209-acre land preserve opens in Chesco today

A new public preserve will be celebrated this afternoon in Chester County.

Representatives from the Natural Lands Trust and state and local government will oversee the official opening of the 209-acre Peacedale Preserve in Franklin Township, the trust said.

The entrance to the preserve is located on Peacedale Road between Kimbelot Lane and Walker Road in Franklin Township, which was deemed an "exceptional natural area" dominated by native plants in a 2008 botanical survey.

The Peacedale Preserve was established in 2009 when Natural Lands Trust purchased a 113-acre property from Wilkinson Nottingham, LLC, a development company. Natural Lands Trust already owned an adjacent 60-acre parcel, and the combined properties were christened "Peacedale Preserve" after a local crossroads of the same name.

Later, the non-profit conservation organization acquired another 36 acres, bringing the total preserve to 209 acres. A parking lot, trails, and signs have been installed, and the preserve will now be open to the public for hiking, wildlife viewing, and educational activities, the trust said.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony, scheduled for 1:30 p.m., will be followed by speeches and a 30-minute guided tour, said Oliver Bass, a spokesman for the trust.