The Shapiro Administration announced in May the designation of Pennsylvania’s Kittatinny Ridge, one of the most biodiverse regions in eastern North America, as a Sentinel Landscape.

Founded in 2013 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DOD), and Department of the Interior (DOI), the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership’s mission is to strengthen military readiness, conserve natural resources, bolster agricultural and forestry economies, increase public access to outdoor recreation, and enhance resilience to climate change.

Being designated as a sentinel landscape means federal agencies, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) come together to work with willing landowners and land managers to advance sustainable, mutually beneficial land use practices around military installations. Land and natural resources within the landscape boundary could be protected through conservation easements with landowners or receive priority consideration for participation in grant and assistance programs so farms can keep farming and wildlands stay wild.

Kittatinny Ridge is now one of 18 designated sentinel landscapes in the nation. The title will help fortify existing conservation efforts, protecting the natural habitat and the training missions of the Pennsylvania National Guard and air and missile defense at Letterkenny Army Depot. Additionally, the 50 different federal, state, local, and private entities who helped secure the designation will continue to work together to pursue funding opportunities for the landscape, to continue to protect the robust natural resources in the area, and to make sure Fort Indiantown Gap remains a leading military
installation.

Learn more about the Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape designation here. Or view and download the factsheet here.