Prepared by: Lee
Forshey (Shippensburg University),
Steve Hoffman (Audubon PA), Joe Bishop
(Pennsylvania State University) and Rob Blye (Audubon PA) December 2003
This document describes the features that were used to create the core and conservation buffer boundaries for each Pennsylvania IBA. Core boundaries were chosen primarily based on quality and extent of bird habitat rather than political or land ownership boundaries. In some cases, buffering was used to create some or all of a core boundary. Buffering refers to a setback of a specific, uniform distance from a natural boundary. One common example is the use of a 100- or 300- meter buffer around a water body or wetland. It is also important to note that while most core boundaries are based on a natural feature (river, lake, wetland, forest, grassland, watershed), some are comprised of political or public ownership if a natural boundary is not evident. Where appropriate we also delineated conservation buffers around the core IBA to serve as a focus for protection of the habitat value of the core.
Core boundary: The core boundary for a Pennsylvania Important Bird Area (IBA) is
that area within and contiguous to each IBA site named in A Guide to
Critical Bird Habitat in Pennsylvania (Crossley, 1999), or subsequently
nominated by members of the conservation community and approved by the PA
Ornithological Technical Committee, that provides habitat for the bird species
or suite of bird species for which the IBA site was identified. The core
boundary is the area that we seek to protect, enhance or restore for birds and
their habitats. Core boundaries are based on the extent and quality of wildlife
habitat rather than on ownership, political boundaries or protection status.
The Director of Bird Conservation and the Coordinator, Important Bird Area
Program for Audubon Pennsylvania determined first draft core boundaries based
on the original site description provided in the original nomination coupled
with geographic information system (GIS) analyses that incorporated a variety
of geo-spatial data sets. The primary
data layer used for each site was vegetative land cover data collected by the
LANDSAT TM satellite and classified for Pennsylvania during the Pennsylvania
Gap Analysis project. In addition to the land cover data the following GIS data
were used where appropriate; wetlands data from the National Wetland Inventory
(NWI) program, watershed boundaries from Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) and the US Geological Survey (USGS), digital
topographic data from USGS, Pennsylvania roads and streams data from DEP and
PENNDOT, and locally provided land ownership records where available. These habitat data were analyzed within a
GIS applying conservation biology principles. The first draft core boundary is
based on the description (if it exists) provided in the initial nomination or
by the PA OTC and then modified to include contiguous wildlife habitat of a
quality similar to that described in the nomination and that meets one or more
identification criteria (see a list of the criteria below). First draft
boundaries are then submitted to interested parties for review and comment.
Final boundaries are consensus agreements of the IBA staff, OTC, nominators,
academic ornithologists, agency biologists and land managers, amateur
ornithologists and other reviewers familiar with the site and its bird life. If
bird populations or wildlife habitats change, then core boundaries can change
to reflect current conditions.
Conservation buffer: The conservation buffer for an IBA is an area that surrounds a core
boundary, which provides a protective buffer or contains resources that do or
could affect the quality of habitat or viability of bird populations in the
core boundary. The conservation buffer will probably not support the birds or
contain the bird habitats that meet the criteria we use to identify sites for
the IBA Program. In many cases the conservation buffer will include watersheds
upstream of the core boundary or adjacent, lower quality but similar habitat as
the core site. The composition and extent of conservation buffers are site
specific. Not all IBAs have conservation buffers. Conservation interest: This is a brief
restatement of the habitat type or function that is the reason for designation
of the Important Bird Area.
Public (Stewardship) lands: Lists all of the stewardship lands (those identified
in the PASDA Stewardship Land layer) that have all or part contained within the
IBA in either the core boundary or the conservation buffer boundary.
Stewardship lands are Federal parks, forests, wildlife refuges, historic sites,
Pennsylvania State Parks, State Forests, State Game Lands, other state-owned
conservation land, county and municipal parks and certain land owned by private
land trusts and conservancies and included in the PASDA GIS layer. A very few
parcels under conservation easement by land trusts and conservancies are
included also. PASDA stewardship land layer was assembled in about 1997 so that
additions to or modifications of stewardship boundaries since then are not
included.
Forest fragmentation layer: This forest fragmentation
or Core Forest layer is
a data layer in the PASDA GIS data set that aggregates forested land into seven
forest core classes. Based on the land
cover data contiguous forested areas were located that were 100 meters into the
forest from any forest edge. Edges
occur were forests are adjacent to disturbances such as urban, suburban, and
agricultural areas as well as along roads.
Forest patches that were greater than 100 meters from an edge were
identified and further classified as forest core areas and grouped into six
categories based on area according to the criteria below.
Figure 1 - Final Forest Core
Areas - > 100m buffer into forest
from all disturbances such as Urban, Agricultural, Transitional, Barren, Roads,
etc.
CLASS SIZE RANGE NO of PATCHES
AREA (Acres)
PCT.%
%Core/%Total
Class 1 - 0-100 144,046 1,054,195.63 14.25/6.04
Class 2 - 100-500 6368 1,244,076.48 16.82/7.13
Class 3 - 500-1,000 1076 693,013.83 9.37/3.97
Class 4 - 1,000-5,000
1072 2,126,081.36 28.75/12.18
Class 5 - 5,000-10,000 156 892,558.14 12.07/5.11
Class 6 - 10,000-60,850 83
1,386,226.48 18.74/7.94
Edge Forest - 10,057,360.75 ****/57.62
Some 108,151 forest patches
less than or equal to 25 acres, comprising some 420,140 acres, are included in
the Class 1 core areas. Edge forest (forest patches that occur <100 meters
from an edge) comprise over 57% of all forest areas in Pennsylvania; only 83
patches >10,000 acres exist in Pennsylvania. Where appropriate we included
adjacent unfragmented forest, Classes 3, 4, 5, or 6, to a forested IBA.
#1 Presque Isle SP
Core boundary: Lacustrine wetlands along Presque Isle Bay on the east and southeast,
a 300-meter buffer around lacustrine wetlands on west and north (roughly
following the Presque Isle State Park boundary)
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: migratory stopover and nesting habitat for water
and land birds
Public lands: Presque Isle State Park, Gull Point Special Management Area
#2 Roderick Wildlife Preserve
Core boundary: SGL 314 plus private inholdings within the game land’s boundaries
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by SGL 314
Conservation interest: lakefront wetland habitat, artificial ponds, shrub
and early successional moist-soil forest
Public lands: SGL 314
#3 Pymatuning, Hartstown Complex
Core boundary: Pennsylvania/Ohio border on west, the rest of the boundary is formed by
Pymatuning State Park and SGL 214 plus 100m buffer around wetlands where they
extend past the stewardship boundaries
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by core area
Conservation interest: palustrine and lacustrine wetland habitat
Public lands: Pymatuning State Park, Clark Island Natural Area, Black Jack Swamp
Natural Area, Tryon Weber Woods Natural Area, SGL 213, SGL 214
#4 Cussewago Bottom
Core boundary: roads running north-south that enclose the wetlands comprise the east
and west boundaries, including SGL 269 and two wetland areas just outside of
road boundary on the northwest and southeast ends, roads also create the
northwest and southeast boundaries
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by core
Conservation interest: bottomland forested wetlands, beaver ponds, open
water, and emergent wetlands
Public lands: SGL 152, SGL 269
#5 Hemlock Hill Research Area
Core boundary: a deciduous forest area located in northeastern Crawford County, just
northeast of Erie National Wildlife Refuge’s Seneca Division, bounded on the
west by roads on the perimeter of the Seneca Division and on all other sides by
mixed forest, transitional and perennial herbaceous areas
Conservation buffer boundary: protected by conservation buffer for IBA site #6,
Erie National Wildlife Refuge; does not possess its own Conservation Buffer
Conservation interest: ongoing (long-term) ornithological research, mixed
woodland habitat
Public lands: n/a
#6 Erie NWR
UPPER Division (Seneca
Division)
Core boundary: Erie National Wildlife Refuge plus a 100-meter buffer around wetlands
that fall immediately outside of Erie NWR
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by core or that flow into
core area
Conservation interest: wetlands and nesting habitat
Public lands: SGL 69, SGL 96, SGL 85, SGL 122, SGL 146, SGL 200, SGL 277, Erie
National Wildlife Refuge, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Venango Bridge
Lower Division (Sugar Lake
Division)
Core boundary: Erie National Wildlife Refuge plus 100-meter buffer of wetlands areas
near the southeast boundary
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by core area
Conservation interest: wetlands and waterfowl nesting habitat
Public lands: SGL 69, SGL 96, SGL 85, SGL 122, SGL 146, SGL 200, SGL 277, Erie
National Wildlife Refuge, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Venango Bridge
#7 Conneaut Marsh
Core boundary: SGL 213 plus 100-meter buffer around wetlands on the northwest and
southeast
Conservation buffer boundary: watershed boundaries intersected by the core and
flowing into the core area
Conservation interest: palustrine emergent wetland habitat
Public lands: SGL 213
#8 Barrows Heronry
Core boundary: a riparian forest in northwestern Mercer County, just northwest of
the city of Greenville, that supports a Great Blue Heron rookery
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: heron breeding habitat
Public lands: n/a
#9 Shenango Reservoir
Core boundary: SGL 294 plus a 100-meter buffer around Shenango Reservoir and
adjacent wetlands
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by core area and watersheds
that flow into the core area
Conservation interest: lake and mudflat habitat for migrating waterfowl
and shorebirds
Public lands: SGL 294
#10 Pennsy, Black, Celery Swamps
Core boundary: watersheds immediately surrounding SGL 151 and SGL 284 excluding the
northern and southern extensions of the Neshannock Creek watershed as bisected
by Creek Road in southern Mercer County
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: high quality emergent wetland habitat
Public lands: SGL 151, SGL 284, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Plain Grove Fen
#11 The Glades
Core boundary: three western-most sections of SGL 95 plus 100-meter buffer around
wetland areas associated with Slippery Rock Creek and South Branch Slippery
Rock Creek
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by the core area, excluding
portions of Slippery Rock Creek watershed where it flows away from the core
area as marked by contour lines at elevation 396 and 366 on the southwestern
end of the wetlands
Conservation interest: wetland breeding habitat, thicket and woodland
habitat
Public lands: portions of SGL 95
#12 Moraine SP
Core boundary: Moraine SP plus 100-meter buffer of wetlands on east
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by core
Conservation interest: wetland and forest habitat used during bird
migrations
Public lands: Moraine State Park, Jennings Environmental Education Center
#13 Raccoon Creek Valley
Core boundary: Ohio River on north, Pennsylvania/Ohio border on west, Rt. 22 on
south, Washington/Allegheny and Beaver/Allegheny county borders on east, and
Rt. 60 on northeast
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: Raccoon Creek valley riparian forest
Public lands: northern section of SGL 117, SGL 189, Hillman State Park, Raccoon
Creek State Park
#14 Enlow Fork
Core boundary: east-west oriented area 200-m from either side of Enlow Fork that
starts on the west at the West Virginia/Pennsylvania border and ends at a
barrens area on the east, stretched to include SGL 302 where the 200-meter
buffer does not already include it and level three core forest-fragmentation
areas on the southeast and northcentral Conservation
buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: river bottom riparian forest, un-fragmented forest
habitat
Public lands: SGL 302, Dreamer Memorial Park
#15 Akeley Swamp
Core boundary: SGL 282, Akeley Swamp, and a 300-meter buffer around wetlands immediately
adjacent to SGL 282 and Akeley Swamp
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by core excluding southern
portions of Conewango Creek watershed where it flows away from the core area
Conservation interest: palustrine shrub-scrub and emergent wetland and
riparian forest habitat
Public lands: SGL 282, Northern Allegheny Conservation Association Akeley Swamp
#16 Tionesta R&SNA
Core boundary: Tionesta Research and Scenic Natural Area of Allegheny National Forest
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: largest tract of old growth mixed Hemlock/Northern
Hardwoods forest in Pennsylvania
Public lands: Tionesta R&SNA of Allegheny National Forest
#17 Hickory Creek/Hearts Content
Core boundary: Hickory Creek Wilderness, Hearts Content Scenic Area, and a small
private inholding, all of which are in the Allegheny National Forest
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: unfragmented old growth hemlock, white pine and
northern hardwoods forest
Public lands: portions of Allegheny National Forest including Hickory Creek
Wilderness, Hearts Content Scenic Area
#18 Oil Creek State Park
Core boundary: Oil Creek State Park
Conservation buffer boundary: watershed boundaries intersected by core area
Conservation interest: hillside and streamside forest habitat
Public lands: Oil Creek State Park, a small portion of SGL 96, and a small portion
of SGL 253
#19 Cook Forest State Park
Core boundary: boundaries of Cook Forest State Park, Forest Cathedral Natural Area,
Swamp Forest Natural Area
Conservation buffer boundary: Cook Forest State Park forms south and west
boundaries, level 4 forest-fragmentation areas form the north and east
boundaries, all north of the Clarion River
Conservation interest: coniferous forest habitat, old growth forest
Public lands: Clear Creek State Forest, Cook Forest State Park, Forest Cathedral
Natural Area, Swamp Forest Natural Area
#20 Callen Run Research Area
Core boundary: The northern half of Clear Creek State Forest, bounded on the south
by roads.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: unfragmented second growth forest
Public lands: Clear Creek State Forest
#21 Piney Tract
Core boundary: reclaimed strip mine grassland in Clarion County south of the Clarion
River bounded by roads on the east and northeast, and following LANDSAT
Perennial Herbaceous habitat on the north, west, and south boundaries,
excluding barren, urban, and mixed/coniferous forest areas
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: grassland habitat, Henslow's Sparrows
Public lands: n/a
#22 Buffalo Creek Valley
Core boundary: riparian forest in the Buffalo Creek, Little Buffalo Creek, Buffalo
Run, Little Buffalo Run, Cornplanter Run, Rough Run, North Branch Rough Run,
Sipes Run, Pine Run, Sarver Run, Long Run, Patterson Creek, and Marrowbone Run
watersheds
Conservation buffer boundary: N/A
Conservation interest: unfragmented forest and riparian habitat
Public lands: Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania’s Todd Sanctuary,
SGL 164(partial) SGL 259,
SGL 304, Harrison Hill Park
#23 Yellow Creek State Park
Core boundary: Yellow Creek State Park
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds that flow into the core area
Conservation interest: lacustrine wetland and early successional second
growth forest
Public lands: Yellow Creek State Park, a portion of SGL 79
#24 Powdermill Nature Reserve
Core boundary: Powdermill Nature Preserve
Conservation buffer boundary: core area plus surrounding level 5
forest-fragmentation areas bounded by roads
Conservation interest: long term bird banding and research, unfragmented
forest
Public lands: Powdermill Nature Reserve, Forbes State Forest, Linn Run State Park
#25 Lake Somerset
Core boundary: 100-meter buffer around Lake Somerset
Conservation buffer boundary: Northern half of East Branch Coxes Creek watershed
that flows into the lake, bounded on the west by a line that is interpolated
evenly between the two streams, bounded on the south by a line that runs from
the southern end of the western boundary to the boundary of the East Branch
Coxes Creek watershed
Conservation interest: lacustrine and palustrine wetland
Public lands: n/a
#26 Ohiopyle SP/Youghiogheny Valley
Core boundary: the Ohiopyle State Park and Bear Run Nature Reserve boundaries
flanked on the northwest and southeast by the Youghiogeny River and a 200-meter
buffer of the river, ending on the north at urban areas and on the south at the
Pennsylvania/Maryland border - a small portion of Ohiopyle State Park on the
west of the main park body is excluded.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: unfragmented forest and riparian forest habitat
Public lands: Ohiopyle State Park, Bear Run Nature Reserve, Ferncliff Peninsula
Natural Area, SGL 51, SGL 111
#27 The Muck
Core boundary: minor roads that surround the Marsh Creek Wetlands complex
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by core excluding areas
that drain away from the core area
Conservation interest: extensive palustrine emergent wetland
Public lands: SGL 313, Tioga State Forest
#28 Pine Creek Gorge
Core boundary: watersheds immediately adjacent to, or that intersect, Pine Creek
Gorge Natural Area, excluding small watersheds that flow away from the Natural
Area or that do not significantly contribute
Conservation buffer boundary: a contiguous forest block with
forest-fragmentation values of 3 or greater that are within approximately 3
miles of Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area as defined by small roads
Conservation interest: un-fragmented canyon/gorge and adjacent forest
Public Lands: sections of Tioga State Forest, portions of Tiadaghton State Forest,
Pine Creek Gorge Natural Area, Black Ash Swamp Natural Area, Colton Point State
Park, Little Pine State Park, Leonard Harrison State Park, Reynolds Spring
Natural Area, Reynolds Spring Swamp Bogs, Algerine Swamp Natural Area, Algerine
Swamp Bogs, Algerine Natural Area, Algerine Wild Area, Asaph Wild Area, Wolf
Run Wild Area, Bark Cabin Natural Area, SGL 64, SGL 68, SGL 75, SGL 208, SGL
268
#29 Tamarack Swamp
Core boundary: a 100-meter buffer around the Tamarack Swamp wetlands complex forms
the western, southern and eastern boundaries; the northwestern, northern, and
northeastern boundaries follow coniferous and mixed forest boundaries
immediately north of the wetlands
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: boreal conifer swamp or bog wetland
Public lands: Tamarack Swamp Natural Area
#30 Southern Sproul State Forest
Core boundary: Southern Sproul State Forest
and adjacent unfragmented forest with fragmentation layer values of 3 or
greater that lie south of the Susquehanna River, plus a contiguous forest block
with a fragmentation value of 6 just northeast of the river
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: unfragmented mixed conifer/northern hardwood
forest and early successional forest
Public lands: southern Sproul State Forest, portions of Moshannon State Forest, SGL
89, SGL 100, Burns Run Natural Area, Burns Run Wild Area, Bucktail State Park
Natural Area, Fish Dam Wild Area, Hyner View State Park, Hyner Run State Park,
Hyner View State Park, East Branch Swamp Natural Area and small portions of
Tiadaghton State Forest
#31 Quehanna Wild Area
Core boundary: Quehanna Wild Area, portions of SGL 34 that fall within Quehanna Wild
Area circle, and Marion Brooks NA on the northwestern edge
Conservation buffer boundary: N/A
Conservation Interest: unfragmented forest
Public Lands: Quehanna Wild Area, Wykoff Run Natural Area, Marion Brooks Natural
Area, SGL 34, Elk State Forest, Moshannon State Forest
#32 Bald Eagle Ridge
Core boundary: Boundary formed primarily by the topography that defines the edge of
the ridge. IBA extends from Altoona to
Williamsport and was widened to include Bald Eagle State Park.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: raptor migration corridor, unfragmented forest
Public lands: Bald Eagle SF, SGL 126, SGL 255, Ravensburg SP, Bald Eagle SP, SGL
92, SGL 278, SGL 166, and Tytoona
Natural Area
#33 Black Moshannon State Park & State Forest
Core boundary: Boundary follows most of the edge of state forest, I-80 to the north
and roads that include adjacent connected forest.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: northern bog, open water, unfragmented forest
Public lands: Black Moshannon SP & SF, Black Moshannon Bog Natural Area, SGL –
33/60
#34 The Barrens At Scotia-SGL 176
Core boundary: Boundary includes adjacent forested areas to SGL – 176.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: early successional and unfragmented forest
Public lands: SGL 176
#35 Rothrock State Forest & Stone Mountain
Core boundary: Rothrock State Forest, Stone Mountain, Penn State’s Stone Valley
experimental forest and adjacent unfragmented forest.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: extensive unfragmented forest and boreal bogs
Public lands: Alan Seeger Natural Area, Bear Meadows Natural Area, Big Flat Laurel
Natural Area, Detweiler Run Natural Area, Rocky Ridge Natural Area, Thickhead
Mountain Wild Area, Greenwood Furnace State Park, Whipple Dam State Park, Penn
Roosevelt State Park, Rothrock State Forest, SGL 112, Stone Valley experimental
forest – PSU.
#36 Tuscarora Ridge
Core boundary: the entire Tuscarora Ridge, extending from the Maryland border north
to the Juniata River including unfragmented forest on the east and west
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: raptor migratory corridor, unfragmented forest
Public lands: Tuscarora State Forest, Buchanan State Forest, SGL 88, SGL124,
SGL171, Cowans Gap State Park
#37 The Hook Natural Area
Core boundary: The Hook Natural Area
Conservation buffer boundary: core area plus adjacent areas with fragmentation
values of 4 and 5 that are within 1 mile of the core, bounded by roads on the
north and northeast
Conservation interest: unfragmented forest
Public Lands: The Hook Natural Area, portions of Bald Eagle State Forest, SGL 317,
Raymond B. Winter State Park, Sand Bridge State Park, Rapid Run Natural Area
#38 Tall Timbers, Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area
Core boundary: contiguous forest surrounding Tall Timbers and Snyder-Middleswarth Natural
Areas, bounded on all sides by roads
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: unfragmented forest
Public lands: Tall Timbers Natural Area, Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area, and a
portion of Bald Eagle State Forest
#39 Waggoners Gap-Kittatinny Ridge
Core boundary: a ~17 acre plot of woodland on the Blue Mountain, near the junction
of route 74 and the Cumberland/Perry counties border – now merged into the
Kittatinny Ridge IBA
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: raptor migratory corridor
Public lands: Florence Jones Reineman Wildlife Sanctuary (Natural lands Trust)
#40 South Mountain
Core boundary: South Mountain areas of Michaux State Forest and Caledonia State
Park, plus adjacent forest-fragmentation values 4 and 5 areas that extends from
the Pennsylvania/Maryland border northeast to the limit of forest fragmentation
5 areas surrounding SGL 305
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: unfragmented forest
Public lands: Michaux State Forest, Caledonia State Park, Pine Grove Furnace State
Park, Mont Alto State Park, King’s Gap E.E.C. State Park, PA TNC Mount Holly
Marsh, PA TNC Mountain Run Ponds, SGL 305
#41 Southern Adams County Grasslands
Core boundary: grasslands within the Adams County/Maryland border from the route 16
intersection with the Maryland border on the south, eastward to the Adams/York
county border, northward along the Adams/York county border, excluding the City
of Hanover, following route 94 westward, then westward along route 234 to
various local roads that form the western border
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: open grassland habitat
Public lands: Gettysburg National Military Park, Eisenhower National Historic Site,
SGL 249
#42 Wyoming State Forest & Worlds End State Park
Core boundary: forest-fragmentation layer level 6 plus other high value areas
associated with Wyoming State Forest and Worlds End State Park bounded on all
sides by roads
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: forest interior habitat
Public lands: Wyoming State Forest, Worlds End State Park, portions of Tiadaghton
State Forest, SGL 134, SGL 298, Kettle Creek Gorge Natural Area, Kettle Creek
Wild Area, McIntyre Wild Area, Tamarack Run Natural Area
#43 St. Anthony’s Wilderness-SGL 211
Core boundary: Boundary includes contiguous large blocks of forested land in or
adjacent to the public lands listed below.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: unfragmented forest
Public lands: Weiser SF, SGL – 211/210/229, Harrisburg Water Authority
#44 Second Mountain Corridor
Core boundary: No specific boundary. Hawk
watch is contained by Fort Indiantown Gap lands and is adjacent to SGL – 211
and IBA - 43.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: raptor migration corridor, unfragmented forest
Public lands: SGL – 211, Fort Indiantown Gap
#45 Hershey Special Habitat
Core boundary: Boundary formed by roads
surrounding the IBA along Swatara Creek
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: conifer forest plantation, grassland
Public lands: n/a
#46 Sheets Island Archipelago
Core boundary: Susquehanna River and riparian areas from Taylor Bridge north
(upstream) to Wildwood Nature center.
Boundary includes Wildwood Lake & Nature Center, all river islands,
a 100m buffer along the edge of the river, and a municipal park at the mouth of
Conodoquinet Creek in West Fairview.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: heron/egret rookery, island forest, riverine/open
water habitat, tall sycamores/riparian forest
Public lands: Wildwood Lake & Nature Center, East Pennsboro Township Park
#47 Codorus State Park
Core boundary: Codorus State Park
Conservation buffer boundary: watersheds intersected by core area that flow into
the State Park
Conservation interest: lacustrine wetlands, early successional habitat
Public lands: Codorus State Park
#48/#49 North Mountain/Ricketts Glenn State Park
Core boundary: A headwater wetlands and unfragmented forest complex centered around
SGL 13, SGL 57, SGL 66, and Ricketts Glen State Park bounded by watersheds on
all sides except where stewardship lands extend farther, some watersheds have
been trimmed if streams flow away from wetlands complex
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: spruce-fir bogs, boreal swamps, unfragmented
conifer, mixed and hardwoods forest and emergent wetland habitat
Public lands: SGL 13, SGL 57, SGL 66, Ricketts Glen State Park, Glens Natural Area
#50 Susquehanna Riverlands
Core boundary: a 2,111 acre private recreation and natural park owned by PPL on both
sides of the Susquehanna River in western Luzerne County, extending just
northeast of the City of Berwick to the northern side of Gould Island
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: unfragmented forest, riparian forest, riverine
wetlands
Public lands: n/a
#51 Hawk Mountain-Kittatinny Ridge
Core boundary:
Conservation buffer boundary:
Conservation interest: raptor migration corridor, unfragmented forest
Public lands: lots!
#52 Lake Ontelaunee
Core boundary: Boundary formed by lands owned by the Reading Water Authority. Most boundaries follow roads.
Conservation buffer boundary: Watersheds that drain into Lake Ontelaunee that
contain some portion of the Core boundary.
Conservation interest: open water, forest edge
Public lands: Reading Water Authority Lands
#53 Blue Marsh Lake
Core boundary: Boundary includes SGL-280
lands to the north and Army Corps lands to the south. Along most of the edge
the boundary extends to include adjacent grassland habitat out to the nearest
road.
Conservation buffer boundary: Watersheds
draining into Blue Marsh Lake.
Conservation interest: open water, grassland, and forest edge
Public lands: SGL – 280, Army Corps of Engineers, and Camp Joy local park.
#54 Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area
Core boundary: Boundary formed by the boundary of SGL – 46.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: open water/agriculture, grassland, unfragmented
forest
Public lands: SGL - 46
#55 Creek Road
Core boundary: No specific boundary. Site
located along Lititz Run in a clump of sycamores.
Conservation buffer boundary: n/a
Conservation interest: Tall sycamores as heron nest trees
Public lands: n/a
#56 Conejohela Flats
Core boundary: Boundary extends from southern edge of Columbia, PA to Safe Harbor
Dam along the Susquehanna River. Most
of the boundary runs along the top of the ridge along the Susquehanna River
(100-300m from river edge).