458-acre Girl Scout camp has been preserved in Montgomery County. Part of it will be open to the public.

The sprawling 458-acre Camp Laughing Waters in Montgomery County, operated by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania since the 1950s, has been preserved under a publicly funded deal announced Thursday.

Natural Lands, a Media, Pa.-based conservation nonprofit, said it signed a conservation easement with the Girl Scouts for $3.9 million to save the land from future development. Camp Laughing Waters spills across New Hanover and Upper Frederick Townships in Montgomery County.

The land includes two miles of Swamp Creek and its tributary, Minister Creek, with about 30 acres of ponds and wetlands, according to the announcement. Most of the tract is wooded. Officials say the property serves as habitat for songbirds that rely on dense forest. It also lies within the 9,383-acre Swamp Creek Conservation Landscape, one of the most unspoiled regions in Montgomery County.

The camp links several hundred acres of other open space, including Upper Frederick Township’s Bob Wayland Memorial Park and Constable Charles Spellhoffer Memorial Park.

Under the deal, the Girl Scouts will continue as owners. The easement ensures that the land remains open space and includes a provision for a two-mile county trail for public use along the southern boundary of the property, from New Hanover Road to Fagleysville Road.

The conservation easement was paid for with $2.7 million from Montgomery County, $500,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, $480,733 from New Hanover, and $79,768 from Upper Frederick. The Girl Scouts, Virginia Cretella Mars Foundation, and Redekop Family Foundation at Everence also all contributed to the more than $600,000 balance.

“Until now, Camp Laughing Waters was the largest unprotected land remaining in Montgomery County,” said Kate Raman, conservation project manager with Natural Lands. “We are beyond thrilled to be able to celebrate this conservation success. It’s a win for future generations of Girl Scouts, for wildlife, and for everyone living in this region who will continue to benefit from the fresh air, clean water, climate mitigation, and other ecological services this land provides.”

Kit Werner, a spokeswoman for Natural Lands, said efforts to preserve the property stretched back at least three decades. Werner said that although the Girl Scouts had no plans to sell or develop the property, “it was vulnerable.”

The property was subject to differing zoning because it lies within two municipalities. But some development was allowed in each. Natural Lands estimates that roughly 240 homes could have been built on the land.

Kim E. Fraites-Dow, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, said the deal benefits not only the Girl Scouts and the public, but also wildlife and plants while protecting water supplies.

“We are teaching our Girl Scouts by example the importance of protecting land for future generations,” Fraites-Dow said.

Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state DCNR, called the preservation deal “tremendous news for conservation in Montgomery County and for Southeastern Pennsylvania.”

And Jamila Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, said the additional two miles of trail will be part of the existing Sunrise Trail and Swamp Creek Greenway.

“The preservation of this property, combined with the public access afforded by the trail easement, makes this project a significant conservation outcome for both the county and the broader region,” Winder said.

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania bills itself as the largest girl-serving organization in Pennsylvania, serving more than 25,000 girls through 11,000 volunteers in Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia Counties.

Camp Laughing Waters, centered in Gilbertsville, boasts a gaga ball court, archery range, two nine-hole disc golf courses, ropes courses, and indoor rock climbing wall. It has 16 camp sites including cabins with showers and flush toilets, a large dining hall, and commercial kitchen.