at the Butterfly Barn — and of land  protection programs by our sponsor  organization, the Delaware Highlands  Conservancy — is to encourage  conservation efforts by local  landowners.   Second graders from Honesdale, PA link hands around Pennsylvania's largest black maple tree on private land protected by the Delaware Highlands Conservancy.   Active blue heron nests near Hawley, PA - in a privately owned swamp - are now protected by a conservation easement granted to the Delaware Highlands Conservancy. In our fast changing region, the survival of native plants and animals will depend on our care in maintaining traditional habitats—of forest, farms, wetlands, and clear streams. Already. in the Upper Delaware River Valley, legal tools called "Conservation easements" have enabled the Conservancy to protect over 10,000 acres of private forest and farmland. For information about easements, click the Conservancy's web address: www.delawarehighlands.org