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Conservation Benefits
Symplocarpus foetidus
or Skunk Cabbage
The conservation easement placed on this property will help to preserve the water quality of Little Sewickley Creek, and protect it from non-point source pollution associated with development.
Moreover, eliminating the possible threat of development will enable the proper functioning of ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are those processes that take place in the environment and provide the resources and benefits we depend upon, and often take for granted.
For instance, the floodplain environment present at this site will provide storm water retention services, and will reduce the threat of downstream flooding in the watershed. The wetlands will function to protect against pollutants by acting as a natural filter.
Additionally, free from the possibility of habitat fragmentation caused by development, the forest will provide a healthy and contiguous habitat with breeding sites and migration corridors for birds and wildlife.
Simply by preserving this land the benefits of a properly functioning ecosystem can be fully realized.