it reaches Witmer Run, the Conestoga River, and the Susquehanna River, while the plants' deep root systems function as long-term carbon sinks, according to the Lancaster Conservancy.
The land itself has a longer backstory. PPL donated the property in 2011 as part of the “PPL Project,” a landscape protection initiative that drew funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, The Conservation Fund, Lancaster and York counties, PPL, Talen Energy, and Brookfield Renewable, according to the conservancy's preserve page. Founded in 1969, the Lancaster Conservancy now protects more than 11,000 acres and manages over 50 nature preserves with more than 60 miles of public trails across Lancaster and York counties.
Trail Access and Hunting Rules
Safe Harbor Nature Preserve, located at 87 Observation Site Road in Conestoga, is open from dawn to dusk. Beyond the new meadow loop, hikers can connect to the much longer Enola Low Grade Rail Trail via a blue-blazed connector that follows Observation Road and descends a steep hill, per the conservancy's trail information. The preserve also allows archery-only hunting during official Pennsylvania Game Commission seasons within designated zones, with strict 150-yard safety buffers enforced around Observation Road and nearby residences.
The meadow opening arrives as the Lancaster Conservancy is fighting a very different kind of land-use battle elsewhere along the same river corridor. In February, the conservancy joined a regional coalition challenging a federal permit for a proposed multibillion-dollar pumped-storage hydropower facility at Cuffs Run, arguing it would submerge roughly 580 acres and disrupt nearby trail corridors along the Susquehanna River. The contrast underscores the tension running through the Susquehanna Riverlands right now, where the same land trust restoring hayfields into pollinator habitat is simultaneously pushing back against large-scale energy development just a short drive away.
