134 acre Minsi Lake Corridor Acquisition Provides Buffer for Vernal Pool Preserve

The Nature Conservancy Commits $3.5 Million To Protect Pennsylvania’s Last Great Places

UPPER MOUNT BETHEL, PA — January 8, 2007 — Pennsylvania’s diverse wildlife has nearly 500 additional acres forever protected across the Commonwealth thanks to the State of Pennsylvania, local governments, conservationists, and a $3.5 million commitment from The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania.

The 50-year-old conservation organization, whose mission is to prot

Kittatinny Ridge in the Minsi Lake Corridor © George C. Gress / TNC

ect the diversity of life on earth, identified five critical parcels that are habitat for Pennsylvania’s unique biodiversity and, through acquisition and conservation easements, took action to protect the land for future generations.

The newly protected habitat includes woodland vernal pools north of Minsi Lake in Northampton County and South Mountain in Cumberland County, a riparian corridor along the pristine French Creek in Crawford County, endangered Bog Turtle habitat in Cherry Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and old-growth forests at Woodbourne Forest and Wildlife Preserve in Susquehanna County.

The acquisition of 134 acres in the Minsi Lake Corridor includes several high quality seasonal or vernal pools near the base of the Kittatinny Ridge and the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The Conservancy, working in partnership with Northampton County and Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources funded the purchase and long-term stewardship of the land.

“This is a true community partnership with a shared vision,” said Su Fanok, Director of the Delaware River Program and lead manager for this project. “Several organizations and members of the community came together to this make this project a reality. By working together, we’re protecting critical habitat that will preserve wildlife and be enjoyed by people for generations to come.”

The Minsi Lake Corridor has some of the richest collections of woodland vernal pools in the Eastern United States and is one of the finest examples of a functional vernal pool community in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Vernal pools are shallow bodies of water that fill in winter and early spring only to potentially dry up each summer. They are home to many rapidly declining populations of woodland amphibians.

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

This newest acquisition was the largest remaining unprotected parcel within the Corridor. Its preservation is essential to maintain connectivity between forests for wildlife movement and to limit development within the Lake Minsi watershed.

For more information on The Nature Conservancy and its work in Pennsylvania, visit nature.org/Pennsylvania. To contribute to these conservation projects or other Conservancy initiatives within Pennsylvania, call (800) 756-2887.

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. 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 and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.