Jeff Biddle, a lifelong farmer from Tussey Mountain, signed a binding conservation easement on July 15, 2024, ensuring his 170‑acre Bear Meadows Farm cannot be developed.
Earlier this year, two developers approached Biddle with offers totaling roughly $2.5 million, but he declined, citing the farm's ecological and cultural value. “I knew from the first time I stepped on this land that it wasn’t just acres – it’s a legacy,” Biddle told the Centre County Farmland Trust.
The Centre County Farmland Trust, in partnership with ClearWater Conservancy, drafted the easement, attaching it to the deed so protection persists regardless of future ownership. Dan Guss, president of CCFT, said, “This agreement secures vital headwaters and keeps the landscape open for future generations.”
Experts note the farm’s forests, pastures, and headwater streams support Spring Creek’s watershed, providing clean water for the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. The easement preserves 55 acres of deciduous forest, 13 acres of evergreen, and 26 acres of mixed forest, all of which act as carbon sinks.
Biddle’s 35‑year‑old daughter, Maya, now a high‑school biology teacher, said the easement will allow her students to study the farm’s diverse habitats. The easement was recorded on July 20, and the property will remain available for agriculture under the new agreement.