Carbon County and Natural Lands announced last week that it has completed the first conservation project to come to fruition through the county’s new Open Space Grant Program.

Natural Lands purchased a 72-acre wooded property in East Penn Township using $180,784 in grant funds from the program, which was authorized in January, and immediately transferred it to the Pennsylvania Game Commission as an addition to Game Lands No. 217 near Kittatinny Ridge. The property, which cost a total of $500,450, will be open to the public for recreation and hunting and will remain preserved forever.

Known as the Recica property, the land consists of mature hardwood forest that lies within the state-designated Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Landscape and the Audubon-designated Kittatinny Ridge Important Bird Area.

The Kittatinny Ridge, which means “endless mountain” in Lenape, is the largest forested landscape in southcentral and eastern Pennsylvania, stretching 185 miles across 360,000 acres. It offers migration and stopover habitat for millions of songbirds and raptors each spring and fall. Every autumn, tens of thousands of birds of prey — including the state-endangered Northern goshawk — travel the ridge, using rising thermals to aid them in their long flights.

The upland forest of the ridge offers a year-round home to Pennsylvania’s state bird, the ruffed grouse, and is designated as a Global Important Bird Area because of its globally significant migratory route for cerulean warblers. From hummingbirds and warblers to raptors and game birds, the Kittatinny Ridge is a crucial landscape for more than 140 resident and migrant bird species

The forested habitat naturally cleans and cools the air, filters pollutants from the water, and helps control flooding during storms.

“Nearly two-thirds of the Kittatinny Ridge are privately owned by thousands of individual landowners,” said Jack Stefferud, senior adviser of land protection for Natural Lands. “What’s more, the region includes nine of the top 20 fastest growing counties in the state, making it vulnerable to both residential and commercial development. Thanks to the voters, this project is just the beginning of preserving land in Carbon County.”

During the November 2022 election, an astounding 83% of voters supported the Carbon County Water, Farms and Land referendum, which established a conservation program to preserve open space, clean water and wildlife habitat. It allows Carbon County to borrow up to $10 million.

“The Recica acquisition is a great first Carbon County Open Space Preservation project. The pristine outdoors are not only important to Carbon County residents’ quality of life, but also have key economic benefits for the county as a whole,” said Carbon County Commissioner Mike Sofranko. “In Carbon County, outdoor recreation — from hiking and biking to hunting and fishing — is something that brings families together. Being able to preserve these spaces for generations to come is something that the commissioners are grateful to be a part of.”

In addition to funds provided by the Open Space Grant Program, Commissioners of Carbon County, Pennsylvania and the state Game Commission provided support.

“Not only does this property further conserve and protect the forested Kittatinny Ridge, an important migratory corridor, but also creates an additional buffer to the existing State Game Lands 217, protecting it from development and creation of safety zones, while providing additional acreage for hunting and trapping,” said Steve Ferreri, southeast region land management supervisor for the Game Commission. “Managing wildlife habitats, for all species, is at the core of what the Game Commission does, and the partnership with Natural Lands continues to prove invaluable for those efforts.”

“As a lifelong outdoorsman and supporter of Pennsylvania’s rich hunting and conservation traditions, I’m proud to have played a role in protecting this land,” said Chad Fritzinger of Koehler Marvin Realty, representing the landowner. “Helping transfer it into the care of the Game Commission means it will be enjoyed by generations of hunters, hikers, and nature lovers to come.”

Natural Lands is dedicated to preserving and nurturing nature’s wonders while creating opportunities for joy and discovery in the outdoors for everyone. As the Greater Philadelphia region’s oldest and largest land conservation organization, Natural Lands — which is member supported — has preserved more than 136,600 acres, including 40-plus nature preserves and one public garden totaling more than 23,600 acres.