Dear Stakeholders,
As a fellow steward of the land, I invite you to be part of a renewed effort to build ecological literacy, restore habitat and share knowledge, that benefits both wildlife and working landscapes —one that blends boots-on-the-ground habitat work with long-term student engagement. The Mercersburg area holds a rare and powerful legacy: high-quality limestone springs, rich productive soils, and a landscape that supports hundreds of native species.
Consider Buck Run, a stream known for its historic wild trout reproduction. On my own farm, wild pheasants thrive—descendants of the 2015 Montana trap-and-transfer. At Letterkenny Army Depot, the only wild population of Northern Bobwhite Quail in Pennsylvania still calls the land home. These living legacies prove that habitat restoration works when paired with stewardship, science, and community resolve.
We live in a region where farmland, forest edges, and freshwater systems like Blue Spring, Buck Run, and Church Hill Run converge to support Eastern Meadowlarks, bobwhite quail, wild pheasants, rabbits, and more. But potential alone isn’t enough. Public awareness must grow alongside conservation practices like stream buffering, edge habitat restoration, predator management, and youth education.
Every brush pile built, every trapping seminar hosted, and every student-led stream inventory adds a layer of stewardship. This is about more than biology—it’s about legacy. When students monitor water quality, when landowners welcome habitat back to their margins, and when communities see weeds as wildlife corridors, we begin to heal the landscape. The goal isn’t just to restore species—it’s to restore connection, responsibility, and pride in the land we share.
Through Project SCALE (Systematic Conservation Approach to Landscape Enhancement) and our Smart SWAP (Soil-Water-Action-Plan) initiative, I aim to connect FAA students, TWEP, environmental science educators community stakeholders to hands-on programs that include stream monitoring, land use inventories, habitat enhancement strategies and ethical trapping education. These efforts build ecological literacy and foster trust between landowners and youth.
Habitat restoration is not just a biological task—it’s a community movement. With your support, we can turn data collection into mentorship and restored acres into lasting lessons. Let’s build something that lasts.
Sincerely,
Brian Brake
Founding Member, Pheasants Forever
Project SCALE Coordinator