NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Foundation Document Overview Delaware Water Gap National Area and Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River and

Contact Information For more information about the Delaware Water Gap and Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River Foundation Document, contact: (570) 426-2452 or write to: Superintendent, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River, 1978 River Rd Bushkill, PA 18324 Purpose

The purpose of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River is to preserve the natural, cultural, and scenic resources and values of the valley and provide opportunities for resource based recreation, education, and enjoyment in close proximity to the most densely populated region of the nation.

© Jim Davis Significance

Significance statements 4. The Middle Delaware National Scenic and express why Delaware Recreational River is a vital component of and Water Gap National contributes substantially to the exceptional Recreation Area and the ecological integrity of the Delaware River, the longest Middle Delaware National undammed river within the eastern United States. Scenic and Recreational 5. Visitors to the Middle Delaware National Scenic River resources and values and Recreational River within the Delaware Water are important enough to Gap National Recreation Area have opportunities to merit national park unit immerse themselves in an environment of solitude, designation. Statements of tranquil natural landscapes, striking river valley scenery, significance describe why and a substantially undeveloped river corridor that an area is important within is unmatched among large rivers in the most densely a global, national, regional, populated region of the United States. and systemwide context. These statements are linked to the purpose of the park unit, and are supported by data, 6. Documenting approximately 11,000 years of human research, and consensus. Significance statements describe use and adaptation, Delaware Water Gap National the distinctive nature of the park and inform management Recreation Area contains the most well-preserved decisions, focusing efforts on preserving and protecting concentration and intact diversity of known the most important resources and values of the park unit. archeological sites and artifacts in the northeastern United States, including the National Historic The following significance statements have been identified Landmark District, with ongoing significance to for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the American Indian tribes. Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River. 7. The variety of 18th through 20th century historic (Please note that the sequence of the statements does not structures at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation reflect the level of significance.) Area demonstrates the transition from the Colonial 1. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area’s frontier to an agrarian-based economy to the early 20th outstanding scenery, interwoven with cultural century when the area became a center of working class landscapes and historic sites, is defined by the leisure in the wake of the industrial revolution. composition of natural landscapes that range from the 8. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area offers cliffs of the Pocono Plateau and Kittatinny Ridge to the easily obtainable opportunities for diverse, year-round, broader floodplain valley and include dramatic bends in outdoor recreation and leisure to residents of major the Delaware River and the iconic Delaware Water Gap. Northeast urban centers; this need was specifically 2. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is recognized in the park’s legislative history. the keystone of an extensive network of local, state, 9. The effort to preserve a free-flowing Delaware and federally protected natural landscapes that River, rather than construct the Tocks Island Dam preserves and connects essential habitat for the within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation sustained health and adaptability of native plant and Area, contributed to the 20th century “grass-roots” animal communities. environmental movement that led to Earth Day and 3. The complex mosaic of landforms and aquatic habitats passage of the National Environmental Policy Act. within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area supports an exceptional concentration and diversity of native plant and animal communities, including ecological communities and species that are rare, threatened, or endangered. Fundamental Resources and Values

Fundamental resources as American shad and American eel. In addition, the and values are those high-quality water of the stem river provides features, systems, additional beneficial habitat and a movement corridor processes, experiences, for fish species that primarily inhabit tributaries such as stories, scenes, sounds, native brook trout and at least 52 other species of fish. smells, or other attributes Miles of mostly undisturbed shoreline, high-quality determined to merit water, and natural landscapes create opportunities for an primary consideration exceptional visitor experience. during planning and management processes • Evidence of Changing Land Use, Settlement because they are essential Patterns, and Lifeways. The Middle Delaware river to achieving the purpose of valley is full of examples of the changing land use, the park and maintaining settlement patterns, and lifeways of the European its significance. settlement starting with the Dutch and English settlers who arrived in the region beginning around 1650 The following fundamental and stretching through the formation of the park in resources and values 1965. Throughout the valley examples of landscapes, have been identified for structures, and archeological resources illustrate the Delaware Water Gap changes in use and economic drivers in the region National Recreation Area throughout the centuries. Some of the evidence of and the Middle Delaware land use changes and settlements include agricultural National Scenic and landscapes and associated buildings, ruins of water- Recreational River. powered mills, Delaware River-based resorts and camps, historic villages, and the Historic District • The Middle Delaware National Scenic and that preserves one of the oldest commercial roadways in Recreational River and Tributaries. The Middle the northeastern United States. Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River and its tributaries are a defining attribute of Delaware • Rich Archeological Heritage. Delaware Water Gap Water Gap National Recreation Area. A combination of National Recreation Area has nearly 500 documented exceptionally high water quality, fully functioning American Indian archeological sites, of which more than floodplains, excellent aquatic and riparian habitats, 100 are currently considered eligible for inclusion in and the absence of dams on the main stem gives rise to the National Register of Historic Places. This complex a diverse array of species and a productive, complex of American Indian sites is the best preserved in the food web with strong ecological integrity. As an integral northeastern United States, making it a high-value part of the entire Delaware River system, this section of research area for archeologists and geoarcheologists to the river provides a migration corridor, critical habitat, study the rich archeological heritage of the park. and a stronghold for native migratory fish species such • Stunning Scenic Resources and Distinct Aesthetic Values. The Middle Delaware River is framed by the mountains of the Kittatinny Ridge in New Jersey and the cliffs of Pocono Plateau in Pennsylvania. The diverse floodplain includes islands, woodlands, tributary crossings, grassland, and agricultural fields. The adjoining landscape includes steep hemlock- and rhododendron-lined ravines and hardwood forests cut through by streams and waterfalls. Visitors are immersed in the forested and pastoral characters of the area by day and dark skies by night. The nuances of the changing seasons, such as spring wildflowers, summer greenery, fall foliage, and winter frost, provide a backdrop for visitors to enjoy the stunning scenic resources and striking aesthetic values. Fundamental Resources and Values (continued)

• Mosaic of Terrestrial and Wetland Habitats. • Sustainable Access to High-quality Recreation The varied topography, geology, hydrology, and land Opportunities. The river and surrounding landscape use history of the park gives rise to a rich mosaic of support a wide variety of opportunities to enjoy the terrestrial and wetland habitats within the park. Large natural and cultural resources of the park during all four unbroken tracts of forest dominated by native , seasons. High-quality outdoor recreational opportunities hickories, and pines extend along the upper elevations include canoeing, swimming, hiking, hunting, fishing, of the Kittatinny Ridge and Pocono Plateau. Forests scenic driving, bird watching, and cross-country skiing. dominated by various mixtures of eastern hemlock, The remoteness found in some areas of the park offers white pine, , , ash, sycamore, and other the chance to experience solitude, while other areas native hardwoods predominate throughout the mid- to provide social recreational settings. lower elevations. Interspersed within the dominant • Striking Geological Features. The most iconic forests are distinct areas of dry cactus barrens, talus feature in the park is its namesake, the Delaware Water slopes, various grasslands and shrub lands, acidic and Gap. Other prominent geologic landforms include the calcareous wetlands, ephemeral ponds, riparian zones, Pocono Plateau, Kittatinny Ridge, and the Walpack and floodplains. This mosaic of connected terrestrial Bend. Other geologic features within the park include and wetland habitats supports a high diversity of native talus slopes, glacial features, cave and karst features, species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and dramatic waterfalls, alluvial fans, and paleontological invertebrates, including numerous rare, threatened, and resources. These striking geological features define endangered species. The large tracts of undisturbed the park’s landscape, influence its ecology, and forests, wetlands, riparian zones, and floodplains reduce shape historic patterns of human settlement. flood damage downstream of the park.

Other Important Resource or Values

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the landscapes in the 3,500-square-mile Delaware River Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River watershed. Landscape-scale habitat connectivity is may contain other resources and values that may not be not only essential to present-day ecosystems, but also fundamental to the purpose and significance of the park, provides opportunities for climate change adaptation but are important to consider in management and planning and sustainable natural communities into the future. decisions. These are referred to as other important • Management Through Collaboration. Collaboration resources and values. and cooperation with partners; volunteers; and state, The following other important resources and values local, and federal agencies, to achieve common goals have been identified for Delaware Water Gap National allow all stakeholders to become better stewards of Recreation Area and the Middle Delaware National Scenic resources. Collaborative management of Delaware Water and Recreational River: Gap National Recreation Area provides many essential • Landscape-scale Habitat Connectivity. Delaware services such as public safety, interpretation, education, Water Gap National Recreation Area is the keystone art appreciation, and facility maintenance. of an extensive network of local, state, and federally protected natural landscapes that preserves and connects essential habitat for the sustained health and adaptability of plant and animal communities. Many populations of plants and animals are more stable and secure because they can inhabit an unfragmented landscape. The ecological integrity of the river and the park is dependent on the protected and managed Interpretive Themes

Interpretive themes are often described as the key stories • Precariously situated within the most densely populated or concepts that visitors should understand after visiting region of the United States, the middle Delaware a park—they define the most important ideas or concepts River Valley, with its iconic landforms and uncommon communicated to visitors about a park unit. Themes ecological integrity, is part of an extensive network are derived from—and should reflect—park purpose, of protected landscapes contributing to the sustained significance, resources, and values. The set of interpretive health of natural processes. themes is complete when it provides the structure necessary for park staff to develop opportunities • The diversity and integrity of cultural resources at for visitors to explore and relate to all of the park Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area offers significances and fundamental resources and values. exceptional opportunities to examine changing human communities and values along societal frontiers. The following interpretive themes have been identified for Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River:

• Predestined by distinctive geography, the Middle Delaware River Valley is a stage for playing out the changing relationship between people and this American landscape over time. Description

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Description (continued)

The geographic area surrounding the Delaware Water communities, including special status species, in the Gap became an important leisure retreat for working-class region. Terrestrial habitats include native hardwood and people in the wake of the industrial revolution, when an hemlock forests, wetlands, ephemeral ponds, mixed increasing trend in American leisure time spurred a trend successional forests, grasslands, talus slopes, dry cactus in vacationing in western New Jersey and the Pocono barren landscapes, and riparian corridors. The park Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania. These two trends provides opportunities to view native wildlife such as were embodied in the legislative history of Delaware black bears, bald eagles, and migratory fish, within well- Water Gap National Recreation Area, which asserts the preserved ecosystems. need to establish publicly owned outdoor recreation The most popular geologic feature in the park is the areas and open space for city dwellers in the northeastern Delaware Water Gap itself, which is approximately 1,200 United States. feet deep from the summit of the mountains to the surface Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area was of the Delaware River. The Gap is one mile wide from New established in 1965 as a way to provide for public outdoor Jersey’s to Pennsylvania’s . recreational use and enjoyment of the reservoir that was The park also contains a significant concentration of to be created by the proposed Tocks Island Dam. The dam cultural resources spanning 11,000 years of human project represented a long-time interstate interest in water habitation. The valley has been inhabited for thousands supply, hydropower, and flood control from the Delaware of years, and dozens of historic structures dot the park’s River. The associated recreation was viewed as an scenic drives. Historic rural villages from the 18th and additional benefit to the urban populations of the region’s 19th centuries remain intact on the New Jersey side, and major cities. The park was created by Congress to be a landscapes of past settlements are scattered throughout park for the people and near the people. Throughout the the park. Additionally, the park encompasses significant 1960s and into the 1970s, the costs of the dam project and American Indian archeological sites. associated infrastructure climbed, the available funding diminished (largely due to the Vietnam War), engineering The park offers a variety of outdoor recreational challenges became evident, and opposition to the project opportunities, including boating, fishing, hunting, from grassroots organizations representing local and swimming, biking, cross-country skiing, rock climbing, environmental concerns began to sway popular opinion sightseeing, natural and cultural history, and the about the need and appropriateness of the dam. opportunity to experience natural and cultural history and the general solitude of a rural environment. In addition, In 1975, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), the recreation area offers more than 100 miles of hiking composed of the four governors of the basin-states trails, including nearly 27 miles of Appalachian Trail. Each (Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware) year, the park receives more than 5.2 million recreational and one federally appointed commissioner, voted visitors. Much of this visitation is from the nearby, to discontinue the Tocks Island Dam project. The rapidly expanding, New York / northern New Jersey and land already acquired by the federal government was Philadelphia greater metropolitan areas. transferred in its entirety to the National Park Service for stewardship, and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, originally intended as a narrow swath of land around a reservoir, became a 67,210-acre park. In 1978, 40 miles of free-flowing river were added to the Wild and Scenic River System as the Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River, to add extra protection for the river. In 1992, the Tocks Island Dam project was officially deauthorized. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area’s open spaces anchor a multistate greenway corridor, supplemented with other regional protection and preservation initiatives. This corridor preserves essential habitat for the sustained health of plant and animal