Nature Conservancy Protects Nearly 80 Acres Adjacent to Tannersville Cranberry Bog

Acquisition adds to contiguous wetlands system and buffers preserve’s southern boundary from future development

POCONO TOWNSHIP, PA – The Nature Conservancy announced Thursday that it has protected 78 acres near the southern boundary of its Tannersville Cranberry Bog in Monroe County. The Conservancy purchased 67 acres of the property from the estate of the late Margaret Bryson, a local elementary schoolteacher. Bryson also bequeathed 11 acres to the Conservancy.

“Monroe County is the second-fastest growing county in Pennsylvania and the second-fastest growing county in the New York City metropolitan area,” said William Kunze, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. “We are fortunate that, as a school teacher, Margaret Bryson understood the educational, cultural and conservation value that Tannersville Cranberry Bog has offered many local students and visitors since the Conservancy first began working here in 1957.”

Bryson’s property was of concern because the property was highly desirable for residential development and could have supported a subdivision with roughly 20 houses. Bryson and her sister, Ruth, also a schoolteacher, both lived in a 19th century farmhouse on the property and their strong sense of the heritage influenced them to keep the farmhouse looking much as it did in the 1800s. Bryson’s estate will retain the existing farmhouse on the property and several acres surrounding it.

Major funding for the purchase was provided through the Monroe County Open Space Program and a community conservation grant provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

This 78-acre property adds to the contiguous wetlands system and provides valuable buffer land against future development near the southern boundary of the Tannersville Cranberry Bog.

Tannersville Cranberry Bog was one of The Nature Conservancy’s first preserves. Approximately 600 acres of the preserve is owned by the Conservancy and the balance is owned by Pocono Township and leased to the Conservancy. The relict boreal bog was once a huge glacial lake. Since the ice receded 10,000-15,000 years ago, approximately 40 feet of peat has accumulated on the floor of what was once a 715-acre lake. Today, the bog stands out in contrast to the surrounding forests.

At nearly 900 acres, the preserve is home to several species common to more northerly climates such New England and Canada, including the snowshoe hare. The bog also supports plant species such as the northern pitcher plant, northern sundew and northern bladderwort. Many birds species also take refuge at the bog, including Canada warbler, wood thrush, scarlet tanager, golden-winged warbler, eastern towhee and whip-poor-will.

Through its local stewardship committee, the Conservancy plans to work with the local stewardship committee and the Monroe County Conservation District to incorporate the property into the overall management for the preserve. The Monroe County Conservation District’s environmental education program, which includes guided public walks at Tannersville Bog and guided walks for every fourth-grader in the County, has received national awards.

“The dynamic combination of dedicated local volunteers and the professional excellence of District staff have made Tannersville Cranberry Bog Preserve a model of community engagement in natural area conservation,” said Ralph “Bud” Cook, director of The Nature Conservancy’s Northeastern Pennsylvania Program.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit us on the Web at www.nature.org/pennsylvania.