Clearwater Conservancy asks Harris Township to consider $150,000 contribution to Hess Farm easement

Clearwater Conservancy presented the Hess Farm easement project to Harris Township supervisors on Oct. 13 and requested township consideration for a funding contribution to close the final $150,000 gap.

Elizabeth Chrisfield, executive director of Clearwater Conservancy, said the organization has worked in the Slab Cabin Run headwaters for roughly 15 years to protect groundwater and streamside buffers that feed the State College Borough Water Authority. She described the Hess Farm as a 115‑acre beef operation where the landowner has taken conservation steps including riparian buffers and manure storage, and noted the Susquehanna River Basin Commission has invested in the project because the tract is an important infiltration area for the Thomas Harder well field.

Chrisfield presented an $875,000 project budget and funding partners: the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (NRCS), the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, the William C. Bullitt Foundation, Clearwater’s reserves and a landowner donation. She said Clearwater has about $150,000 left to raise to close the transaction and is aiming to close in 2026. "We would love it if Harris Township would be willing to invest in this project," she said, and offered to follow up with a letter with more detail.

Board members asked clarifying questions about zoning, watershed protections and outreach; the presenter said Clearwater will conduct further education and outreach in the spring and will share more detailed materials with staff. The board did not take a funding vote at the meeting but received the request for consideration.