“The best thing we ever did”
Peter and Mary Houts were a part of the Manada Conservancy family for a long time, as Mary served on our Board of Directors as Education Chair for many years, and Peter supplied years of beautiful graphic designs for our publications, before they moved out of state. One of their major goals before moving was to make sure that their farm’s conservation value—natural resources and farmland—was protected. The farm is in a part of South Hanover Township that has seen much housing development in recent years and which is losing farmland rapidly. Their 25+ acres is a mixture of open fields, woodlands, and a stream and large pond. The Houts did much to provide native plantings and careful stewardship to the natural resources already there. They have the secure knowledge that, even though they have moved away, their cherished farm will remain open and available to farming and wildlife forever.