Press release by The Nature Conservancy posted 1 April 2025
509 Acres Protected | The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania and Delaware Adds 509 Acres to Protected Lands Along Susquehanna Water Gaps © Matt Kane/TNC
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Pennsylvania has closed on the purchase of 509 acres in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and transferred the parcel to the Pennsylvania Game Commission for addition to State Game Lands 211.
The newly acquired acreage, located adjacent to State Game Lands 211 and Fort Hunter Conservancy, adds to a protected wildlife corridor that spans more than 30 miles. This property is nested on the steep slopes of Second Mountain, part of the Susquehanna Water Gaps, a National Natural Landmark. It is located within the Kittatinny Ridge, a U.S. Sentinel Landscape and critical link in the 1,500-mile-long Appalachian Mountain range. The Kittatinny Ridge is part of an important migratory superhighway for wildlife in North America including broad-wing hawks, kestrels, ruby-throated hummingbirds, eastern bluebirds, monarch butterflies and cerulean warblers.
“These protected acres strengthen the resiliency of the Kittatinny Ridge, which is essential to maintaining the long-term health of lands and waters here in the Central Appalachians,” said Lori Brennan, Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania and Delaware. “TNC is pleased to have been able to expand the connectivity of this chain of forests, supporting migratory corridors and safeguarding biodiversity. We are grateful to our partners for their support in making this possible.”
Important Migration Corridor | Scientists have identified the unbroken Appalachian corridor as a globally significant landscape that is crucial to the future of hundreds of mammal and bird species amid a changing climate. This map shows mammal paths in pink, birds in blue, and amphibians in yellow. The Appalachians are circled in red. © Dan Majka/The Nature Conservancy
The Central Appalachians represent one of the world’s foremost examples of intact, diverse forests and well-connected freshwater systems. Scientists have identified the unbroken Appalachian corridor as a globally significant landscape that is crucial to the future of hundreds of mammal and bird species amid a changing climate, including Pennsylvania’s threatened Allegheny woodrat, as well as black bear and bobcats.
Located just outside the City of Harrisburg, the property sits directly across the Susquehanna River from TNC’s Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain Preserve. This acquisition protects the iconic viewshed of the nearby Fort Hunter Mansion and Park.
Cove Mountain | This new property sits directly across the Susquehanna River from TNC’s Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain Preserve. © Kevin Yoder/TNC
“This property is a tremendous addition to State Game Lands 211, providing access to a currently land locked 342-acre piece of the game lands and adding 509 acres of publicly accessible land in proximity to almost 300,000 people living within a 10 mile radius of the property,” said Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith. “Working with The Nature Conservancy, we are able to further conserve and protect the forested Second Mountain, located on the Kittatinny Ridge Landscape which is a globally recognized Important Bird Area.”
This project was made possible with funding from the Hamer Foundation and Pennsylvania Game Commission, as well as financial assistance from a Community Conservation Partnership Program grant by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).
The conservation of this land helps protect critical wildlife habitat and protects open space in the quickly developing capital region. Initiatives of this kind require strong partnership and shared vision. I am grateful to the PGC and TNC for the ongoing support to protecting natural spaces.
– Cindy Adams Dunn, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary
In Pennsylvania and Delaware, TNC is leading large-scale conservation programs that protect the lands and waters that are critical to the health and well-being of both people and nature. In Pennsylvania, TNC is also working to reduce stormwater runoff in cities, protect vital migration corridors, and engage farmers and landowners in supporting the adoption of conservation practices. TNC’s work in Delaware focuses on building resilience against climate change—including along the state’s vulnerable coastlines—to protect human communities and habitats.
ABOUT THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 81 countries and territories (40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners.
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Kathleen McFadden
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The Nature Conservancy
Phone: 610-368-7108
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