44-Acre Chesco Farm In East Nantmeal Is Preserved

CHESTER COUNTY, PA —A 44-acre Aguilar farm in East Nantmeal Township, Chester County, will be permanently preserved as farmland, Natural Lands, a Media-based nonprofit conservation organization announced this week.

The farm is in the Nantmeal Village Historic District, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and connects conserved land to the south with the Village of Nantmeal.

East Nantmeal Township plans to place a public trail on a portion of the property along Horseshoe Trail Road.

The agreement was reached between the Natural Lands, the property owner, and Chester County commissioners.

“My wife and I want our kids and grandkids to appreciate nature's healing qualities,” said Martin Aguilar, the landowner. “We all need to do more to preserve land. Once it's gone, it's too late.”

Jack Stefferud, Natural Lands senior director, said the property is special because of the water quality of Beaver Run, which connects French Creek, which flows into the Schuylkill River.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has designated the Beaver Run basin as having exceptional value water quality.

The waterways are important sources of drinking water and recreation for the Delaware Valley, making their protection essential to our region.

“The area around the creek banks is a floodplain, which absorbs and slows stormwater during major rainstorms,” Stefferud said.

A small wetland area on the property teems with diverse plants, insects, and wildlife.

Funding for the project was underwritten by East Nantmeal Township, Conservancy Grant Program, and Chester County commissioners.

Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline said the county is pleased to partner with Natural Lands and East Nantmeal Township on preserving this irreplaceable natural and historical site.

“Preserving a property like this one checks all the right boxes in Chester County’s efforts to invest wisely in open space,” the commissioners said in a joint statement.

“The Aguilar property has historical value, the Beaver Run Creek runs through it, its woodlands extend the amazing high-quality woodlands already preserved there, and it is all located within the fast-developing Route 100 corridor."