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DCNR
GRANTS $2 MILLION TO THE CONSERVATION FUND TO ACQUIRE 12,000 ACRES
IN
CENTRE AND CLINTON COUNTIES
HARRISBURG
(May 23) -- On behalf of Gov. Mark Schweiker, Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary John C. Oliver
today
announced $2 million in grants to The Conservation Fund to help
purchase a
12,000-acre tract in Centre and Clinton counties for public recreation
and
conservation.
"This is great day for conservation," Secretary Oliver
said. "Thanks to a
public-private partnership involving state government, a private
foundation,
and a non-profit organization, we have been able to protect the
largest
block of state forest land acquired in decades in Pennsylvania and
open it
for all the public to enjoy."
The tract, known as the Litke tract, falls primarily within Centre
County,
near Snow Shoe, and is surrounded on three sides by the 293,000-acre
Sproul
State Forest. The site is almost entirely wooded.
Because it is a major inholding to Sproul State Forest, The
Conservation
Fund will turn the land over to DCNR to be managed as part of
the
surrounding state forest.
DCNR will manage the 12,000-acre addition to Sproul for wildlife
habitat,
timbering, recreation, and water quality. In the northeastern portion
of the
property along a mountaintop in what is known as "Bloody Skillet
Road," DCNR
is proposing a 1,200-acre ATV riding area.
About 40 miles of trails on former mining roads and three challenge
areas in
unreclaimed strip mine pits would be available for ATV riders. Connector
trails to private trail systems also are planned.
The Conservation Fund secured matching funds for the purchase through
a $2
million grant from the Richard
King Mellon Foundation in Pittsburgh. DCNR's
funding is supplied through a Keystone Land Trust grant and a grant
through
the Snowmobile/ATV Fund.
"This is a major missing piece of the Sproul State Forest puzzle,"
Secretary
Oliver said. "Incorporating the Litke tract within Sproul provides
a
continuous swath of unbroken public lands. Due to its large size,
hundreds
of acres of wetlands, many stream corridors, and rugged remoteness,
the
property's natural resource values are extensive and have not yet
been
completely identified."
Josh First, Pennsylvania representative for The Conservation Fund,
said:
"This property has it all: rich biodiversity, extensive unbroken
open space
and wildlife habitat, watersheds that feed the Chesapeake Bay, wilderness
opportunities for hunters and hikers, and sustainable economic development
potential from the healthy forests.
"What I am most proud of is everybody wins with this purchase.
Wildlife get
a place to forever call home, outdoor recreation and economic development
is
enhanced in the area, and Pennsylvania's rural legacy is bolstered."
First said an unreclaimed strip-mine area and 90 active gas and
oil wells on
the property are reminders of the area's long role in providing
economic
development.
Cutting through steep gorges and towering hills, Beech Creek, a
major stream
in the area, flows through the property for 12 miles, paralleled
by an
abandoned rail line that eventually may be rehabilitated into a
recreational
rail-trail. Though it is impacted from acid mine drainage from farther
upstream, scenic Beech Creek is the focus of the Beech
Creek Watershed
Association's efforts to return it to its former status as a
significant
trout fishery.
In addition to containing two Exceptional Value streams and two
High Quality
streams, all of which hold native brook trout, and several smaller
unnamed
trout streams, the Litke property is an important addition to Pennsylvania's
third largest Important Bird Area, as determined by Audubon
Pennsylvania.
"The southern section of Sproul State Forest is one of the
largest remaining
unfragmented forest blocks in the state and provides critically
important
habitat for many rare and declining interior forest bird species,"
said
Stephen W. Hoffman, director of bird conservation, Audubon Pennsylvania.
Jack Clark, legislative director for the Pennsylvania
Off Highway Vehicle
Association, praised the plan.
"An extensive amount of study has gone into the proposed ATV
riding area,"
Clark said. "Most of the trails have existed for years, and
the ability to
access nearby private riding areas should address concerns expressed
by
local riders. We are happy to have been able to work with other
user groups
in developing this proposal and look forward to assisting with the
implementation phase. It's a welcome addition to the state's ATV
trail
system."
Secretary Oliver praised the work of Sen.
Jake Corman (R-Centre) and Rep.
Michael
Hanna (D-Clinton) in the acquisition of the Litke property.
"I worked to ensure that this acquisition would have a positive
impact on
our region's economy," Rep. Hanna said. "The inclusion
of extensive
ATV/snowmobile trails should help the area's economy. I thank the
local
governments, the school district, the ATV/snowmobile community and
DCNR for
working with us on this project."
Sen. Corman said, "I was very pleased to work on behalf of
local ATV
enthusiasts to ensure that they have a place to use for their recreation.
Also, with this agreement, I was able to guarantee that camp owners
on the
property will be grandfathered into DCNR's camp lease program."
For more information about Sproul State Forest call (570) 923-6011
or log on
to the PA PowerPort
PA Keyword
"forests."
Editor's note- Not very printer friendly due to Lenox/Unix junk
ware formatting for which it was (written in) and received, all
editing effort was put in to make it more readable.
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