The Nature Conservancy Sells ‘Nature Estate’

Home offers unique access to natural surroundings

CHERRY VALLEY, PA — February 16, 2007 — Homeowners looking for a tranquil estate with plenty of wildlife may want to contact the Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. The organization is selling a 3-bedroom home on six acres that abuts the Cherry Valley preserve.

“The Conservancy purchased this property to create a buffer zone to an existing preserve that is home to some federally endangered wildlife and critical habitat for migratory species,” said Bill Kunze, state director for the Nature Conservancy. “We are holding a conservation easement on five of the six acres to ensure that development doesn’t jeopardize the preserve while still allowing new owners to expand the home or enhance the area around existing structures.”

Kunze added that the conservation easement enables the Conservancy to protect rare species in the preserve while making the six-acre estate affordable to conservation minded buyers.

“The Conservation easement lowers the sale price by about $50,000 and guarantees that the home will have a private setting, wonderful natural views and plenty of acreage for hiking paths and enjoying the outdoors,” explained Kunze.

The property is the former Gary Bloss residence at 1384 Cherry Valley Road, Hamilton Township and is listed with Wilkins & Associates real estate agency. It features a characteristic older home, spectacular views and a landscaped yard with a large pond. The listing price is $274,000. Information about the home and property, as well as other U.S. Conservation properties for sale, is available on http://www.nature.org/conservationbuyer/. Information on the neighboring Cherry Valley Preserve is available on at nature.org/pennsylvania.

For more information on The Nature Conservancy and its work in Pennsylvania, visit nature.org/Pennsylvania. For information on these conservation projects or other Conservancy initiatives within Pennsylvania, call (800) 756-2887.

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. 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 The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.