A dynamic initiative designed to save land, steward natural resources, and connect people to nature led to Kennett Township’s selection for the Growing Greener Communities Award from Natural Lands Trust and the Chester County Association of Township Officials.

Calling the recognition exciting, Kennett Township Supervisors’ Chairman Scudder G. Stevens said the township received the award on Thursday, March 10, at the CCATO spring conference in Great Valley. In addition, state Sen. Andy Dinniman presented the township with a Senate citation.

“Kennett Township has provided a model for excellence in their ambitious plan to balance ecological protection and sustainable growth,” Molly Morrison, president of Natural Lands Trust, said in a press release. “Again and again we have seen the benefits that trails bring to a community. When people have access to green space, it improves the health of people and the environment.”

The township earned the award for the development of the Kennett Greenway, a 12-mile, multi-use trail. The greenway is designed to improve the township’s quality of life by providing residents with safe, convenient bicycle and pedestrian routes, connecting to residential areas, commercial centers, parks, schools, and other facilities throughout the township, the release said.

“CCATO is pleased to be able to highlight the efforts and true dedication of our local government members, the County of Chester, and Natural Lands Trust in the area of open space preservation and maintenance,” Ernie Holling, CCATO president, said in the release. “Efforts to preserve open space will help to maintain the character of Chester County for years to come.”

David Conner, representing CCATO and the review committee, said that Kennett Township's application identified several community stakeholders, a very large project ($4 million for phase 1), and, “most importantly, provides the backbone for an alternative transportation system,” the release said.

Conner noted that by giving residents and visitors an alternative to driving, the plan offers the potential to reduce traffic congestion as well as air, noise, and water pollution. When completed, “it will be the largest contiguous pedestrian and bicycle trail system in southern Chester County.”

Kennett Township Manager Lisa M. Moore said the township has worked diligently with neighboring communities “to make the Kennett Greenway project possible, and I am delighted that Kennett Township has been chosen to receive the prestigious 2015 Growing Greener Award from Natural Lands Trust and Chester County.

Moore expressed gratitude to the Kennett Township Board of Supervisors for sharing the vision “to make this happen. In addition, we want to thank two very important local advocacy organizations, The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County and Kennett Trails Alliance, for their visionary efforts to establish the very first segments of the greenway, indispensable steps towards completing the rest.”

The Growing Greener Communities Award was developed in 2013, and its inaugural recipient was East Bradford Township, which was cited for a host of conservation achievements, which included securing conservation easements on more than 80 acres of township land, galvanizing a volunteer effort to plant 750 trees, and constructing more than two miles of trails. East Bradford has 6,000 acres of permanently protected land, 16 parks and 26 miles of trails.

This past summer, Kennett Township officials used East Bradford as an example of a township of similar size and population that had done a superior job of capitalizing on grants to preserve more than half of the township.

Jeff Yetter, who heads the township’s Land Conservation Advisory Committee, said Kennett Township has preserved about 1,813 acres, roughly 18 percent its land, which includes 63 acres on three properties conserved in the past year. “We still have a little less than 1,200 acres to go to get to our 30 percent goal set by the supervisors,” he said.

Yetter pointed out that the process requires time as well as cooperation. Even with a willing buyer – the township – and assistance from state and county funds, “that is only half the equation.” Landowners need to be willing to participate, he said, adding that the township is working on 14 properties that total more than 500 acres.

Stevens said the award and plaque would be formally announced at the next supervisors’ meeting on Wednesday, March 16.

Natural Lands Trust is the region’s largest land conservation organization and is dedicated to protecting the forests, fields, streams, and wetlands that are essential to the sustainability of life in eastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. Since its founding in 1953, Natural Lands Trust has preserved more than 100,000 acres, including 42 nature preserves. For more information, visit www.natlands.org.