The Nature Conservancy Protects Mountain Forest, Wetlands and an Island

Pennsylvania benefits from conservation group's busy end-of-year

HARRISBURG, PA — January 29, 2009 — An Appalachian mountain forest, an island in French Creek and a collection of small wetlands vital to breeding salamanders are among the important Pennsylvania habitats recently protected by The Nature Conservancy.

Among the more than 800 acres protected during the final days of 2008, the largest was the purchase of 639 acres on Brush Mountain, overlooking Altoona, Pennsylvania. The purchase protects oak and hickory forests in the heart of the Central Appalachian Mountains, a globally important forest region, said Todd Sampsell, Pennsylvania Director of Conservation Operations for the Conservancy.

These forests at Brush Mountain are home to wild turkey, black bear and a wide variety of migratory songbirds. They provide habitat for rare species such as the federally endangered Indiana bat, timber rattlesnakes and the Allegheny woodrat. The forested ridge tops are important foraging ground for endangered Indiana bats and other bats. Many of those bats live in nearby Canoe Creek State Park, which hosts the largest bat maternity colony in Pennsylvania.

“Brush Mountain is a perfect fit for so many of our conservation priorities,” Sampsell said. “It’s within the Central Appalachian region, which is a global priority for The Nature Conservancy. It’s within a mile or two of Canoe Creek State Park and close to state game lands. And it’s part of a broad forested area along north-south oriented Appalachian ridges that serve as important migration routes for raptors and may, in the future, provide the connected habitat many animal species will need to migrate north in the face of climate change.”

The Conservancy is continuing to raise funds for the Brush Mountain Preserve, said Bill Kunze, state director for the Conservancy’s Pennsylvania program.

“Staying focused on our mission is what makes The Nature Conservancy a powerful force for conservation in Pennsylvania,” said Bill Kunze, “Brush Mountain is an example of how we’re steadily increasing protection of forests in Pennsylvania and throughout the Central Appalachian region.”

Brush Mountain Preserve will be open to the public for hiking, hunting, bird-watching and similar pursuits. Learn more about Brush Mountain and take a video tour at nature.org/brushmountain.

Other real estate deals completed over the past few weeks include:

A 42-acre island donated to the Conservancy on French Creek by John and Heidi Fette of Erie, Pennsylvania. The Fettes have been Conservancy supporters for many years. The island, located on French Creek east of Edinboro in Erie County, has been owned by the family for over 50 years, Sampsell said. The island is an excellent example of mature floodplain forest, an essential habitat for maintaining the health of French Creek for fish and freshwater mussels. Populations of federally endangered clubshell and northern riffleshell mussels are found just downstream. (See a Fette Island slideshow).

A 125-acre conservation easement donated adjacent to the Lehigh River near the Conservancy’s 2,300-acre Thomas Darling Preserve at Two-Mile Run, in Monroe County. The easement will prevent housing subdivisions or other destructive development to this property on the Pocono Plateau.

The purchase of 18 acres adjacent to the Conservancy’s Minsi Lake Preserve in Northampton County. This purchase is important because it protects numerous vernal pools – seasonal wetlands that provide important breeding areas for numerous rare amphibians such as marbled and spotted salamanders.

After years of research, planning and conservation efforts, the Conservancy played a key role in the establishment of the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Monroe and Northampton counties in northeastern Pennsylvania. On December 23rd, 2008 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 20,466 acres as the newest and only the third national wildlife refuge in Pennsylvania. The Conservancy continues to play a key conservation role for the federally threatened bog turtle in Cherry Valley through research, habitat restoration and land conservation efforts. (See news release, maps and slideshow).

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.