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SunRise Mill
(236 acres) contains a historic mill and
preserved greenway along Swamp Creek in Lower
Frederick, Upper Frederick and Limerick Townships. The
historic mill is not open to the public and the remainder of
the park is largely undeveloped.
Upper Schuylkill Valley Park
(471 acres) is located across
from the county’s Parkhouse geriatric facility and along
nearly a mile of the Schuylkill River. The park provides a
wildlife exhibit in old farm buildings with several wild
animals indigenous to the area as well as farm animals.
Wissahickon Valley Park
(149 acres) combines with Fort
Washington State Park and private conservation lands to
establish a greenway along the Wissahickon Creek and
contains the Wissahickon Trail.
Schuylkill Canal
(64 acres) provides fishing access to the
Schuylkill River and canal, hiking trails, a public boat
launch, and a five-mile water loop trail. In addition to its
outdoor beauty, the site includes the historic 2.5 mile canal,
restored Lock 60 and the locktender’s house.
Municipal Open Space
More than 13,500 acres of open space and park lands are
currently under municipal ownership, making municipal
open space the largest segment of preserved land in the
county. Most of this land is owned in fee; very few
municipalities have purchased conservation easements to
protect large properties.
A significant portion of municipal open space was acquired
through Montgomery County’s Open Space Program, which
began in 1993. Other parcels of municipal open space have
been acquired through state grants, funds from previous
county programs, donations, and dedication through the land
development process. These properties may contain deed
restrictions depending upon the funding source and
circumstances of acquisition. A few municipalities, such as
Franconia, New Hanover, Skippack, Upper Merion, and
Upper Pottsgrove Townships, have held referendums
establishing a dedicated tax for acquisition of additional
open space.
Municipal open space is used for a variety of activities,
with active recreation generally being associated with
intensive park improvement, and passive recreation
requiring little or no park development. The primary park
uses in many municipalities are athletic fields, hardscape
surface sports, and playgrounds. Larger municipal open
space areas generally provide walking trails and other
forms of access for passive recreation.
Privately Conserved Open Space
Private non-profit conservation organizations own 6,825
acres of open space as part of their primary mission to
protect and conserve open land and natural resources.
These organizations protect land in a variety of ways: by
outright acquisition and ownership of special properties, by
temporary acquisition of land to place conservation
easements before conveying the property to another owner,
or by holding conservation easements on properties whose
owners wish to retain the land while restricting future
development potential.
These organizations acquire land or easements in a variety
of ways, often receiving the property or easement as a full
or partial donation for which the donor receives charitable
donation tax benefits. Private organizations have also
purchased open space with grant funds from the county,
state, or private foundations as well as using funds raised
through membership donations. Private organizations
have been particularly successful in consummating
complex land deals and forming creative partnerships to
protect large properties.
Conservation organizations manage natural lands to protect
important resources and wildlife habitat. Often times they
undertake landscape restoration projects to enhance the
natural qualities of a property. Though the primary
interests of conservation organizations are in protecting
natural resources, they allow public access to most
conserved properties along trail systems. Often they
conduct education programs on their lands.
Manderach Playground is located in Limerick
Township’s Community Park.
The Raytharn Farm property is maintained by
the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust as
part of their Wilderness Preserve.
Pennypacker Mills Mansion is a popular site
for historic events.
