Chester County permanently protected more than 1,200 acres of land in 2024, officials said in a review of their open space programming last year. The county runs two preservation initiatives — Open Lands and Agricultural Preservation — that target at-risk farmland, vital ecological land and areas of public interest for recreation. The investment comes as the county continues to see significant increases in development of new properties in many of its municipalities. All told, preserved land covers roughly 31% of Chester County. Some 65,000 acres of farmland, open space, nature preserves and parks have been saved since the programs launched.
Source: West Chester Patch; 1/30/2025