2006 News

September 18 , 2006

Bucks County Commissioners' Preservation of 100th Farm Highlights Annual Outdoor Meeting Celebration

Acquisition of 127-acre Dana Stott-Cohen Property Nudges County Agricultural Land Preservation Program to Historic Milestone

A decade-and-a-half ago, the Bucks County Commissioners made a commitment to agricultural land preservation that has become both a hallmark of county government and a unique source of pride for county residents.

By approving tonight’s resolution to preserve the 127.371-acre Dana Stott-Cohen farm in Wrightstown Twp., the commissioners reached a long-awaited milestone that must have seemed like a world away when they preserved the first farm back in 1989. The commissioners took action in the company of many farmers and their families who have, too, had their land preserved through the program. They were joined by invitees from the Agricultural Land Preservation Board, Penn State Cooperative Extension, and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“The Stott-Cohen farm is a quintessential example of the type of Bucks County farmland we have aggressively sought to preserve,” said commissioners’ Chairman James F. Cawley, Esq. “With its rolling vistas, lush greenery and top-quality soil, we have preserved a gem of a farm for our county.”

Surrounded on three sides by the Neshaminy Creek and Tyler State Park, the Stott-Cohen farm dates from William Penn’s era and has been continuously active for agriculture since that time. It showcases an 1832 farmhouse, barn, various out buildings and a private airplane runway strip that was once the pride and joy of Dana Stott-Cohen’s father. Deer graze leisurely throughout the property’s rows of corn stalks.

The purchase is a perpetual easement which is a joint endeavor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Bucks County and Wrightstown Twp. “With this addition to our program, Bucks County has preserved over 9,100 acres of precious farmland,” said Commissioner Charles H. Martin, who has been an integral part of the county’s land-stewardship.

Bucks County was the fourth county in the commonwealth to create a farmland preservation program under the Authorization of Pennsylvania Act 43,” said Commissioner Sandra A. Miller, who has made farmland preservation a priority throughout her stint as the longest-continuous tenured commissioner in Bucks County history. “Since 1989, county funds allocated to farmland preservation have totaled $21.3 million.

As the commissioners prepare for the next phase of agricultural preservation, the county will receive financial assistance through Pennsylvania Growing Greener II, which approved $100 million for farmland preservation over the next five years.

Rich Harvey oversees the Agricultural Land Preservation Program, under the auspices of the county’s Planning Commission.

" Bucks County’s legacy of land stewardship will be on display for all residents through joint projects such as the Stott-Cohen farm,” Cawley added. “It is an honor to preserve such properties in perpetuity. We greatly appreciate the support from all the farm owners who have participated, and we count on their contemporaries to maintain this important program.”