WYOMING COUNTY, Pa. — A soft breeze blows through this part of Wyoming County as nature unfolds above your head and at your feet. This is the Howland Preserve on Vosburg Road, north of Tunkhannock. The jagged rocks peek through the trees, towering above the river that nearly encircles these hundreds of acres.
"Because it's on the Susquehanna because you have the access to the river there, it is extraordinary as a new state park," said Ellen Ferretti, the executive director of the North Branch Land Trust.
Ferretti says the organization was gifted this property decades ago. Mr. Howland, the farmer who owned the land, wanted to preserve it forever.
"He definitely wanted it protected. He put certain caveats in his will that it shouldn't be developed residentially or commercially and that if we ever sold it, we would have to put a conservation easement on the property to protect it in perpetuity, which is what will happen."
The Friends of Howland Preserve group maintains the many trails and pathways that criss-cross the mostly untouched wilderness, but soon they'll have a lot more help. The governor's office announced the Howland Preserve will soon be Wyoming County's first state park, tentatively named Vosburg Neck State Park, allowing more visitors to enjoy the land's natural beauty and recreational opportunities.
"What state parks can bring to bear to this park are resources and a level of care that we simply could not. Again, it's going to be in extraordinary hands. I'm extremely proud of being a Pennsylvanian and having our state park and forest system and now that Wyoming County gets to enjoy this so close to home."
It's a place, Ferretti says, to reflect on life and enjoy the outdoors as they were meant to be.
The state hopes the 669 acres of the preserve will become a state park officially in 2026.
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