York County adopts conservation purchase of 51.2-acre Springfield Township farm

The York County Board of Commissioners adopted a consent agenda at its April 30 meeting that includes a conservation acquisition of a 51.2-acre property owned by Joseph and Donna Kaiser in Springfield Township.

County and partner representatives said the parcel sits adjacent to a previously conserved parcel known as Beck Farm and contains soils largely designated as prime farmland. "This property sits adjacent to a project that we did...the Beck Farm," said Sean Kenny, executive director of the Farmer Natural Land Trust of York County, who described the site and its role in local preservation efforts.

The trust and the York County Agricultural Land Preservation Board identified the property as 51.2 acres with roughly 65% of the soils designated as prime farmland. The parcel lies in the South Branch Codorus watershed and includes a wetland, a freshwater pond and an unnamed tributary that feeds into the South Branch Codorus. Meeting remarks said most of the property is active agriculture with a small area of mature woods.

Sean Kenny said the parcel adds contiguous protected acreage to earlier preservation work in the area; he described public visibility of the property from Sitesville Granary and Southroads and invited commissioners to events connected to the trust.

The conservation acquisition was listed among items the board approved when it voted to adopt items 1 through 32 on the agenda by voice vote; the motion carried. The presentation did not include a timetable for closing or details about purchase price or funding sources beyond noting the item was on the consent agenda.