A Longer View: The Kittatinny-Shawangunk Raptor Migration Corridor

Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Corridor, RaptorCorridor.org

Birds and Appalachian Trail hikers don't stop at state borders!  Zooming out from the Kittatinny Coalition's focus on this treasured landscape in Pennsylvania, the Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Corridor is a geologic feature and famous raptor fly-way that extends 250 miles across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and parts of New York State.

There are five National Natural Landmarks within the Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Corridor, as well as numerous historic sites and structures listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The new Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge is located near Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Pennsylvania, and the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge is located in close proximity to the northern Shawangunk Mountains of New York State. The Nature Conservancy designated the Shawangunk Ridge of New York State as one of the “Last Great Places” on the earth. New York State’s Open Space Conservation Plan has listed the Shawangunk Ridge as a top “Priority Conservation Project Area” statewide.

Delaware Water Gap and Farmland, RaptorCorridor.org

A few years ago, a group of conservationists, including many Kittatinny Coalition partners, coordinated a petition the Secretary of the Interior officially to designate it as the Kittatinny-Shawangunk National Raptor Migration Corridor, a designation that would support continued conservation advocacy programs in the corridor, and foster increased coordination, cooperation, and efficiency in enhancing land-use practices that maintain the special character of the area.

To learn more about the Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Corridor's values and the designation effort, visit:
www.raptorcorridor.org