The Morton family of Erie, Pennsylvania, decided to give back to the community by donating 249 acres of land to the French Creek Valley Conservancy, Erie News Now reported.
The property is found in the Muddy Creek subbasin of the French Creek Watershed, bordering the Seneca Division of the Erie National Wildlife Refuge.
Part of the area is forested and, according to the report, has hardly changed in the nearly 60 years since the Morton family purchased it, making it an old growth forest.
This type of forest is important because it contains species that aren’t found in newer, logged forests, not to mention trees at many different points in their life cycles. All this creates unique ecosystems and supports wildlife in a way that can’t be replicated after the forest is cut down…