U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Kittatinny Ridge and Valley Region Northwest New Jersey Skylands National Park Service Location and Setting The Kittatinny Ridge and Valley is part of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley region located in northwest New Jersey, southeast New York, and northeast Pennsylvania. This region offers amazing natural wonders to residents of the Garden State, sharply countering New Jersey’s image as the land of the Turnpike, oil refineries, and industrial zones. The region consists of rugged, elongate ridges, steep slopes, rocky outcroppings, ravines, valleys, forested floodplains, and freshwater wetlands, providing corridors for wide-ranging mammals, raptors, and passerines. The Kittatinny Ridge in New Jersey lies east of the Delaware River and west of the Paulins Kill, Kittatinny, and Wallkill valleys. About 346,838 acres (542 square miles) in size (see map), the area attracts hikers, campers, birders, fishermen, boaters, hunters, and photographers. The Appalachian Trail runs along the eastern edge of the Kittatinny. The Kittatinny Ridge and Valley region is Map: John Thomas New Jersey DEP surrounded by undeveloped trails, riparian Green Acres Program corridors, and watercourses. The area is 53 percent forest, 18 percent agricultural lands, and 14 percent wetlands. Urban Why the Region is Important A contiguous, maturing, hardwood forest areas occupy approximately 12 percent of From 1,803 feet at High Point to 400 covers most of the uplands, trees include the region. feet above sea level on the valley floor, oak (Quercus sp.), maple (Acer spp.), Kittatinny Ridge and Valley offer a broad birch (Betula spp.), ash (Fraxinus spp.), Protected Areas array of habitat types supporting a wide aspen (Populus spp.), hickory (Carya variety of wildlife. The region spans 35 spp.), beech (Fagus grandifolia), and • High Point State Park (15,826 acres) miles from High Point State Park and American chestnut (Castanea dentata). • Stokes State Forest (16,066 acres) Stokes State Forest to the north and High elevations and dry ridges are covered • Worthington State Forest (6,584 acres) Delaware Water Gap National Recreation with pitch pine-scrub oak and mixed oak • Jenny Jump State Forest (4,288 acres) Area and Worthington State Forest to the forest communities. Along the shady slopes, • 12 State wildlife management areas south, providing forested greenway for hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)-hardwood (approximately 19,000 total acres) wide-ranging mammals such as black bears forest occurs in ravines created by small • Delaware Water Gap National Recreation (Ursus americanus) and bobcats (Lynx streams that flow from the ridge. A dozen Area, New Jersey portion (31,000 acres) rufus), and raptors such as red-shouldered rare communities such as the Atlantic • Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge hawks (Bueto lineatus) and the American white-cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides) (5,100 acres) bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). swamps, black spruce (Picea mariana)- • Swartswood State Park (2,472 acres) tamarack (Larix laricina) bogs, and vernal • Wild and Scenic River designation Delaware pools occur sporadically in this region. River (approximately 35 miles) • numerous natural areas and preserves managed by The Nature Conservancy and Ridge and Valley Conservancy Dwarf wedgemussel USFWS Gene Nieminen Federally Listed Species in the Kittatinny Ridge and Valley Region Endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) – potential summer foraging and roosting habitat Dwarf wedgemussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) Threatened Bog turtle (Clemmys muhlenbergii) Small-whorled pogonia (Isotria medeoloides) USFWS/Nora Murdock Small-whorled pogonia Indiana bat J. Scott Altenbachr © Photo: Dr. Rare in New Jersey Who our Partners are One of the most striking features of the The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partners Kittatinny mountains are shale cliff and with numerous agencies throughout the rock outcrop communities, rare in New State that offer strategies to preserve the Jersey, which harbor rare flora and fauna, most critical areas for long-term protection including the State-listed (threatened) of plants, animals, and natural communities timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus). in the region through land acquisition, One of the rarest wild orchids in eastern monetary donation, and estate planning. North America, the federally listed They include the New Jersey Department (threatened) small-whorled pogonia, grows of Environmental Protection’s Green Bog turtle NWR USFWS/Wallkill on gently sloping ground in the hardwood Acres Program, The Nature Conservancy, forest. and the Ridge and Valley Conservancy. In addition, creative partnerships with local East of the ridge, the limestone valley agencies, the agricultural community, local contains glacial lakes, wet meadows, landowners, and corporations are critical sinkhole ponds, and vernal pools that Benefits of Open Space in helping preserve the natural heritage are home to the largest concentration of and Greenways within the Kittatinny Ridge and Valley federally listed (threatened) bog turtles region. in the State. Several creeks and streams • balance to sprawling urban development support native eastern brook trout • interconnected natural area network that To learn more: (Salvelinus fontinalis) and the federally provides public access and recreational U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's New Jersey listed (endangered) dwarf wedgemussel. opportunities Field Office To the west of the ridge, the floodplain • conservation and restoration of natural www.fws.gov/northeast/njfieldoffice forests along the Delaware River provide resources New Jersey Department of Environment excellent wintering habitat for bald eagles. Protection The region’s forage, topography, water Green Acres Program availability, and mountains, provide good www.state.nj.us/dep/greenacres habitat for rare species such as fishers How the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ridge and Valley Conservancy, Inc. (Martes pennanti) and federally listed Service is Helping to Solve the www.rvclandtrust.org (endangered) Indiana bats. Problems To prevent further decline of plant What Problems the Region Faces and animal species and the natural Since the Kittatinny Ridge and Valley communities, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife is within commuting distance of New Service plays critical roles in: (1) assisting York City, residential and commercial landowners and farmers to restore habitat; development pressures are alarming. The (2) implementing recovery actions for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recent passage of the Highlands Protection federally listed species; and (3) promoting Ecological Services Act in New Jersey has focused attention on conservation planning, including open space New Jersey Field Office development which threatens area wildlife and greenways. 927 North Main Street, Building D with loss, alteration, and fragmentation of Pleasantville, New Jersey 08232 all habitat types. Continued development Since 1998, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife of open space will degrade water quality, Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife P: 609/646 9310 alter wetlands, and impact the habitat program has carried out 24 projects in the F: 609/646 0352 of bog turtle and other sensitive species. region with private landowners, restoring E: [email protected] W: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ Maintaining and protecting open space and 189 acres of wetlands, 83 acres of uplands, njfieldoffice/ expanding greenways between urban areas and 3 miles of riparian habitat. The U.S. are critical in preserving the wildlife, plants, Fish and Wildlife Service also restored over Federal Relay Service for the deaf and natural communities of the Kittatinny 1,400 acres of grasslands in cooperation and hard-of-hearing 800/877 8339 Ridge and Valley. with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. August 2007.