14901 9/6/05 10:30 AM Page 1 The Highlands: Our Backyard Paradise 2005 Update our backyard paradise 14901 9/6/05 10:30 AM Page 2 Message from our Co-Chairs Table of Contents he Highlands are the backyard of several of 3 The Highlands: Our Backyard Paradise Tthe nation’s largest metropolitan areas, but they are changing fast. We must take decisive 4 Highlands Values action to safeguard the water, beauty and life of this nationally significant region. The successful preservation of Sterling Forest provides a model 6 Highlands at Risk of the state and federal partnership that is needed to protect critical treasures throughout this very 7 Campaign to Protect the Critical Treasures special and threatened region. The members of The Highlands Coalition look 8 The Highlands Region Map forward to working with the millions of Americans who love and depend on these lands to help preserve them for the benefit of future generations. 10 Critical Treasures of Pennsylvania 12 Critical Treasures of New Jersey Sam Pryor, III & Franklin E. Parker 14 Critical Treasures of New York Honorary Co-Chairs The Highlands Coalition 16 Critical Treasures of Connecticut 18 A Vision for the Future and Call to Action 19 Regional Board • Contacts • Credits 14901 9/6/05 10:30 AM Page 3 The Highlands: Our Backyard Paradise n the backyard of the nation’s most densely populated Iregion lie over three million acres of forested ridges, pure streams, lakes and reservoirs known as the Highlands. These ridges stretch across Pennsylvania from the Maryland border, and into northwestern New Jersey, New York’s lower Hudson Valley and the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. This eastern-most extension of the Appalachian Mountains forms a vital greenbelt for the Philadelphia, New York and Hartford metropolitan areas. The Highlands are an essential source of drinking water, clean air, critical wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities for the 25 million people who live within one hour’s drive of the region. In the following pages you will discover the Critical Treasures of the Highlands and learn about the ongoing efforts of the Highlands Coalition – a group of over 100 organizations – to protect these lands and waters. Your help is needed and we ask you to please support this important effort. Eighty percent of the nationally significant Highlands landscape is unprotected from poorly-planned residential, commercial and industrial development. Action is necessary at all levels of government to secure the drinking water and quality of life for millions of Americans. Photos: (cover) NYC from Ramapo Mts., NJ in the Highlands by George Aronson; frostflower/pitch pine/Minisceongo Creek, NY by Tom Cunningham; flycatcher ©S.J.Lang/VIREO; 3 (inside cover) Dunderberg Mountain, NY by Tom Cunningham; (this page) Black Mtn. overlooking Silver Mine Lake, NY by Tom Cunningham 14901 9/6/05 10:30 AM Page 4 Highlands Values WATER Undisturbed forests protect water quality in Highlands reservoirs, aquifers, watersheds and waterways, reducing the need for costly artificial water treatment facilities. Forested watersheds in the Highlands also help prevent soil erosion and destructive downstream flooding. There are over 1,860 miles of trout streams, which are an indicator of high water quality, and over 535 miles of canoeable rivers in the New York-New Jersey portion of the Highlands. Mighty rivers such as the Delaware, the Hudson and the Housatonic flow from their headwaters in the Highlands region. The Highlands provide and protect water supplies for more than fifteen million people, including much of Philadelphia, New York City, Hartford and over half the population of New Jersey. 4 Photos: vernal pond in CT Highlands by Alden Warner; Wanaque Reservoir, NJ by George Aronson; Minisceongo Creek, NY by Tom Cunningham 14901 9/6/05 10:30 AM Page 5 BEAUTY LIFE The Highlands region is a tapestry of diverse The Highlands are home to a remarkable forests, scenic ridges, sparkling waterways diversity of life, nourished by verdant forests, and productive farmlands, which enriches lush wetlands and clean waterways. Black the lives of residents and visitors alike. bear, river otter, bobcat, coyote and wild trout are among the Highlands’ surprising Each year, there are more than 14 million inhabitants, while its forested ridges are visits to the region’s 484,000 acres of public essential migration corridors for raptors and lands for outdoor recreation including over 70 species of neotropical songbirds that camping, birdwatching, hunting, fishing, fly from Latin America to breed and nest. biking, paddling and hiking the Appalachian and Highlands Trails. Hundreds of thousands Nearly 55 percent of the NY-NJ Highlands of acres have exceptional scenic value. provide important habitat for 247 rare, threatened or endangered species of plants The Highlands are also rich with historic and animals. Large, unbroken tracts of forest communities and sites that connect us provide the critical core interior habitat to our past, in addition to farms, orchards important species require for survival. and vineyards which help preserve pastoral vistas and support local economies and Forests also moderate temperature, communities. The outstanding landscapes filter the air, and combat global warming. of the Highlands provide a high quality One mature tree produces $600 worth of of life for our families and attract tourists pure oxygen per year, while an acre of to the region. forest captures 31 tons of carbon dioxide and 13 tons of pollutants annually. Photos: Monksville Reservoir, NJ by Wilma E. Frey; American bittern/fisherman by Tom Cunningham; black-throated blue warbler by S. Maslowski/USFWS 5 14901 9/6/05 10:30 AM Page 6 Highlands at Risk SPRAWL THREATENS THE HIGHLANDS Permanent protection is in place for only about 20 percent of the NY-NJ Highlands and 14 percent of the four-state Highlands region. The majority USDA FOREST SERVICE REPORT of the Highlands is under intense pressure from poorly-planned residential, commercial and The New York-New Jersey Highlands Regional industrial development that threatens to Study: 2002 Update highlights recent land-use undermine the water supply and quality of life for trends and makes alarming predictions about the millions of residents in this densely populated area. future of the Highlands region. A similar analysis of the CT and PA portions of the region is Fragmentation and alteration of interior forest expected in the near future. habitats pose the greatest threats to Highlands • Over 25,000 acres of land were developed in biological communities. Since 1984, 65,000 acres the NY-NJ Highlands between 1995 and 2000. in the NY-NJ Highlands – a total area of over 100 • Nearly 300,000 acres of critical watershed square miles of contiguous forest – have been lost lands are unprotected. to development. • Current development trends could reduce the Over 5,000 acres of the NY-NJ number of watersheds with exceptional value water quality by 75 percent. Highlands are lost to sprawl • Continuing development trends could cause each year. groundwater shortages in many watersheds. • Eighty percent of the Highlands is privately owned and vulnerable to development. Too Much at Risk • Prime interior forest habitat is decreasing rapidly, putting wildlife dependent upon large forested areas at serious risk. 20% NY-NJ Highlands • The loss of wetland and forestland quadrupled between 1984 and 1995, reaching 3,400 acres Protected land 80% per year. Unprotected land • Under current zoning the region’s population could increase by 48 percent. • Twenty municipalities experienced greater than 20 percent population growth between 1990 and 2000. • Build-out of remaining developable lands could be reached in 20-30 years. 6 Photos: acres for sale by John McKeith/EarthImagery; development in Lower Milford Twp., PA by Wildlands Conservancy/T. L. Gettings; Tilcon Inc.’s Quarry in Haverstraw, NY 14901 9/6/05 10:30 AM Page 7 Campaign to Protect the Critical Treasures he Highlands Coalition has identified nearly 100 “Critical TTreasures,” or priority conservation areas in the four-state Highlands region, where additional lands need to be preserved. Increased federal, state and local funding for land acquisition is needed to protect these special places. The Federal Government must partner with state and local governments in the Highlands region to protect the Critical Treasures of this nationally significant landscape. Responsible planning at the state, regional and local levels is needed to protect natural resources and foster smart growth. The successful preservation of Sterling Forest offers a model for land conservation partnerships that should be emulated throughout the region. Conserving the priority lands and resources of the Highlands region will ensure the protection of water, forests, wildlife and the quality of life for millions of people and future generations. Photos: pond at sunset by Darryl J. Nicholson; mountain laurel by Wilma E. Frey; pitch pine on Storm King Mtn., NY by Tom Cunningham 7 14901 9/6/05 10:30 AM Page 8 14901 9/6/05 10:31 AM Page 9 Vision MAP 14901 9/6/05 10:31 AM Page 10 Critical Treasures of Pennsylvania ennsylvania’s Highlands wander through Northampton, PLehigh, Bucks, Berks, Montgomery, Chester, Lebanon, Lancaster, Dauphin, York, Cumberland, Adams and Franklin counties, stretching from the Maryland to the New Jersey border. Streams flowing from Highlands ridges supply water to Allentown in the north and Reading, Pottstown, Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley in the south. Natural areas such as Haycock Mountain, Spring Mountain, Unami Hills, Ridge Valley Creek, Oley Hills and Hosensack Swamp are home to many threatened and endangered species and native brook trout. The Highlands region also contains many important bird breeding areas, such as Quakertown Swamp, Tohickon and Tinicum Creeks and the Hopewell Big Woods, the largest contiguous forest remaining in southeastern Pennsylvania. Historic properties from the iron ore industry are concentrated in the Pennsylvania Highlands.