Elizabethtown, Pa. – Lancaster Conservancy is excited to announce the dedication of the High Family Nature Preserve in recognition of the extraordinary generosity of the High Foundation, The Calvin and Janet High Family Foundation, Suzanne High, and Don and Lisa Clark. This 112-acre nature preserve, formerly known as Donegal Highlands, has recently undergone extensive ecological restoration by the Conservancy in addition to the construction of 2 miles of new hiking trails. The High Family Nature Preserve is located across from Mount Joy Township’s Old Trolley Line Park, which serves as parking and access for the preserve, as well as the nearby multimodal Conewago Recreation Trail.
Members of the High families and foundations cut the ribbon at the dedication of the High Family Nature Preserve (Photo by Nick Gould Photography)“The High Foundation is honored by the Lancaster Conservancy’s decision to dedicate this preserve in recognition of the High Family,” said Robin Stauffer, Executive Director at the High Foundation. “For decades, the High Family has invested deeply in the Elizabethtown community – where S. Dale High began his journey at Elizabethtown College – and in the stewardship of our natural environment. This preserve is a fitting tribute to that legacy, reflecting the Family’s passion for vibrant communities and a commitment to protecting the natural world. We believe it will bring beauty, prosperity, and peace to all who visit for generations to come, aligning with the very mission of the High Foundation.”
“We are deeply grateful for the generations of support from the High families, whose commitment ensures that the Lancaster Conservancy can continue protecting and restoring the natural lands that define our region,” said Fritz Schroeder, President and CEO of Lancaster Conservancy. “The High Family Nature Preserve stands as a living testament to that legacy – where our dedicated team of foresters and land stewards have enhanced the habitat and created welcoming trails, inviting the community to explore, learn, and find inspiration in nature.”
The recent restoration efforts at the High Family Nature Preserve demonstrate the Conservancy’s efforts to not only permanently protect natural lands but also restore those lands to ecological health. Due to years of human impact, our region’s remaining islands of forest, wetland, and meadow require intensive ongoing stewardship.
The Conservancy’s professional stewardship staff consulted with other land trusts and carefully studied the preserve to create an ecological restoration plan. That plan included the use of climate-smart forestry to encourage more layers of successional forest and to care for the meadow habitat at the preserve, as well as the removal of invasive species like bush honeysuckle, autumn olive, and privet. The restoration work done in 2023 and 2024 will allow for greater ecosystem diversity at High Family Nature Preserve, supporting more native plants and wildlife. The Conservancy also thoughtfully planned to mitigate and then repurpose the impact of its restoration efforts into opportunities to open the preserve to the public, giving visitors to the neighboring Old Trolley Line Park more options for outdoor recreation.
Hikers can spot large boulders along the trails at High Family Nature Preserve (Photo by Avery Van Etten)
“We are honored to support the Lancaster Conservancy as they work hard to preserve land while also creating opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors through their hiking trails and hands-on learning events,” said The Calvin and Janet High Family Foundation. “Members of our family have enjoyed exploring the hiking trails created and maintained by the Lancaster Conservancy and we are excited for the community to enjoy the High Family Preserve!”
The 2-mile natural surface trail system at the High Family Nature Preserve explores three distinct features – the restored meadow, giant diabase boulders, and two cold streams that run through the preserve before joining Conewago Creek. The trail loops through this unique landscape, allowing visitors to observe various ecosystems and the evolution of the restoration work as they cross small bridges the Conservancy has built across streams and step around towering boulders covered in moss and lichen.
“Our family is deeply touched by this honor,” said Suzanne High, Vice Chair of the High Foundation. “To see this land restored and transformed with new trails by the Lancaster Conservancy is incredibly meaningful, not only to us but to the wider community. Knowing that the High Family Nature Preserve will be a place where people can gather, learn, and connect with nature for generations to come is a legacy we are grateful to share.”
The preserve was originally acquired from and partially donated by the Elizabethtown Area Park Authority in 2009 with funding from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Natural Lands Preservation Fund of Lancaster County.
“The High Family Nature Preserve resides within a 40-mile-long ridge that serves as the last intact long-distance forested land corridor in Lancaster County,” said Brandon Tennis, Senior Vice President of Stewardship at Lancaster Conservancy. “This ridge leads from the Schuylkill Highlands of Berks County to the Furnace Hills of Lebanon County and on through Lancaster County and six nature preserves of the Lancaster Conservancy on its way to the Susquehanna River. These nature preserves – including the High Family Nature Preserve – will always be strongholds of habitat and outdoor recreation in Lancaster County.”
Learn more about the High Family Nature Preserve and download a trail map here:
About Lancaster Conservancy
Lancaster Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust that has protected over 11,000 acres of natural land since its founding more than 50 years ago. The Conservancy manages over 50 nature preserves in Lancaster County and in York County in the Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape. Volunteer, sign up for an event, find a preserve, or donate at lancasterconservancy.org.
About the High Foundation
With a heart of service and a spirit of collaboration, High Foundation builds Bridges to Opportunity for individuals, organizations, and communities, striving for an equitable world of beauty, prosperity, and peace. Funded by proceeds from the High companies, our work is fulfilled through High Impact Initiatives that harness collective power for transformational change in identified areas of need and by providing Opportunity Grants to community partners that lead to economic vibrancy and community well-being. We are led by our core values of Servant Leadership, Boldness, Equity, Stewardship, and Optimism, and we are continuously inspired by the words of our benefactor S. Dale High: “We are on this earth for a purpose that is larger than our own self-interests, and we must strive to make the world a better place.”