LCAC fundraisers help preserve
rural Adams County

(4/18) On April 22, The Parrot in Gettysburg will host the Land Conservancy of Adams County’s 21st annual Art Auction, featuring a wide variety of original artwork created by local and regional artists—everything from painting and drawing to ceramics and other three-dimensional work.

The Parrot, located at 35 Chambersburg Street, Gettysburg, has long been the site of the Land Conservancy’s auction event. The restaurant’s new owners, Gus Zucco and Hillary Styer, will continue the tradition this year, and auctioneer Randy Hilker will again present the artwork for auction. There will also be door prizes, raffles, and more.

Donated art will be on display at The Parrot throughout the month of April. The Parrot will also host a First Friday Artists’ Reception from 4-6 p.m., April 6 to showcase the work donated to the auction. Many of the local and regional artists who donated work to the auction will be on hand to meet attendees. Doors for the auction will open at noon, with bidding beginning at 1 p.m. Admission to the event is $15 and all proceeds will support the Land Conservancy’s work.

Over the years the Art Auction has become one of the most popular fundraisers for the Land Conservancy, which works to preserve the rural character of Adams County. Since its founding in 1995, the organization has worked with local landowners to preserve 10,770 acres of rural Adams County land. The Land Conservancy works with landowners to preserve their land through the donation or sale of conservation easements. The Land Conservancy is interested in preserving land for agricultural, open space, historical, scenic, recreational, wildlife habitat, hydrologic, and ecological purposes. The Art Auction, along with the organization’s annual Road Rally, are major fundraising efforts to help the Land Conservancy fulfill its mission of rural preservation.

Another important yearly fundraiser, the organization’s annual dinner held earlier in March, raised $4,000 in support of the Land Conservancy’s mission of preserving Adams County’s rural lands and character. Also at this dinner, four landowners who preserved Adams County farmland, woodland, open spaces, and freshwater streams in 2017 were honored, and three new members were welcomed to the board of directors. These landowners were Ken and Connie Farabaugh, who preserved 60 acres in Liberty Township; Strayer and Nikki Yake, who preserved 28 acres in Oxford Township; the Civil War Trust, which preserved 23 acres in Cumberland Township; and the Sheppard family, who preserved 471 acres in Union and Conewago townships. The Land Conservancy of Adams County also recognized Ed and Linda McDannell, who preserved 36 acres in early 2018. Joining the Land Conservancy of Adams County’s board of directors at the dinner were Dave Salisbury, Denise Wood and Matt Sheads.

Additionally, the Land Conservancy of Adams County recently received the distinction of being named a "certified entity" under the federal National Resources Conservation Service’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (NRCS-ACEP)—the only certified entity in Pennsylvania, joining just three other certified entities in the nation. Since completing its first conservation easement with the NRCS in 2003, the Land Conservancy has completed twenty-four NRCS-funded easements preserving a total of 3,380 acres of county farmland. By working with the NRCS on its farmland preservation easements, the organization has helped bring more than $4.7 million to Adams County to compensate landowners who have preserved their land through the program.