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

Upper Mt. Bethel Supervisors support land preservation effort

The Nature Conservancy is looking to preserve another
70 acres of property along the Kittatinny Ridge.
(Source: WFMZ.com)

Upper Mt. Bethel Township Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to formally support The Nature Conservancy's efforts to preserve 70 acres of forested land along the Kittatinny Ridge in Northampton County.  Upper Mt. Bethel sets a great example for municipalities along the Appalachian Trail and Kittatinny Ridge in their resolution.  See the full WFMZ article here.

Municipalities can play an important supporting role in backing funding proposals for land preservation and can even go as far as to hold conservation easements.  In this particular case, The Nature Conservancy is applying to Northampton County's Open Space Program to purchase this easement along Blue Mountain Drive.

WFMZ reports: "Ellen Lott, project manager with The Nature Conservancy, said the additional 80 acres would tie into 229 acres already preserved along the Kittatinny Ridge.  Lott said the ridge has both 'ecological and social importance to the residents of the area' by providing critical habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife, while offering breath-taking scenic views.

It's important to keep the ridge forested for the wildlife and the people because it's such a visible landmark,' she said."

Izaak Walton League and Lebanon Valley Conservancy celebrate permanent protection of land within the Kittatinny Corridor

Click on image to view more photos!

Members of the Izaak Walton League, Lebanon Valley Conservancy and the Kittatinny Coalition as well as elected officials and various landowners within the Kittatinny Corridor gathered last evening to celebrate the permanent protection of the forested 39.96-acre Izaak Walton League property.  Now under conservation easement through the work of the Lebanon Valley Conservancy, this parcel at the base of the Kittatinny Ridge within a few miles of the Appalachian Trail crossing at Swatara Gap includes significant ecological and recreational resources: wildlife habitat, riparian area, vernal ponds, serves as a buffer to canoe recreational access to the Swatara Creek and facilitates protection of the planned Lebanon Valley Rail Trail Corridor through to Swatara State Park.

Audubon PA presents Galen Kleinfelter of Izaak Walton League 
with Kittatinny Ridge print

See article in the Lebanon Daily News here: Environmental groups preserve land in Union Township and more photos of the celebration here on Facebook.  About 50 invited attendees learned more about the history and conservation values of the property, conservation efforts in Lebanon County and within the Kittatinny Ridge and Corridor.  Audubon PA and Appalachian Trail Conservancy reps made a brief presentation about the conservation values of the Kittatinny and its significance to the Appalachian Trail experience.  Multiple landowners signed up with the Kittatinny Ridge land registry, a program by Audubon PA to increase awareness of conservation options amongst landowners with high conservation-value properties. 

Elk Chili from nearby Woods Creek Grill was enjoyed by all.  Congratulations to the Lebanon Valley Conservancy and the Izaak Walton League for their continued efforts to preserve the Kittatinny Ridge landscape in Lebanon County!

The celebration took place under IWL's pavilion next to Swatara Creek.

Bethlehem Authority's Historic Conservation Deal

In 2011, the Bethlehem Authority, managers of the watershed that provides drinking water to Bethlehem and surrounding areas, completed an agreement with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) that protects 22,000 acres of woodlands. Although located outside of the Kittatinny corridor, the City of Bethlehem depends on forests on the Kittatinny to protect its drinking water.  This agreement – by acreage, the largest private conservation deal in Pennsylvania history – protects a significant portion of the headwaters to the City’s water source, preventing the need for costly water treatments. The agreement was the first endeavor of TNC’s Working Woodlands Program, a powerful new tool to advance land protection, especially among large landholders, including water authorities, and hunting or scout camps.  Working Woodlands provides forest landowners with an in-depth property management plan, and access to forest certification and carbon markets.  In exchange, the landowners commit to sustainable forestry practices and grant a 60-year conservation easement.

Managing their forests sustainably will allow the Authority to obtain Forest Stewardship Council forest management certification, and forest carbon payments via Blue Source, LLC. Certification means the timber from the Authority’s lands will meet the increasing market demands for certified sustainably- produced lumber and will allow the Authority to sell carbon credits on the open market. Companies around the world purchase these credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions.

“Working forests are a keystone of The Nature Conservancy's conservation efforts, here in Pennsylvania and around the world,” said Bill Kunze, state director of TNC’s Pennsylvania Chapter. “Harnessing the power of markets in service to the long-term ecological and economic health of our forests can yield great benefit for both people and nature.”

In the end, the deal was a win both for the environment and the Bethlehem Authority. “Our primary mission is to supply the highest quality drinking water to the 115,000 plus customers of the Bethlehem Water System as we possibly can. Preserving the pristine quality of our watershed properties supports that mission. And the Working Woodlands Program enhances our ability to do just that,” said Stephen Repasch, Executive Director of the Bethlehem Authority.

For more information on Working Woodlands, visit TNC online at http://

www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/

pennsylvania/workingwoodlands/index.htm.

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.

Manada Conservancy preserves Wetland Habitat on Peters Mountain

Peters Mountain.  Photo by Manada Conservancy

In 2009 the Manada Conservancy, a regional non-profit land trust, assisted a Dauphin County couple in the permanent protection of their 41-acre Peter’s Mountain property, which contains extensive seeps, springs and wetlands. The property’s wetlands contain several rare or threatened plant species, and provide valuable habitat for amphibians and other wildlife. By placing a permanent conservation easement on their property, the landowners ensure that all future owners of the land will be bound to keep the property in its undeveloped state.

Peter’s Mountain is one of a series of ridges in south-central Pennsylvania within the Kittatinny Ridge corridor. Migrating raptors may jump from one ridge to the next in order to take advantage of the best available wind conditions. All of these ridges are valuable for their roles in infiltrating rainwater and maintaining high water quality in groundwater and surface sources in the valleys.

Manada Conservancy, knowing the many values of this property, was eager to work with the landowners to find a solution that permanently conserved the property, but allowed the landowners to continue their current use and management of the property. A conservation easement, a voluntary agreement between a willing landowner and a qualified land trust or government, was a perfect fit.

For more information on Manada Conservancy, please visit www.manada.org, or to find a land trust near you and learn more about conservation easements, visit the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association at www.conserveland.org.