LandStudies

Taking a moment to celebrate 🎉

We're often busy planning, designing, and implementing restoration projects, so it's rewarding to take a step back and reflect on the incredible environmental work happening across Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania DEP's Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence recognizes projects that make a meaningful difference through innovation, stewardship, and collaboration.

We're proud that two projects LandStudies partnered on received an award this year:

🌱💦Grandview Stream Restoration: Phase II — in partnership with Manheim Township, Pennsylvania and C.S. Davidson.

🚴‍♀️Oil Creek Floodplain Restoration — in partnership with the York County Rail Trail Authority

These projects exemplify the power of collaborative conservation, restoring natural systems, improving water quality, enhancing habitat, and strengthening the resilience of our communities. We're grateful to work alongside partners who share a commitment to protecting and improving Pennsylvania's landscapes for generations to come.

Congratulations to everyone involved in these outstanding efforts!

Learn more at the link here: https://paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com/2026/06/26-projects-advancing-cleaner-air-water.html

🌱Looking to grow your career while making a real impact on the environment? LandStudies is currently seeking passionate, dedicated individuals to join our team!

We’re hiring for:
🔹 Natural Areas Maintenance Technician
🔹 Natural Areas Maintenance Foreman

If you’re interested in hands-on ecological restoration, land stewardship, and working outdoors with a purpose, we’d love to hear from you.

Join a team committed to restoring natural systems and creating sustainable landscapes across our region.

👉 Learn more and apply here: https://landstudies.com/careers/

📣LandStudies is hiring! As a Natural Areas Maintenance Technician, you'll join a mission‑driven team restoring native habitat.

View the job description and how to apply here👉 https://landstudies.com/careers/

Photo: Chestnut Grove Natural Area

📢👂Have you heard?! This June marks the 10th anniversary of Water Week, and we are so excited to join the fun! Lancaster Water Week celebrates the 1,400 miles of streams and rivers in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Find us at the following events through the week of June 5th-13th, and be sure to check out the full listing of events where you can explore, learn, volunteer, and take action to protect our waterways on Lancaster Conservancy's website 👉 https://lnkd.in/ejBqjBw

NOTE: Some events require advance registration, so be sure to reserve your spot soon before they fill up!

🎉 June 5th – First Friday @ Binns Park
LandStudies will be one of many groups tabling at this Water Week kick-off event at Binn’s Park, come join a night out on the town and engage with organizations working to build healthier watersheds. (https://lnkd.in/esEuhP7F)

🌱 June 6th – Ecology Paddle @ Conejohela Flats
We’re partnering with Susquehanna SUP for an educational paddle along the Susquehanna looking at invasive and native plant species and their role in watershed health. (https://lnkd.in/e_Dk4DW3)

🚲 June 7th – Lititz Run Watershed Bike tour @ Millport Conservancy
Intermediate to experienced riders are invited to join us for a 13-mile guided bike ride with stops at different restoration sites throughout Lititz. (https://lnkd.in/ev4xwmQ9)

📽️ June 8th – Revealing Ancient Wetlands documentary @ F&M
A film screening and panel discussion with experts in the field of floodplain science and restoration including Chesapeake Watershed Initiative at F&M. (https://lnkd.in/e2e7fkA4)

🥾 June 10th – Blue Green Connector Preview Hikes
A guided tour of the new greenway in the heart of Lancaster combining recreational, educational, and ecological restoration projects. (https://lnkd.in/ejBqjBw)

🌊 June 13th – Weaving Indigenous Perspectives into Local Conservation and Restoration @ Zoetropolis
In partnership with RiverStewards Collaborative, join us for this special event. Through storytelling and dialogue, come learn about local ecological and cultural history from subject matter experts and Indigenous voices. (https://lnkd.in/e6Nk4rGa)

Get the popcorn and grab a seat! Last week, local filmmakers Mary Haverstick and Michele Mercure partnered with the CWI team at Franklin & Marshall to premiere their new documentary, Revealing Ancient Wetlands, highlighting the restoration of Indian Run here in Lancaster County. We’re so proud to have our floodplain restoration work featured in this powerful film which does an incredible job telling the story of how reconnecting streams to their historic wetlands can transform ecosystems and communities. Thank you to Little Conestoga Watershed Alliance, Chesapeake Watershed Initiative at F&M, and ALL who were involved in this project and film.

Read more and watch the film here: https://www.fandm.edu/stories/revealing-ancient-wetlands.html

Freshly shucked oysters somehow taste even better when you’re helping protect the waters they grow in. Last Friday, LandStudies staff enjoyed a special lunch at the office, sharing gratitude and pride in being part of the widespread effort to clean up the Bay, starting within our local watersheds.

Just behind this smorgasbord at our Lititz office sits New Street Park Floodplain Restoration, one of our earliest projects constructed in 2004. More than 20 years later, it’s still hard at work capturing sediment and nutrients during high flow events and providing valuable habitat for wildlife in a developed area. The waters of Santo Domingo Creek flow through New Street Park into Lititz Run, then the Conestoga River, onward to the Susquehanna, and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay.

From our backyard to the Bay, we’re all connected—and every restoration makes a difference.

How do we know Spring is arriving soon? For one, our Field Operations office has been buzzing and crew member training has started! Last week new and old staff got to know each other through training sessions covering pesticides, plant identification, equipment, and more. Providing team members with the skills and confidence to perform various tasks safely and successfully is key to building and maintaining sustainable landscapes for our clients.

2026 is already looking bright for watershed restoration! Collaboration is key to getting this important work done, and we’d like to highlight a few recent shared wins involving our partners:

🌊 We’re thrilled to celebrate the Conestoga River being named 2026 Pennsylvania River of the Year – the first time in the award’s history – resulting in a $15K leadership grant to fuel year-long community and conservation activities in the Conestoga Watershed. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/4eahrcup

✨ We’re also proud to have partnered with PLNA in revising the Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist (PCH) manual, showcasing the latest best practices for landscape professionals. PLNA will highlight this achievement at their annual conference this week. Learn more here: https://tinyurl.com/4njeskp8

🌱 And in higher education, a major gift supporting Earth & Environment studies at Franklin & Marshall strengthens the pipeline for future watershed scientists and stewards. We’re proud to have worked closely with the incredible professors and students of F&M for over two decades now, researching the science and history of our watershed which inform our restoration efforts. Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/bxtzvfdj

📸Rock Lititz Floodplain Restoration