Kittatinny Ridge interpretive panel installed at Scott Farm Trail Center

Click on image for larger view. Designed by Kim Williams.

The first Kittatinny Ridge interpretive panel using the new Kittatinny Coalition logo and tag-line is on display at Scott Farm Trail Center in the Cumberland Valley at the base of the Ridge.  The Ridge’s significance as a globally important migratory fly-way and connections to the Appalachian Trail are key themes.  The panel content also explains the significance of the Kittatinny Ridge and Corridor as providing critical high quality interior-forest habitat and protection for important drinking water supplies and stream habitat.

Designed by ATC’s Kim Williams, this panel was developed for a series of interpretive signs along the A.T. throughout South Mountain and the Cumberland Valley by the South Mountain Partnership with assistance from the CumberlandValley Visitors Bureau.

Developing a plan for consistent signage and branding throughout the Kittatinny Ridge and Corridor was a topic of discussion at a recent Kittatinny Central Partners meeting.

Regal Fritillary Grassland Tours coming up at Fort Indiantown Gap

Source: milvet.state.pa.us/DMVA/

You have probably heard of Fort Indiantown Gap’s famous “butterfly”…now is your chance to see it up close and personal. The public is invited to tour Regal Fritillary habitat in an area normally closed to the public and learn how the conservation efforts for this species of concern are balanced with military training.  2012 Regal Fritillary Habitat Tours are being held on June 30, July 1, July 6 and July 7.  Tours start at 10am.  For more information, visit Fort Indiantown Gap's Regal Fritillary web site.

“The Regal Fritillary butterfly colony at Fort Indiantown Gap continues to thrive alongside military training equipment thanks to our dedicated wildlife staff,” said Col. Samuel Hayes, commander of the Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard Training Site. “These tours are popular for visitors of all ages because participants are able to see and learn about the butterfly in its natural habitat.”  View a Regal Fritillary fact sheet.

Scouting volunteers help create habitat for butterflies at Lehigh Gap

Scouting volunteers from Bangor and Breiningsville recently assisted with a planting event on the Kittatinny Ridge in early May, helping to restore habitat for regal fritillaries at Lehigh Gap Nature Center in Slatington, PA.

Read more in Greater Hazleton's Standard Speaker's coverage of the event: Scouting volunteers attempt to create habitat for rare butterfly 

Lehigh Gap Nature Center staff and Audubon PA reps were on hand to assist and educate the scouts as they planted, seven species of flowers useful to many other species of butterflies and other insects, not just the regal fritillary. Slideshow below!

Lehigh Valley municipalities form Birdtown Coalition

Vision: Municipalities within the Lehigh Valley are places where people love to live, work, and visit because the residents and officials actively support and recognize the value of birds and nature to thTeir own quality of life and culture.

Mission: To create a sustainable driver for regional long term environmental stewardship across the Lehigh Valley by creating awareness of the linkage of birds to the natural environment. 

Audubon Bird Town works to protect birds, not only because they are beautiful and awe inspiring, but because they are the touchstone of biological health. The vast distances they travel and the diverse ecosystems on which they depend, make them unique barometers of our planets health as well as our neighborhoods and backyards. When birds are at risk, so too is the greater ecosystem, the intricate web of life, and ultimately, humans. When we help birds and their habitats we help ourselves.

Lehigh Valley Bird Town: The coalition was founded to support Allentown Bird Town, but quickly expanded in recognition that Allentown’s success would be enhanced by involvement across the Lehigh Valley. The coalition is a collaboration of independent organizations brought together through our shared mission. By working closely together, the coalition will build success by leveraging individual and joint efforts of its members while each organization retains its own separate identity. Through our activities we will achieve broad demographic, geographic and habitat coverage. All of our activities will encourage proper Birding ethics.

Coalition Membership: We encourage regional and local, private, public and government organizations that share our mission and are willing to participate by supporting Bird Town events, habitat demonstration, or funding. It is our hope that additional Audubon Bird Towns will be created within the geography of this coalition. 


For more info check out the Lehigh Valley Birdtown blog!

Duncannon, Pennsylvania Designated as Appalachian Trail Community

Duncannon, PA (May 1, 2012) – On June 2nd, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) will celebrate the official designation of Duncannon, Pennsylvania as the newest Appalachian Trail Community™. Event activities will begin at 8:30am at area trailheads with hikes sponsored by local hiking groups with the designation festival titled “Saving Our Community from Nature Deficit Disorder”. The designation festival will begin at noon at the Borough on Cumberland St. Activities include live music, vendors, workshops, presentations and raffle – followed by a ceremony at 2:45pm.

The community is working collaboratively to bring awareness to the Trail and to their respective community highlighting the Trail as a national resource and international icon. During the ceremony the ATC and town leaders will speak with a proclamation signing and an unveiling of new community signs.   Visit the Duncannon A.T. Community Advisory Committee's Blog.

"Each year, municipal leaders, members of the Boy and Girl Scouts, Trail Angels, local citizens, and members of the school community take a great deal of pride in making Duncannon part of the Trail by offering a unique experience for those passing through a community nestled along the sparkling Susquehanna River. It is indeed an honor to be one of a small number of towns through which the Trail directly passes," wrote Daniel Sheats, Superintendent of Schools, in his letter supporting the community designation.   The event will also announce the winners of the 4^th grade postcard art contest, and will be made available for sale at the area’s local businesses.

The Appalachian Trail Community™ designation is a new program of the ATC, the nonprofit responsible for management and protection of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Launched in 2010, this program recognizes communities for their part in promoting awareness of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) as an important local and national asset.
“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is proud to celebrate communities that are helping to protect and promote the Appalachian Trail,” states Julie Judkins, Community Program Manager for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. “These new partnerships will increase local stewardship of public lands, support community initiatives for sustainable economic development and conservation planning as well as support healthy lifestyles for community citizens.”

A Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community Advisory Committee was formed to process the community’s application, and will continue to work on behalf of the outdoor recreation and natural assets in the area. The committee is also planning improved river access and downtown beautification through their support of Apple Tree Alley, a proposed site plan that would transform the underused old railroad right-of-way corridor into a new space for community use and serve as the route of the A.T. in Duncannon, guiding hikers through a town park to connect them with amenities, river access points and businesses.

“Each hiker experiences not only a piece of America as they stroll Duncannon's sidewalks, but also senses the welcoming atmosphere innate to the neighborhood.” Karen Balaban, President Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club.

The ATC was founded in 1925 by volunteers and federal officials working to build a continuous footpath along the Appalachian Mountains. The A.T. is approximately 2,180 miles in length, ranging from Maine to Georgia, making it one of the longest, continuously marked footpath in the world. Volunteers typically donate more than 220,000 hours each year on Trail-related work and about 2 to 3 million visitors walk a portion of the A.T. each year. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the completion of the A.T.

For more information about this event visit www.duncannonappalachiantrailcommunity.com. For more information about the Appalachian Trail Community™ program visit www.appalachiantrail.org/atcommunity.

Duncannon Borough Plans for Revitalization with Apple Tree Alleywalk

Apple Tree Alley is an old railroad right-of-way running from Fritz Avenue to Noye Park between High and Market streets in Duncannon, PA.  The AlleyWalk Master Site Plan prepared by SEDA-COG in 2009 proposes a transformation of the underused corridor into a new space for community use and enjoyment.  As proposed, the AlleyWalk would extend approximately one mile in length between Little Juniata Creek and Fritz Avenue.  The AlleyWalk would be constructed within the limits of the existing Borough right-of-way and could serve as the route of the Appalachian Trail in Duncannon - guiding hikers through a linear town park with connecting hiker-amenities, river-access points and businesses!  For more info on potential Apple Tree Alley economic benefits visit Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community blog.

Apple Tree Alley as it appears today

The AlleyWalk concept provides dedicated park-like space where pedestrian and bicyclist uses are separated from motor vehicles as well as shared space designs where people and motor vehicle uses mix in a low-speed environment.

When completed, the AlleyWalk will serve a variety of community resident and visitor needs.  Suggestions for community activities along the AlleyWalk include parades, community yard sales, and other community event related activities.  The AlleyWalk would become part of the larger Susquehanna Greenway system in Pennsylvania and could be designated as the official route for the Appalachian Trail through Duncannon, which currently travels down High St. removed from the main business district.

Southern section of the Alley through residential area.

But even more than this, the AlleyWalk is about making Duncannon a better place - increasing its attraction as a place to live, work, and play - and improving public health by making better use of Apple Tree Alley as a community destination for walking and bicycling.  With thoughtful design, the AlleyWalk can also enhance real estate value and create new business opportunity in Duncannon.

Reed Township (Dauphin) Highlights Kittatinny & Appalachian Trail on new web site

Reed Township, Dauphin County, recently launched a new Township web site - www.reedtownship.com - highlighting the area's recreational resources and scenic assets along the Kittatinny Ridge in addition to general information about municipal officials, services and ordinances.

The Appalachian Trail enters Reed Township at the crossing of the Juniata River as it travels north from the Borough of Duncannon onto "The Island" and then proceeds across the Clark's Ferry Bridge towards the Peter's Mountain climb. The web site includes information on the Appalachian Trail, Susquehanna River Trail as well as the Peter's Mountain Hawkwatch and also highlights Agricultural Preservation and Conservation Services available in Dauphin County for those potentially interested in conserving their land or keeping it in agricultural use. The web site was created with assistance from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.