A NATURAL HERITAGE INVENTORY OF MIFFLIN COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA June 2007 Prepared by: Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program Western Pennsylvania Conservancy 208 Airport Drive Middletown, Pennsylvania 17057 Submitted to: Mifflin County Planning Commission 20 North Wayne Street Lewistown, PA 17044 This project was funded in part by a state grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Wild Resource Conservation Program. Additional support was provided by the Department of Community & Economic Development. Additional funding was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through State Wildlife Grants program grant T-2, administered through the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. ii A Natural Heritage Inventory of Mifflin County, Pennsylvania 2007 Prepared by: Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP) Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) 208 Airport Drive Middletown, PA 17057 Donna Bowers, Administration Lucy Boyce, Seasonal Field Ecologist Anthony F. Davis, Senior Ecologist Jeremy Deeds, Aquatic Zoology Coordinator Alice Doolittle, Conservation Assistant Charlie Eichelberger, Herpetologist Kathy Derge Gipe, Herpetologist William (Rocky) Gleason, County Inventory Coordinator Jim Hart, Mammalogist Rita Hawrot, Terrestrial Zoology Coordinator Denise Johnson, Assistant County Inventory Ecologist Susan Klugman, Conservation Information Manager John Kunsman, Senior Botanist Betsy Ray Leppo, Invertebrate Zoologist Trina Morris, County Inventory Ecologist Betsy Nightingale, Aquatic Ecologist Stephanie Perles, Ecologist Greg Podniesinski, Inventory and Assessment Manager Sally Ray, Seasonal Pools Ecologist Erika Schoen, Conservation Information Assistant Bud Sechler, County Inventory Ecologist Stephanie Seymour, Seasonal Field Ecologist Andrew Strassman, Ecologist Chris Tracy, Ecologist Amanda Treher, Seasonal Field Ecologist Jeff Wagner, Director PNHP Mary Walsh, Aquatic Ecologist iii iv PREFACE The Mifflin County Natural Heritage Inventory is a The results presented in this report represent a document compiled and written by the Pennsylvania snapshot in time, highlighting the sensitive Natural Heritage Program (PNHP) of the Western natural areas within Mifflin County. The sites in Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC). It contains the Mifflin County Natural Heritage Inventory information on the locations of rare, threatened, and have been identified to help guide endangered species and of the highest quality natural wise landuse and county planning. The Mifflin areas in the county; it is not an inventory of all open County Natural Heritage Inventory is a planning space. It is intended as a conservation tool and tool, but is not meant to be used as a substitute should in no way be treated or used as a field guide. for environmental review, since information is Accompanying each site description are general constantly being updated as natural resources are management recommendations that would help to both destroyed and discovered. Planning ensure the protection and continued existence of Commissions and applicants for building permits these natural communities, rare plants, and animals. should conduct free, online, environmental The recommendations are based on the biological reviews to inform them of project-specific needs of these elements (communities and species). potential conflicts with sensitive natural The recommendations are strictly those of the PNHP resources. Environmental reviews can be and do not necessarily reflect the policies of the state conducted by visiting the PNHP website, at or the policies of the county or townships for which http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/. If conflicts the report was prepared. are noted during the environmental review process, the applicant is informed of the steps to Managed areas such as federal, state, county and take to minimize negative effects on the county’s township lands are also provided on the maps where sensitive natural resources. If additional that information was available to us. This information on species of special concern information is useful in determining where gaps becomes available during environmental review, occur in the protection of land with ecologically the review may be reconsidered by the significant habitats, natural communities, and rare jurisdictional agency. species. The mapped boundaries are approximate and our list of managed areas may be incomplete, as new sites are always being added. Implementation of the recommendations is up to the discretion of the landowners. However, cooperative efforts to protect the highest quality natural features through the development of site-specific management plans are greatly encouraged. Landowners working on the management of, or site plans for, specific areas described in this document are encouraged to contact the PNHP for further information. Although an attempt was made through advertising, public meetings, research, and informal communications to locate the sites most important to the conservation of biodiversity within the county, it is likely that many things were missed. Anyone with information on sites that may have been overlooked should contact the Mifflin County Planning Commission (see address on following page) for inclusion into a future update of this report. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project was funded in part by a state grant from surveys; and Jamie Zambo, for cave surveys and the Department of Conservation and Natural photos. The Mifflin County GIS office and the Resources Wild Resource Conservation Program. Mifflin County provided several useful data layers for Additional support was provided by the Department mapping the county. The Mifflin County of Community & Economic Development. Conservation District provided information on the Additional funding was provided by the U.S. Fish and natural attributes of the county. Thanks to the many Wildlife Service through State Wildlife Grants other private citizens who contacted our office with program grant T-2, administered through the information on natural areas. Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Thanks to Many thanks to everyone who participated in the everyone who provided financial and administrative Technical Advisory Committee by reviewing the draft support for the inventory. Without your help, this Natural Heritage Inventory Report and providing study would not have been possible. assistance. In particular, thanks for input on the report go to Bill Gomes, Mifflin County Director of The species information utilized in the inventory Planning; Cadie Pruss and Dan Dunmire, Mifflin came from many sources as well as our own field County Conservation District; Steve Bernardi, PA surveys. We wish to acknowledge all of those who Game Commission; Chris Urban, PA Fish and Boat carried out botanical and zoological survey work over Commission; Mike Piaskowski and Diane Kripas, the years. Without their contributions, this survey DCNR; Greg Grove; Amy Griffith, Bureau of would have been far less complete. Forestry; and Stephanie Rynders, Central Pennsylvania Conservancy. The report benefited from the help of local naturalists and conservationists who gave generously of their Finally, we especially wish to thank the many time. Thanks to all the help and support given by landowners who granted us permission to conduct Karen Bange and Steve Shawver, for cave inventories on their lands. The task of inventorying information; Steve Johnson for Lepidopteron the natural heritage of Mifflin County would have identification, Dr. Larry Klotz, for botanical surveys; been far more difficult without the cooperation and Dr. Carol Loeffler, pilot for aerial surveys; Aden welcome of the county and its inhabitants. Troyer, for avian expertise; Greg Turner, for cave Katharine D. Gipe Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program Copies of this document may be obtained from: Mifflin County Planning Commission 20 North Wayne Street Lewistown, PA 17044 Phone: (717) 248-6733 Toll Free: 1 (800) 248-CNTY Fax (717) 248-3695 Or in electronic format from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy at: www.paconserve.org Or the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program website: www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us This reference may be cited as: Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2007. A Natural Heritage Inventory of Mifflin County. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Middletown, PA. vi Site Identification # Mifflin County Natural and Significance core habitat 1 SITEexceptional INDEX significance MAP Centre Heritage Inventory supporting landscape County Site Index high significance 10 9 1 PENNS CREEK FLOODPLAIN TOWNSHIP BOUNDARIES L notable significance L A 2 PANTHER RUN--HIGH MOUNTAIN SLOPES H 3 Union County E R 2 3 Little Weikert Run Wetlands local significance T USGS quadrangles S N L E L I 4 LITTLE WEIKERT RUN POOLS C M 6 G 16 N 5 TALL TIMBERS NATURAL AREA I Miles R P N S 11 R 6 PITCHPINE RIDGE 02.557.5101.25 U B 7 4 O 7 FLAT HOLLOW POOLS C H Scale 1:200,000 17 G T MA R 5 AR E 8 THICK MOUNTAIN WETLANDS K 8 I E 12 W 9 LITTLE POE ROAD POOLS 10 BIG FLAT 19 11 HAVICE MOUNTAIN SEEPS 15 13 12 KISHACOQUILLAS and TREASTER VALLEY KARST 18 Snyder 13 AITKINS GAP T R County O 14 HONEY CREEK SLOPES F 20 21 WN S O E Y 14 27 L BR 15 JACKS MOUNTAIN--EAST L I EV L V 22 A R 16 MUTTERSBAUGH GAP POOLS R C A R M 23 U B M AT A 28 EC 17 Stone Creek Road Wetlands H D 29 N R 18 SPRUCE GAP POOLS 26 25 U B 35 30 Y 32 19 Chestnut Springs Pools N RR A IO DE 34 N AT 20 LINGLE CREEK HEADWATERS at BEAR GAP U 39 R E A F R U 21 TEA