The Pinnacle at Hawk Mountain, Berks County - Commonwealth Media Services

Representatives of Audubon Pennsylvania this week gave an overview of two habitat protection projects that involve millions of acres in the state—Pennsylvania’s Important Bird Areas Program and the Blue Mountain-Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Project.

The presentations were part of the Environmental Issues Forum series hosted by the Joint Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee chaired by Rep. Scott Hutchinson (R-Venango).

Dr. Tim Schaeffer, Executive Director of Audubon Pennsylvania, and Paul Zeph, Director of the Kittatinny Ridge Project shared the presentation.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the most serious threats facing birds around the world, including here in Pennsylvania. The Important Bird Area Program was established as part of a global network to identify places for their outstanding value to bird conservation.

There are now 82 sites in Pennsylvania identified as Important Bird Areas that cover 2.9 million acres. Over 475 volunteers help monitor the sites, many “adopted” formally by a variety of volunteer, watershed, service and other groups.

Important Bird Areas must meet several criteria: an exceptional concentration or diversity of birdlife, a significant population of state or federally-listed endangered or threatened species, a significant population of one or more species of Pennsylvania’s “special concern” list, sites with rare, threatened or unique habitats with birds characteristic of those habitats and sites where long-term avian research or monitoring is ongoing.

Individual sites must be nominated to be included in this program and go through a formal evaluation process.

Maps of each Important Bird Area, procedures for nominating sites and how to adopt areas are included on a special Important Bird Area section of Audubon Pennsylvania’s website.

The largest single Bird Area – the Blue Mountain – Kittatinny Ridge – is also the object of a special conservation project spearheaded by Audubon Pennsylvania.

The Kittatinny Ridge, the first ridge of mountains moving east to west in Pennsylvania, stretches 185 miles from the Maryland line to the Delaware Water Gap. The ridge touches 81 municipalities in 11 counties.

The Ridge is a globally-significant fall migration flyway used annually by tens of thousands of raptors and millions of songbirds. Its rock outcroppings make it an excellent place to watch these migrating birds, enjoy the scenic vistas and hike the 160 miles of the Appalachian Trail that are included in the Ridge area.

The goals of the collaborative Ridge project are to focus public attention on the importance of the area as a habitat, natural corridor and recreation area, develop a long-term vision for the Ridge through an open-public process and develop tools and programs to protect the habitat, features and attributes of the Ridge at the local level.

The Ridge Project has opened an extensive website that features not only facts and information about the Ridge, but maps of bird watching and scenic locations and links to local partner groups.

A gallery of photos of the Ridge and its environs is also available online, along with a PowerPoint presentation of the resources and issues involving the Ridge.

Soon to be available is a GIS-driven map area were students, public officials and potential visitors can create their own maps of features in the Ridge Project area and a toolbox for local land protection.

The Project will also distribute a poster to schools early next year that will describe the Ridge and its features and include activities linking to the new website features.

For more information, visit the Important Bird Areas Program and the Blue Mountain-Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Project websites.

The next Environmental Issues Forum is on December 12 and will feature a presentation by Warren Weaver and Recycling Program Manager Robert J. “Bob” Bylone, Jr. of the Pennsylvania Recycling Market Development Center.

NewsClip: Conservation Campaign Launched to Preserve Kittatinny Ridge

11/18/2005