Land Protection

Lacawac’s Commitment to Land Preservation

Lacawac’s preservation efforts are driven solely by charitable and educational purposes, ensuring that conservation opportunities and responsible stewardship endure for generations. Through land protection initiatives and community engagement, we connect people to the importance of sustaining forests and waterways. Our mission safeguards clean drinking water, biodiversity, outdoor recreation, and the overall beauty and quality of life in our region.

We recognize that every property and landowner is unique, and we are dedicated to helping you find the best land preservation option for your needs. Lacawac partners with private landowners, municipalities, and conservation organizations to protect land through two primary approaches:

By preserving land today, we ensure a lasting legacy of conservation that benefits both the environment and future generations.

Lands Owned

Lacawac Sanctuary

550 Acres | Wayne County
Conserved in 1966

Open to the Public Sunrise to Sunset

Mark and Courtney Peterson Nature Preserve

87.49 Acres | Pike County
Conserved in 2022

By Appointment Only

Learn more about the Peterson Preserve

Browning Beaver Meadow Sanctuary

78 Acres | Wayne County
Conserved in 2010

Open to the Public Sunrise to Sunset

Price Simpson Wetlands Sanctuary

34.1 Acres | Wayne County
Conserved in 1996

Not Open to the Public

Protected Lands

Lake View Easement

11.16 Acres | Pike County

Lacawac Sanctuary Land Acquisition History

Year	Land Acquisition
1966	Isabel and Arhtur Watres founded the Sanctuary with a donation of 341 acres.
1976	Isable and Arthur Watres donated an 18-acre parcel.
1979	Henry and Charlotte Van Duesen Trust gave 18 acres to Lacawac (site of the beaver dam)
1994	Arthur and Isabel Watres donated an additional 76 acres.
1998	Gertrude Walker’s bequest of land in Hollisterville and a 1996 Pennsylvania Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) enabled Lacawac to purchase the 25-acre Ledges Tract.
2001	Lacawac acquired a 3-acres and a house – the Director’s Residence or Gate House. The acquisition was funded in part by a $17,000 grant from DCNR.
2003	Acquisition of 18.66 acres on the northern end of the Sanctuary, including 600 feet of Wallenpaupack lake frontage – funded by a $370,000 grant from DCNR, a $5,000 grant from the John and Helen Villaume Foundation, contributions from Arthur Watres, Chad Reed Watres, and Jack Spall and financing assistance form the Dime Bank.
2004	The Partner Ridge Tract, 10 acres, which is contiguous to the field west of the Coulter Visitor Cetner was funded at $165,000 by members’ donations and by a DCNR grant in partnership with the Delaware Highlands Conversancy.
2022	Mark and Courtney Peterson intend to donate their land to Lacawac Sanctuary. The Peterson’s donated 87 acres in December of 2022 in Lackawaxen Township in Pike County, PA. The property is known as the Mark and Courtney Peterson Nature Preserve.
2023	Lacawac purchases two Sanctuaries originally owned and maintained by the dissolved Northeastern Pennsylvania Audubon Society. The Browning Beaver Meadow Sanctuary located north of Honesdale is 78 acres and was originally conserved in 2010. The Price Simpson Wetlands Sanctuary is 34 acres and is in Lake Ariel. It was originally conserved in 1992.