Walkers Appreciate Preserved Properties

Recently Healthy Adams County and Hoffman Homes, Inc. hosted an afternoon walk around their property.  Sarah Kipp, Conservation Director for Land Conservancy of Adams County (LCAC), joined the walk and spoke about land preservation and in particular the land preserved around the Hoffman Homes property.  She amazed everyone with the fact that in the area immediately surrounding Hoffman Homes there are 10 preserved properties.  It struck me then that this high concentration of preserved properties contributed greatly to the peace and serenity of the Hoffman Homes property.  The walk there has always been one of the favorite walks of the Healthy Adams County group and this was an “aha” moment for me in understanding why.

Then I thought more about it and realized that this week’s walk at the Daniel Lady Farm was on preserved property, two other walks were on battlefield properties, and another two were on county park properties.  It struck me that the walks this group has selected as their preferred walks are largely taking advantage of preserved properties that offer the chance to experience the peacefulness of nature.  So, even though many of the LCAC preserved properties are private and are not open to the public for walking, the fact that they exist helps create the quiet, rural atmosphere that people seek out when choosing a destination for spending time outside.

In an April 2020 article by the American Psychological Association titled “Nurtured by Nature” by Kirsten Weir highlighted many of the health benefits that research has found are linked to being in nature. These include improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders, and even upticks in empathy and cooperation. Interestingly, Matthew White, a professor of environmental psychology at a university in England, found in his research that the more remote the site, the more health benefits were achieved. 

The mission of LCAC is preserving the lands we love: dedicated to preserving the rural lands and character of Adams County, PA.  The work of LCAC over the last 30 years has resulted in more than 13,800 preserved acres in our small county.  Along with properties preserved by the county farm preservation program, the PA state parks, game lands and forests, Mount Joy Township preservation and the National Park Service – there are many sections of our county that, like Hoffman Homes, are high in percentage of preserved property.  In these areas folks certainly feel the rural character of the county even if they aren’t aware of the preservation status. 

We at the Land Conservancy are always working on preserving additional properties.  If you would like to help in this effort, please contact us online at PreserveAdams.org and visit the “Get Involved” tab, or call our office at 717-334-2828.

Betsy Meyer is the vice president of the board of directors of the Land Conservancy of Adams County and is appreciative of the beautiful place we get to call home.  The Land Conservancy of Adams County is a fully accredited, member-supported, non-profit land trust with the mission to preserve the rural lands and character of Adams County.

photo by Mindi Wood