Chesapeake Gateways Partner Profile: The Conservation Fund

The Conservation Fund protects America’s most critical lands and waters to provide greater access to nature, strengthen local economies and enhance climate resiliency. The Conservation Fund has worked in all 50 states since 1985 to protect more than 8.8 million acres of land.

The Conservation Fund’s on-going partnership with National Park Service's Chesapeake Gateways supports the Gateways Community program. Gateway Communities – defined as those communities uniquely positioned to drive local economic development and a deep stewardship movement by capitalizing on their proximity to natural, recreational, cultural, and historical resources. The Conservation Fund established a phased approach to inventory, identify, and advance the development of Gateway Communities in the Chesapeake Bay region that serve as core elements of Chesapeake Gateways network. National and local case studies on gateway communities are available to share with partners and communities. During the second phase of the project, The Conservation Fund in coordination with Chesapeake Gateways, builds on the desirable characteristics of Chesapeake communities (identified in Phase One through case studies, interviews, and site visits) to inform the development of specific aspirational criteria for Chesapeake Gateway Communities. The Conservation Fund collaborates with the Chesapeake Gateways team to develop and refine the listing of communities and develop an overall matrix of key characteristics by community. The matrix reflects that gateway communities come in a range of sizes and can provide unique experiences and will serve as a baseline for the Chesapeake Gateways to begin to engage with the communities directly.

The Mifflin House

Susquehanna National Heritage Area

Most recently, The Conservation Fund, Chesapeake Gateways, and many community stakeholders, local foundations, state agencies, and federal agencies were involved in the transfer of ownership of a property that played a key role in the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania to the Chesapeake Gateway Susquehanna National Heritage Area. The historic Mifflin House and 87-acre farmstead had been under threat of demolition and development before The Conservation Fund acquired it in 2022. Now it will serve as the future home of the Susquehanna Discovery Center & Heritage Park, with the Susquehanna National Heritage Area making initial public access improvements to the property in 2024. This recent collaboration truly illustrates the power of partnerships in revealing and preserving our nation’s history for a better future.