USDA: Kittatinny Ridge Among 5 Sentinel Landscapes Selected To Address Climate Change Impacts And Strengthen Military Readiness

On May 14, the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, comprised of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and Department of the Interior , announced the designation of five new sentinel landscapes.

In these landscapes, natural and working lands thrive alongside military installations and ranges. 

The 2024 sentinel landscape designations include--

-- Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape, Pennsylvania 

-- Eastern New Mexico Sentinel Landscape, New Mexico

-- Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape, Utah

-- Hawaii Sentinel Landscape, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, and Hawaiʻi Island 

-- Mojave Desert Sentinel Landscape, California 

“Through the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership, we have worked with private landowners to permanently protect more than 515,000 acres and implement sustainable management practices on an additional 2.7 million acres around military testing and training areas,” said USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief, Terry Cosby. “These efforts preserve wildlife habitat, bolster agricultural and forest production, and support climate resiliency, among other benefits, while at the same time ensuring our military has the space it needs for its operations. This work showcases the power of collaboration and partnership to help us meet our mission.” 

"The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership demonstrates the remarkable successes that can happen through collaborative, locally led conservation efforts," said Martha Williams, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director. "This program works by connecting private landowners with voluntary state and federal assistance programs that provide tax reductions, agricultural loans, disaster relief, educational opportunities, technical aid, and funding for conservation easements. By focusing multiple agencies' resources on a Sentinel Landscape, the Service and its partners use taxpayer dollars more efficiently and achieve greater conservation outcomes."

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The Shapiro Administration released this statement on the Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape--

“Fort Indiantown Gap is home to the Pennsylvania National Guard and serves as one of the most active training centers for the National Guard and our armed forces -- and the Sentinel Landscape designation cements its status as a critically important area for our national security,” said Gov. Josh Shapiro. “My Administration is grateful for the support of our federal partners in protecting Kittatinny Ridge and the surrounding land and ensuring it will be sustained for years to come. Not only does this designation help strengthen our national defense, but it will also ensure we can continue to preserve our natural resources, encourage outdoor recreation, and support Pennsylvania farmers.”

“Home to headquarters, Pennsylvania National Guard, Fort Indiantown Gap is the busiest National Guard training facility in the nation,” said Major General Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “This designation assists in protecting critical land and air space our service members and civilian partners train in, while demonstrating our commitment to preserving our natural resources and farmland.”

“Every farm that commits to conservation or preservation secures Pennsylvania’s future, safeguarding productive farmland for generations to come,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “The designation as a sentinel landscape isn’t just about present advantages; it’s an investment in the enduring resilience and prosperity of our farms and the agricultural economy of tomorrow.”

“In a study conducted by the Nature Conservancy, the Kittatinny Ridge was determined to be the most climate resilient landscape in Pennsylvania, providing an unbroken area for plants and animals to move to higher elevations as the climate gets increasingly warmer and habitats change,” said Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn.

Click Here for the complete statement.

The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania released this statement on the designation--

“This is a significant conservation victory for one of Pennsylvania’s greatest natural treasures,” said Lori Brennan, Executive Director of TNC in Pennsylvania and Delaware. “The Sentinel Landscape designation will help advance large-scale voluntary and coordinated land protection and management efforts along the Kittatinny Ridge as well as help preserve habitat in one of the most important wildlife corridors in the northeastern United States. We are proud to have worked alongside the Governor’s office and our fellow Kittatinny coalition members to achieve this important milestone.”

"The collaborative efforts of the federal and state agencies, local governments, NGOs, and private landowners within designated Sentinel Landscapes are vital to preserving not only our natural resources and working lands, but the ability of our military forces to test and train at key installations like Fort Indiantown Gap so that they are fully ready to defend the nation when called upon,” said retired Brigadier General Bob Barnes, TNC's national liaison with the Department of Defense.

The Kittatinny Ridge is a key subrange within the Central Appalachians. Identified as the most resilient landscape in Pennsylvania, this forested corridor provides an incredibly biodiverse superhighway that allows wildlife to move safely within and between climate resilient areas in response to rising temperatures, increased floods, or drought. 

The continued health of the Kittatinny Ridge is considered critical to the future of hundreds of animal and bird species.

Since 2017, TNC has managed the Hamer Woodlands at Cove Mountain Preserve in Marysville, Pennsylvania, located along the Susquehanna River. The 1,379-acre preserve offers outdoor recreation opportunities for the public while simultaneously protecting and restoring connected lands, healthy forests, and clean water.

For more information, please visit The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania webpage.

Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape 

In the Lenape language, Kittatinny means “Big Mountain,” which describes the geography of Kittatinny Ridge Sentinel Landscape well. 

Located in eastern Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Mountains, it encompasses forested ridges and fertile valleys that provide clean water, sequester vast amounts of carbon, and serve as a crucial corridor for rare wildlife and songbird migration. 

The landscape is anchored by Fort Indiantown Gap, the busiest National Guard training center, the Army’s second busiest heliport, and one of only three specialized Army National Guard aviation facilities. 

With the primary mission of preserving military mission readiness, operations, testing and training capabilities, KRSL partners are focused on increasing coordinated and holistic land conservation, natural resource protection, and stewardship initiatives; supporting working lands productivity and economic development; and improving nature-based recreational resources and access to sustain small-town economies.

To learn more, visit the Kittatinny Sentinel Landscape storymap webpage. 

Learn more about this program at: Sentinel Landscapes Partnership webpage.

Related Article:

-- DCNR Celebrates Induction Of Forrest H. Dutlinger Natural Area In Clinton County Into The Old-Growth Forest Network  [PaEN]

[Posted: May 14, 2024]  PA Environment Digest