'Saving Cherry Valley' Film

Since its creation in 2008, Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) has nearly doubled in size, thanks to the support of the Open Space Institute (OSI) and other dedicated partners. In September 2019, the NWR in eastern Pennsylvania celebrated the historic addition of another 4,300 acres.

Now, a new film celebrates this critical acquisition and its impact on drinking water within the Delaware River Watershed, as well as sensitive species who depend upon the land.

(Videographer: Todd Leatherman; Produced by Bill Rawlyk and Kelly Proctor of the Open Space Institute)

Saving Cherry Valley, produced by OSI with support of the William Penn Foundation, captures the enthusiasm and commitment of Mike Horne, Manager of Cherry Valley NWR, and conservationists from The Conservation Fund (TCF) and OSI as this hard-won property is protected, forever.

Secured by TCF, the 4,300-acre property received funding from OSI’s Delaware River Watershed Protection Fund, capitalized by the William Penn Foundation, and from OSI’s Resilient Landscapes Initiative, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

OSI gave two grants to support protection of the property because the land contains forests that filter water draining into the Delaware River Watershed, source of drinking water for more than 15 million people living in Philadelphia, PA, Trenton, NJ, and elsewhere; and, it flanks the Kittatinny Ridge, a critical north-south migration corridor that facilitates the movement of wildlife in response to climate change.

The project also received funding from the federal Land & Water Conservation Fund, the nation’s most important conservation fund, which is responsible for protecting parks, wildlife refuges, and recreational areas at the federal, state, and local levels.

Watch the trailer here; watch the short documentary here.