Residents of Harrisburg, PA know the Kittatinny Ridge well. Its rugged peaks are a valuable source of natural system services, and those seeking outdoor adventure frequently hike the forested trails of nearby Cove Mountain Preserve, perched above the Susquehanna River in Marysville.
In 2017 The Nature Conservancy (TNC) purchased roughly 350 acres of Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain, marking TNC’s first nature preserve in central Pennsylvania along the Kittatinny Ridge. Then in 2021 they made a land deal to expand Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain with the purchase of an additional 1,200 acres. The expansion filled a gap between existing conservation lands, creating a 14-mile stretch of protected land connected to the Ridge.
The Kittatinny Ridge acts as a super-highway for migrating birds who use the woodlands as shelter to rest and forage for food. When the tree canopy diminishes due to development, pollution, or invasive plants, the birds become threatened. “We are planting mass-producing species of plants on top of the Ridge to attract birds that are migrating through the area, so they have the necessary food, nutrition, carbohydrates to be able to make their long migrating journey,” said Elizabeth Hanson, the Cove Mountain land steward. (ABC 27 News, February 16, 2023)
Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain Preserve now serves as a sustainable model for landscape-scale land protection and management that protects critical wildlife habitat and clean water for the Susquehanna River and expands local recreation and tourism opportunities. “The Nature Conservancy and partners have been working on protecting lands to connect properties that will be protected in perpetuity for animals to migrate. Not only birds, but all sorts of plants and animals,” said Hanson. (ABC 27 News, February 16, 2023)