Wildlands Conservancy preserves Hauser Estate

In March of 2011, Wildlands Conservancy successfully completed the purchase of 172 acres of upland habitat on the Kittatinny Ridge and along the Appalachian Trail, protecting a key connection in an area popular with recreationists and wildlife. With native grasses and state-listed flora and fauna, the property has been a top priority of Wildlands for nearly all of the organization’s 38 years. However, it took the efforts of four separate conservation groups to finally complete the deal.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Lehigh Gap Nature Center nurtured a relationship with the owners, Dan and Susan Hauser, based on a shared land ethic. When the time came to sell the property, Wildlands Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Game Commission coordinated a speedy settlement and provided the required funding to make the project work. Protection of the Kittatinny Ridge—its habitat, its views and its story—is in everyone’s best interest and it takes teamwork. The newly-protected land, which borders State Game Lands 217 and the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, and includes a portion of the Appalachian Trail, will eventually be transferred to the Game Commission, who will manage the land and provide permanent public access.