North Branch Purchases 390 Acre Crystal Lake Tract

The North Branch Land Trust (NBLT) has recently purchased an important 389-acre tract of land in Bear Creek Township, Luzerne County which will assist with water protection for the Delaware River and will improve public access and recreation opportunities to the Pinchot State Forest lands surrounding Crystal Lake.

The property sits atop the Delaware River Watershed and harbors wetlands and head water streams that feed into the Delaware River via the Bear Creek and Lehigh River. Trails on the property connect to existing trail networks on the neighboring state forest land. North Branch will be transferring the 389-acre parcel to the Pennsylvania State Forest system.

NBLT is grateful to have been able to purchase the land through grant support from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Recreation and Conservation Community Conservation Partnership Program with funding from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, and the Open Space Institute’s Delaware River watershed Protection Fund which is made possible with funding from the William Penn Foundation for its Delaware River Watershed Initiative to protect water quality in the Delaware River Basin.