DCNR Acquires 708-Acre Tract For Addition To Delaware State Forest

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Acting Secretary John Quigley this week joined Pike County civic and regional conservation leaders in celebrating the acquisition of a 708-acre piece of land that expands the Delaware State Forest to more than 84,000 acres.

"This invaluable addition to the state forest system comes at a time when more and more people in the northeastern section of the state are being drawn to these woodlands by a variety of interests and activities," Acting Secretary Quigley said, speaking at a "Gala on the Green" dedication ceremony hosted by Pike County officials.

Popularly known as the "Polatnick Tract," the heavily forested acreage in Westfall Township harbors a multitude of game and other wildlife, and had been described as the largest, unfragmented parcel of private, open land contiguous to the Delaware State Forest.

"Acquisition of this parcel secures a significant ecological, forested habitat in-holding for our state forest system," Acting Secretary Quigley said. "By securing the property, DCNR will be able to provide consistent, continuous habitat management of the Delaware State Forest, thereby protecting its extraordinary natural and wildlife resources."

Funded through Pike County's Scenic Rural Character Preservation Program, DCNR and private funding sources, the acquisition enhances existing wildlife corridors; extends contiguous oak forests; helps protect Bush Kill (Millrift) Creek headwaters; and provides a portal for increased recreational and scenic enjoyment by state forest visitors. The land adjoins Delaware State Forest's 2,754-acre Stairway Wild Area.

"In a county that is a national and a state leader in population growth, timing of this purchase was critical -- open land is not getting any cheaper here in Pike County," said Acting Secretary Quigley. "I commend the county leaders, conservancy officials, and others who worked so hard to make this happen."

Pike County's vision for scenic rural character preservation was highlighted in its County Comprehensive Plan, and again in its Open Space Plan, adopted in August 2008.

DCNR purchased the property through a partnership that included the county's preservation board, Keystone Conservation Trust, Delaware Highlands Conservancy and others. Though deed transfers and other proceedings were finalized earlier this summer, organizers planned the "Gala" to showcase the land and celebrate the acquisition.

Hailed by conservation agencies as "one of the truly wild areas in Northeastern Pennsylvania," the state forest addition provides nearly two miles of road frontage through the interior of the property, and more than two miles of stream frontage along the Bush Kill (Millrift) Creek. The tract contains significant stands of upland oak, several miles of exceptional value trout streams, and ideal habitat for black bear, bobcat, river otter, coyote, fisher, snowshoe hares and white-tailed deer.

Delaware State Forest, with its acreage now totaling over 84,000, along with the neighboring Lackawanna State Forest and its 27,500 acres, are keystones in the Poconos Forests and Waters Conservation Landscape Initiative, one of seven major land preservation efforts under way across the state.

Regional in scope, the conservation landscape initiatives, or CLI, partner local governments, conservancies and residents with the DCNR and other state departments in long-term planning that promotes sustainability, conservation, community revitalization and recreational projects.

"Although there are roughly 11,604 acres of state and federal land in Pike County – roughly about 32 percent of the county -- those lands are feeling the mounting pressure of surrounding development and increased use," Acting Secretary Quigley noted. "CLI efforts here and across the state are attempting to mount and shape regional efforts that enhance and protect these natural resources and the lifestyles they foster."

For more information, visit the Delaware State Forest District webpage.