Allegheny Land Trust is working to expand its Lowries Run conservation area in Ross.
The trust is seeking to acquire 27 acres of woodlands on a single parcel located between Sewickley Oakmont and Rochester roads to the north and south, and Hillendale and Rochester roads to the east and west.
It is near, but not connected to, the trust’s existing 40-acre Lowries Run conservation area, the first parcel of which it acquired in 2001 and expanded in 2024.
It also is near the township’s 27-acre Marion Doulton green space and the former Green Valley Golf Course in Ohio Township. Ohio Township bought the 138-acre golf course to turn into its second park.
“When viewed together, these properties form a larger, connected conservation area,” said Nikole Sheaffer, vice president of development and marketing for Allegheny Land Trust.
The 27-acre parcel has been owned by Nittany Valley Holdings since 2009, according to Allegheny County real estate records. The owner approached the trust about protecting it, said Sarah Fugett, vice president of land protection for the trust.
Once acquired by the trust, the land would be protected through conservation restrictions that limit development and preserve its natural function as open space, even if it was transferred to another owner, Sheaffer said.
The trust has the land under an exclusive contract to buy contingent upon its ability to raise the required money by December. It needs $662,000, which it is working to raise through a mix of government, foundation, corporate and community sources, Fugett told Ross commissioners at their April 20 meeting.
“This is something we have put a ton of effort into,” she said.
To meet state grant match requirements, the trust says it needs $50,000 from individual supporters. The trust is accepting donations on its website at alleghenylandtrust.org/lowriesrunexpand.
According to Fugett, acquiring the land would protect the area’s scenic beauty and northern hardwood forest. It would also protect significant bird, animal and native plant habits, such as the federally endangered Indiana bat and three species of birds, including the elusive scarlet tanager.
It would help mitigate downstream flooding in the flood-prone waterway by absorbing 22.5 million gallons of rainwater each year and help maintain air quality and combat climate change by absorbing 109,125 pounds of carbon.
The trust, founded in 1993 in response to rapidly disappearing green space, has conserved more than 4,129 acres in 44 municipalities across the county and surrounding communities.
It has 20 conservation areas, including Lowries Run, open to the public.
Land swap in works
The trust and Ross are in the process of swapping land.
The trust is donating five parcels, totaling about 24 acres, generally located north of the municipal center in the area between McKnight Road and Babcock Boulevard. That transfer is expected to be completed this year, Ross Manager Jessica Crawshaw said.
The deeds prohibit development of the land, Crawshaw said. The township’s Environmental Advisory Council is interested in doing a forestry project there that would include removing debris, managing and removing invasive species and planting more trees.
The township is considering donating the Marion Doulton property to the trust. Commissioners may discuss it at their May 4 meeting, Crawshaw said.
Because Marion Doulton abuts Lowries Run, the trust says it would be easier for it to steward. It also would show local support and help the trust’s pursuit of grants.