1. The Challenge: Keeping the Ridge Intact
Public and private conservation efforts have
preserved approximately 100,000 acres along the
ridge, depicted as the light green areas of our map.
However, more than 200,000 acres, shown as dark
green, are unprotected and vulnerable to
fragmentation, development and unsustainable
harvesting practices.
Conserving forestland is integral to enhancing
recreation values, maintaining water quality,
protecting wildlife habitat, and improving
migratory corridors for mammals, birds, insects,
and even plants.
The Opportunity: Protecting Property
along the Ridge
There are many reasons to
conserve land along the
Kittatinny Ridge. Families
and individuals often
choose conservation as a
way to ensure continued
activities like fishing,
hunting,orhikingormaybe
because they enjoy the
simplicity and peaceful-
ness of the forest. There
can also be substantial
tax advantages.
The Nature Conservancy and our partners can
help. There are a variety of tools available to
landowners interested in a leaving a legacy of
land protection for future generations.
 JOIN THE EFFORT!
Learn more at nature.org/Kittatinny
To learn more about conservation options
available for your land please contact your
local land trust, listed below, or call
The Nature Conservancy at 717-232-6001
This brochure was financed in part by a grant from the
Environmental Stewardship Fund under the administration
of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.
Photo credits in order of appearance: © Paul Zeph; © shutterstock;
© Alan W. Eckert; © Mark Conlin/Courtesy Tallahassee Museum;
© Kent Mason; © Grant Mallory/Creative Commons;
© Nicholas A. Tonelli
Pennsylvania’s
Challenge: Preserving
the Kittatinny Ridge

2. The Kittatinny: An Iconic Mountain Ridge
People throughout Pennsylvania often refer to the
Kittatinny Ridge with a locally-given name, so
depending upon where you live you may know it as
the Blue Mountain, Endless Hill, or even Great
Mountain. No matter what you call it, many
Pennsylvanians have a special admiration for the
Kittatinny Ridge.
Hikers enjoy the challenging Appalachian and
Tuscarora hiking trails and other outdoor
enthusiasts enjoy access to tens of thousands of
acres of state game lands, state forest, state parks,
and municipal parks. Each fall thousands of people
visit renowned hawk watching sites along the
ridgetops, like Waggoner’s Gap and Hawk Mountain.
And hunters and anglers enjoy exploring the vast
forests and cool mountain waters.
The forests, valleys, and mountain ridges of the
Kittatinny are also part of a much larger mountain
range,theAppalachianMountains.Oftenconsidered
the eastern counterpart to the Rocky Mountains,
the Appalachian Mountain range stretches 2,000
miles from Newfoundland, Canada to central
Alabama. Our Kittatinny Ridge accounts for 185 of
thosemilesasitcurvesitswaythroughPennsylvania.
Migratorybirds,mammals,andotherwildlifedepend
on the Kittatinny for food and habitat and as a safe
north-south corridor during seasonal migrations.
KITTATINNY RIDGE LANDOWNER OUTREACH PROJECT The 185-mile long Kittatinny Ridge represents the most
eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains and runs from the Delaware River to the Mason-Dixon Line in Pennsylvania.
The Kittatinny Ridge landowner outreach project area is shown in dark green and currently protected lands are depicted
in light green color.
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¢ Kittatinny Ridge Project Area
¢ Conserved Lands
-- Appalachian National Scenic Trail