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DCNR Awards $82,600 to The Nature Conservancy for Vernal Pool Protection

Money to be used for Greater Minsi Lake Corridor acquisition

MT BETHEL, PA — October 30, 2008 — The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) announced Thursday an award of $82,600 to The Nature Conservancy for the acquisition and protection of two properties in the Greater Minsi Lake Corridor. 

Accepting the check on behalf of the Conservancy was Su Fanok, director of the organization’s Delaware River Program. 

"These two parcels are priority acquisitions for the Conservancy," Fanok says.  "They join with existing preserved lands, and they’re part of a large wetland complex of more than 100 vernal pools in the Minsi Lake area."

Vernal pools are isolated wetlands that hold water for about half the year, usually from spring into summer, when they fill from precipitation, runoff or rising groundwater.  While they don’t harbor fish, vernal pools are important nursery grounds for many amphibians and macroinvertebrates, who lay their eggs and spend the early part of their lives there. 

"These depressions may not look like important habitat," Fanok says.  "But they’re vital to many species of salamander, frog and insect that get a relatively predator-free start in life there."

Like other types of wetlands, vernal pools are threatened both locally and globally as fragmentation, invasive species, acid rain and global climate change threaten to destroy them. 

"We’re thankful to DCNR and property-owner Daniel Miller who helped make this possible," Fanok says.

Together with DCNR, Northampton County and other organizations, the Conservancy has protected more than 1000 acres in the Greater Minsi Lake Corridor.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.