Deer Creek Conservation Project
Protecting Local Land
UPDATE (3/31/2025) | We did it! Together with help from the Rachel Carson Trail Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and neighbors like you, we were able to successfully conserve this land! THANK YOU to all who helped spread the word, raise funds, and secure this land as a permanent green space for generations to come. We will continue to post status updates and next steps to this page.
SUMMARY | Allegheny Land Trust and community partners are working to permanently conserve 266 acres of woodlands in Indiana Township adjacent to Emmerling Community Park. This land is located in the Deer Creek Watershed and hosts a portion of the Rachel Carson Trail. Conserving this green space will preserve the character of this community, build resiliency, and provide expanded public recreational opportunities enhancing the quality of life for generations to come.
BENEFITS | The land’s permanent conservation would benefit the health, well-being, and enjoyment of current and future residents by protecting biodiversity, air and water quality, and local scenic character as well as creating connections and expanded opportunities for close-to-home passive recreation and environmental education.
Protecting this land would help to conserve the quality of the Deer Creek Watershed by allowing the continued absorption of 231.12 million gallons of rainwater annually. It would also ensure maintained air quality by annually sequestering 1.13 million pounds of carbon and removing 20,000 pounds of other pollutants.
CONSERVATION PLAN UPDATE | The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) – a long-time partner of ALT – committed to contributing significant funds to this project and to ultimately assume permanent ownership and stewardship of the land. This is a major win, as it helps fund the effort while ensuring the permanent conservation of the green space and the portion of the Rachel Carson Trail that passes through it. ALT still has the land under contract and is still raising funds with several state agencies and the community to guarantee this project’s success before the end of March 2025. Read more about the PGC news here.
FUNDING | ALT currently has an exclusive contract to purchase and permanently protect this green space contingent upon successfully raising the necessary funds for closing. A total of $2,590,000 is needed to conserve the land. To-date, the project has received financial support from the PA Game Commission, the Rachel Carson Trail Conservancy, and 140 individuals in the surrounding community.
HOW YOU CAN HELP | We have raised 93% of the funds needed to conserve this land from state agencies and local individuals. We need your help! Donations from individuals are a crucial component to every ALT land conservation project as they provide required matching dollars to unlock the full funds from state agencies and they help fill funding gaps. We hope you’ll make a donation and tell a friend about this project so we can conserve the land forever.
UPDATE (3/31/2025) | We did it! Together with help from the Rachel Carson Trail Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and neighbors like you, we were able to successfully conserve this land! THANK YOU to all who helped spread the word, raise funds, and secure this land as a permanent green space for generations to come. We will continue to post status updates and next steps to this page.
Current Project Funding Status (updated: 3/31/2025)
$2,397,465/$2,590,000
*Note: a survey determined the total acreage for the Deer Creek Conservation Project is 266.