The Nature Conservancy Protects 70 acres in South Mountain Region

Natural area safeguards threatened amphibians and plants

Harrisburg, PA.— The Nature Conservancy announced plans to preserve 70 acres of woodlands in Cumberland County’s fast developing South Mountain area. It has an option to purchase property that includes several high-quality seasonal or vernal pools near Kings Gap and is working with local partners and donors to raise funds for acquisition and long-term stewardship of the land and public hiking trails.

The South Mountain region is home to one of the richest collections of vernal pools in the Eastern United States. These shallow bodies of water fill in winter and early spring and dry up each summer and are home to many rapidly declining populations of woodland amphibians.

“We’re delighted to protect the natural treasures of South Mountain,” said Bill Kunze, the Nature Conservancy’s state director in Pennsylvania. “By working cooperatively with the local community and concerned landowners, The Nature Conservancy is committed to science-based conservation that benefits both nature and people.”

“Numerous plants and animals depend on South Mountain’s forests and vernal pools for their survival, including many globally rare frog and salamander species,” said Anne Barrett, director of The Nature Conservancy’s South Mountain program. “Preserving the lands and waters of South Mountain also helps people by fostering clean air for residents, safeguarding natural lands for recreation and preserving this stunning natural area for future generations to enjoy.”

Located south of Harrisburg and west of historic Gettysburg, the South Mountain region marks the northern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Several globally rare plant and animal species as well as unusual forest communities find habitat here. The region boasts a large concentration of high quality vernal ponds. Since fish cannot survive in these ephemeral pools, they are ideal nurseries for unique and threatened plant and animal communities that are destroyed by fish in other aquatic habitats. Rich limestone spring streams also dot the region. The rich aquatic species found here make the area a haven for world-class fishing. In partnership with Messiah College and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Conservancy is inventorying and developing guidelines to protect the diversity of life harbored by these fragile communities.

Community outreach, partnerships, and science-based conservation are underway to protect South Mountain and alleviate threats such as inappropriate development, acid rain, pesticide application and sediment runoff. The Conservancy is working with partners to research the impacts that protecting this region may have on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Efforts are also underway to inform and engage the local community about our work to protect this natural treasure.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States—including more than 40,000 acres in Pennsylvania —and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. For more information visit nature.org/pennsylvania.