Press release shared by Tyler Hoffman on 21 February 2025
Central Pennsylvania Conservancy’s 2024 Letort Preserve accessibility projects are now complete.
Our multi-year project includes a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant parking lot and paved trail that is now available to the public at the Letort Spring Garden Preserve, located in South Middleton Township. The parking area and trailhead is located at 1110 South Spring Garden Street, Carlisle. The newly improved accessible trail runs approximately 400 feet, connecting the ADA parking lot to the Nationally Registered Melester Barn. Another trail, known as an Outdoor Recreational Access Route (ORAR) connects the Melester Barn to the Letort Nature Trail, approximately 350 feet beyond the barn. The Letort Nature Trail runs three miles from Letort Park in Carlisle to Heisers Lane in South Middletown Township. Community volunteers and Conservancy staff have undertaken native plant landscaping and re-establishment of native plant communities along the new trail.
Accessible bird feeders, an ADA-compliant picnic table, and benches have been installed near the Barn and along the improved path. Former farm infrastructure has been repurposed into two new observation platforms that were installed along the trail, offering an accessible view to the meadows and wetlands. Additional enhancements to the Preserve will continue throughout 2025 and include more native plantings, trail maps, picnic tables and benches, bird feeders and viewing amenities, and educational and interpretive signage.
The Letort Spring Garden was purchased by Central Pennsylvania Conservancy in 2018 for the purpose of protecting the headwaters of the Letort Spring Run and establishing a public nature preserve for inclusive recreational pursuits. Thanks to funding from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), County of Cumberland, Pennsylvania, and a number of other private donors, agencies, and foundations, the preserve is available for the public to enjoy in perpetuity. More information can be found at centralpaconservancy.org/letort-spring-garden-preserve.
This project, including the new parking area, accessible trails, ORAR Trail, native plantings, bird and observation areas/platforms was funded through grants and donations of money and time by the following: DCNR Community Conservation Partnerships Program, County of Cumberland-Land Partnerships Program, Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation, the South Mountain Partnership, Partnership for Better Health, PPL Foundation, the Stabler Foundation, York Building Products, Kinsley Construction, Blue Engineering, McKinney Traditional Builders, community volunteers, and many private donors. We are eternally grateful for the support we have received from our partner agencies, organizations, businesses, and community volunteers and private citizens.
We would also like to recognize Cumberland County and the Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission for playing a critical role in funding and support for the 2022 restoration of the Melester Barn and springhouse.
Thanks to our supporters, we can make improvements like our accessibility and ecological enhancement project at the Letort Spring Garden Preserve. You can ensure the continuation of work such as this project by becoming a member today. Gifts can be made online at centralpaconservancy.org/get-involved/membership/.
About Central Pennsylvania Conservancy
Central Pennsylvania Conservancy is a nonprofit, member-supported charitable organization with a mission to acquire, preserve, and protect local land and natural resources in South-Central Pennsylvania. The organization serves as the local land trust for a 6-county region (Cumberland, Franklin, Perry, Dauphin, Juniata, and northern York County).
Over 40 years, CPC has acquired, protected, and preserved over 5,000 acres in the region, expanding and connecting natural areas, while increasing public recreation opportunities. To date, CPC has transferred over 2,000 acres to the public, through land transfers to state parks, forests, and game lands.
Our vision is to create a local network of permanently protected and preserved lands, through partnerships and by fostering a community committed to conservation and acquiring key lands and easements. Join us in conserving south central Pennsylvania by volunteering or participating in our public programs.
Media Contact
Laura Moran Danko
[email protected]
717_241_4360
