land conservation

The Cornelia and Florence Bridge Preserve: One Generous Man’s Accessible Vision

Posted on by North American Land Trust

As lovers of the outdoors, many of us enjoy going for a jog through the woods, biking for miles along a designated route, or hiking along a steep trail that tests both our footing and endurance.  However, the reality is that outdoor recreation is simply not an option if you have a physical handicap and cannot navigate rough terrain.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 5 people have a disability, and more than half of those people report having a severe disability.   But thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which became law in 1990, accessible trails— those that meet federal standards such as having a minimum tread width of 36 inches with few obstacles and minimal grade—are becoming more prevalent and inclusive.

And for the Cornelia and Florence Bridge Preserve in Pike County, PA, including a trail that could be available for all abilities was highly important during the site planning of this 300 acre natural park.  When Charles P. Bridge—a humble and beloved man who sold penny candies to children at his well-frequented gas station in Milford, PA—donated his family’s property to Dingman Township under a Conservation Easement with the North American Land Trust (NALT) in 2007, he wanted to ensure that everyone could be inspired by his family property, just as he was.

Mr. Bridge, also endearingly known as “One Armed Charlie” within the community, had survived an accident in his youth that resulted in his arm being amputated.  He therefore personally understood the limited opportunities and discrimination that confront those with physical handicaps.  Charlie felt it essential that all sorts of people be able to access and enjoy his family’s beautiful land, just as he had in his youth.

With Charlie’s passing at the age of 95 in 2008, the township was surprised to learn that this adored gas station owner was more generous than anyone could have imagined, as he bequeathed unforeseen substantial funds from his and his late wife’s estates to the township to support the development of public access to the family property.  This in turn allowed the park to develop at a rate much faster than originally anticipated, and the township was assured of funds for continual upkeep.  Although Charlie was unable to see the end results of his donation, Karen Kleist, who works for Dingman Township and played an integral part in the planning of the Preserve, is confident that “Charlie would be thrilled that we were really able to implement his vision.”  And it is truly a vision to behold.

What were once cross country skiing trails were ultimately turned into more than 2 miles of hiking and biking trails, neighboring Delaware State Forest and ultimately the former County Park.  From the trailhead, the Cornelia Trail, which was named for Charlie’s mother, is a central part of the trail network and an ADA trail.  Less than a mile long and frequented by children, dog walkers, and parents with strollers, it gently winds amongst the trees and stops for breaks at wooden benches before leading walkers to an open pavilion that sits atop a meadow, allowing for wonderful, well-earned views of rolling hills and distant treetops.

While the ADA regulations resulted in an extremely costly and time consuming project, every one of Charlie’s pennies invested in the construction of the Cornelia Trail has been worth it.  Dingman Township Board of Supervisors member Dennis Brink explained that, “We anticipated it being very well used, but the popularity and success of it has blown us away!”

Thanks to Charlie’s legacy, more projects are in the works.  More than 4 miles of trails have been mapped and designed, trail markers will soon go up, and a local mountain bike group is working with the Township to design additional single track trails.  In addition, thanks to a PaDEP grant and expertise from the Pike County Conservation District staff, a local Boy Scout Troop will soon begin creating an interpretive trail by identifying plant species with informational placards along the trail network.  And with the popularity of the Preserve, there are plans to expand the parking lot, which has the tendency to overflow on the weekends.

The Cornelia and Florence Bridge Preserve is a model in its thoughtful accommodation of people of all abilities, and in this way, “One Armed Charlie” continues to give back to his community.  The culmination of a collaborative effort involving Charles Bridge, Dingman and Milford Townships, the North American Land Trust, and many dedicated individuals has ensured that generations to come will be able to enjoy the many natural features of this scenic property.

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Saving the Delmarva Fox Squirrel from Extinction: A Conservation Success Story

Posted on by North American Land Trust

While exploring the woods of the Chesapeake Bay region, if you’re lucky you may spot a flash of silvery gray scampering across the forest floor.  This shy and elusive creature is known as the Delmarva fox squirrel (Sciurus niger cinereus), and today you have a better chance of catching sight of it than if you had visited 30 years ago.  Added to the very first Endangered Species List in 1967, this species was on the brink of extinction, but thanks to conservation efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, private landowners, and a progressive land trust, this squirrel’s numbers have since rebounded to a current estimated population of 20,000.

Native to the Delmarva Peninsula—areas of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean—the Delmarva fox squirrel population decreased significantly in the early 1900’s due to increased development, timber production, and overhunting.  Bigger than most squirrels, it lives on rural forest lands and agricultural fields, preferring to spend more time on the ground than jumping from tree to tree.  When its numbers were found to exist in only 3 counties, it was clear that this species would need protection in order to survive extinction.

In stepped Cherry Keller who led the Recovery Team for this species beginning in the 1990’s.  Head of the USFWS Endangered Species Program in the Chesapeake Bay Area, she and her team were determined to save the Delmarva fox squirrel from extinction.  Conservation work began with moving animals to start new populations within the historic range, which ultimately resulted in 11 new successful populations.

Another important strategy she deployed in her work to save this “fascinating animal and unique species to the Delmarva Peninsula”, was to preserve known Delmarva fox squirrel habitat on private lands.  The most effective way to ensure that the vulnerable habitat would be preserved forever was with a conservation easement.  However, Cherry soon discovered that finding a qualified land trust partner willing to hold a mitigation easement—an easement that offsets habitat impact by allowing for development to occur elsewhere—was more challenging than expected.

Luckily for both Cherry and the Delmarva fox squirrel, the North American Land Trust (NALT) could provide exactly what they needed.  As Cherry explained, “NALT was an important partner in this effort because they were willing to work with landowners and provide easements and conservation benefits that would offset habitat loss.”  With this new partnership, Cherry was able to contact landowners who owned land supporting high quality Delmarva fox squirrel habitat, and with NALT’s help, they could place their land into a mitigation easement.  As a result, 9 conservation easements totaling 592 acres were conserved in perpetuity with NALT within the 1.7 million acre Delmarva Peninsula.

While this fraction of land makes up a small portion of the entire Delmarva Peninsula, every acre counted in this conservation effort.  Saving mature hardwood forests from timber production and creating a contiguous chain of forest tracks for the species to expand is what ultimately saved this fluffy squirrel.  Translocating populations, tracking individual squirrels with wildlife cams and ear tags, and the continued monitoring of existing squirrels by Cherry, biologists, and landowners also contributed to the success of this project.  One landowner went so far as to assist in capturing and tagging Delmarva fox squirrels, and she set up wildlife cams on her own eased property to track their populations.  According to her, conservation was a priority “because I know that the loss of habitat is so critical to these animals, and I therefore wanted to save that habitat.”

Today the range of this animal has expanded to a third of the Delmarva Peninsula.  In Cherry’s words, “Knowing that there is land protected from future development has enabled confidence that the future is secure for this species.”

In December of 2015, the Delmarva fox squirrel was officially delisted from the Federal Endangered Species List, so it’s evident that through hard work and dedication to land conservation, this species of squirrel can continue to thrive on forested land that will never be developed within the Delmarva Peninsula.  As Steven W. Carter, Stewardship Coordinator at NALT, explained, “With the pace at which development is encroaching upon the land, if there is a way to prevent a loss of a species, then we are always willing to help.”  As a result of the tremendous, collaborative conservation effort, maybe now you’ll be able to spot this timid and unique critter the next time you visit the beautiful Delmarva Peninsula.

*Wildlife cam footage provided by a private landowner of the Delmarva Peninsula

Yellow-Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris)

Posted on by North American Land Trust

platanthera ciliarisOverview: Listed as threatened or endangered in most states, the Yellow-Fringed Orchid ranges from southern New England west to southern Ontario (historic), southern Michigan, Illinois south along the coastal plain to Florida, and west to Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.  Its flowers are bright yellow to orange in coloring, with distinctive fringed lips, and clustered in racemes.  They can reach up 1 meter in height with lower leaves that are 30 cm long and 3 to 6 cm wide, with smaller leaves growing toward the flower.  They typically bloom from late June in the North to late September in the South.  Historically, the Native Americans—particularly the Cherokee and the Seminoles—used this flower and its roots for medicinal purposes, such as treating digestive problems, headaches and snakebites.

Habitat: P. Ciliaris prefers sunny spots and acidic soils.  It can be found in sedge bogs, swamps, marshes, wet sandy barrens, moist woods, wet meadows, prairies, and deep humus of upland Eastern forests.  It is dependent on fires to recreate open growing conditions and is pollinated by large butterflies, particularly swallowtails.

Threats and Management: The Yellow-Fringed Orchid has declined as a result of loss of habitat caused by fire suppression, harvesting, and changes in land management practices.  One way to manage for them is to maintain open habitats to encourage pollinator access to the species.  In addition, sand excavation, ditch clearing, minor draining or flooding activities can create habitat suitable for colonization with their wet, exposed, thinly vegetated sandy soils.  Cutting and burning can also result in increased numbers of the P. Ciliari.

This particular Yellow-Fringed Orchid was captured on camera by NALT Conservation Biologist, Peter Smith at the Three Sisters property under easement in Tennessee.

Sources: http://www.newenglandwild.org/docs/pdf/platantheraciliaris.pdf
http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PLCI2
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/platanthera_ciliaris.shtml

Earth Day 2016 Celebration

Posted on by North American Land Trust

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Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970 when tens of millions of people took part in rallies across America, following an enormous oil spill that happened the previous year in Santa Barbara, California.  As a result, many environmentally focused changes and awareness followed, such as the Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and Water Quality Improvement Act.  Since the 1990’s, the holiday has become global, and today 141 countries celebrate it every year.

This year’s Earth Day theme is “Trees for Earth”, which involves an effort by Earth Day Network to plant 7.8 billion trees in the next 4 years, representing the number of people on this earth.  Today is also historically significant as a result of the signing of the Paris Agreement, which is the result of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2015.  The U.S. is one of 120 countries that have pledged to sign the agreement, which would bring tremendous leadership to the effort to reduce CO2 emissions around the world and keep global temperatures from rising above 2°C.  Promising to be instated in 2020, the signing of this agreement comes after one of the warmest recorded months in history.

People celebrate earth day in many ways, such as volunteering at a community garden, bird watching, picking up trash, planting a tree in the neighborhood, or calling for action to preserve and protect the environment.  How do you intend on celebrating Earth Day?

Black Bear (Ursus americanus)

Posted on by North American Land Trust

 

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Overview: The smallest of the three bear species found in North America, the American black bear is black, brown or cinnamon.  They have short, non-retractable claws that allow them to climb trees easily.  This species is found throughout North America, from Canada to Mexico, inhabiting both coniferous and deciduous forests, as well as open alpine habitats.  They live in a variety of areas where they can find food, but they typically do not occur on the Great Plains or other open areas.

The American Black Bear is an opportunistic omnivore, meaning it will consume herbaceous vegetation, fruits, nuts, insects, fish, animals, and human-related foods such as garbage and apples.  This variety in their diet allows them to inhabit a diversity of habitat types.  An important habitat feature for the black bear is a source of fall mast, such as American chestnuts, acorns, beechnuts, hazelnuts, and pine nuts.  This available source is eaten during the fall to increase fat reserves in preparation for winter hibernation. American black bears hibernate for up to 7 months in the northern areas of their range, or for shorter periods in the southern portions.  Females will typically den and give birth to 2-5 cubs.

Threats & Management: Thanks to effective conservation efforts, the American Black Bear is not currently a species of conservation concern; however, increased conflicts with humans are a threat to the species.  As more people encroach on bear habitat, due to urbanization and increasing density of roads, the frequency of interactions between bears and humans has increased.  As a result, the leading cause of bear deaths is car accidents.  Another threat to the Black Bear is hunters and poachers and the opportunity for illicit commercial trade of bear claws and gallbladders by poachers.  In order to maintain successful co-existence between bears and humans, humans must be responsible for the welfare of the bear population by preserving wild areas as important bear habitat.

These bear cubs were caught on NALT’s wildlife cam located on Big Ridge, North Carolina this past September.

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Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Posted on by North American Land Trust

Overview: Considered the national emblem of the United States, the bald eagle has flourished under protection.  Larger than most other raptors, it possesses a heavy body, large head, and long, hooked bill.  Known for its white head that is not actually bald, adult bald eagles also have tails with dark brown bodies and wings. They are incredibly large with wing spans reaching up to 8 feet.  They soar high in the sky and are solitary, often traveling far distances across North America.

Habitat: Bald Eagles prefer to live near lakes, reservoirs, rivers, marshes, and coasts.  They can also be spotted near fish processing plants and dumpsters during feeding.  Fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, and small mammals make up their diet.  This species of bird will build incredible large nests (typically 5-6 feet in diameter) in trees, cliff faces, or ground sites.  They prefer sturdy conifers that protrude above forest canopy.  In southern parts of their range, they can be spotted nesting in deciduous trees, mangroves, and cactus.

Threats & Management: The bald eagle’s recovery has been very successful and its numbers have increased between 1966 and 2014.  The species became rare during the 1900s when it was popular to trap and shoot them for sport and protection of fishing grounds, and many suffered from pesticide-caused reproductive failures.  They were protected in 1978 and since then their recovery has been noteworthy.  However, they are still threatened today by lead poisoning from ammunition in their prey, dangerous oil spills, collisions with motor vehicles, and development that is encroaching upon their nesting, perching, roosting, and foraging habitat.  Therefore, their nesting habitat along coastlines must be actively protected and conserved.

Can you spot the Bald Eagle found in a tree on Knights Island, MD?  NALT Conservation Biologist Matt Stutzman found this guy while on a monitoring trip!

LeConte’s Thistle (Cirsium lecontei)

Posted on by North American Land Trust

cropped-1.jpgOverview: Cirsium lecontei occurs on the sandy pinelands of southern coastal plain in damp soil (where  co-occurring species include Myrica, Cyrilla, and Ilex), specifically in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. They are also found in moist to wet grassy pine savannas and pine barrens, bogs (other species present include pitcher plants, Ilex, sedges, grasses, and sphagnum), and roadside ditches.

LeConte’s thistle is a perennial herb that dies back to its basal leaves in winter. The lower leaves are narrow – up to 12 inches long, but only about 1 inch wide. The young leaves are velvety in appearance with a dense matted covering of white hairs. The upper leaves are smaller than the basal ones, but are still long and narrow in appearance. Like other thistles, they are armed with stout spines along the leaf margins and stems.

Flowering occurs in mid-summer to early fall. The leafless flower stalk reaches a mature height of 2-4 feet and the urn-shaped inflorescence is composed of light pink to pinkish purple flowers.

Importance: Thistles are important species for pollinating species of insects and wildlife.

Threats & Management: Identified along the forest edge, LeConte’s Thistle is only known from six southeastern states, and is listed as rare in most states.  The main threats this species faces are conversion of habitat to pine plantation, poor fire management, and commercial and residential development.  Beneficial management practices include: 1. Prescribed burning, especially during growing season (May to June), and 2. Thinning of densely-stocked timber (during very dry periods and maintenance of open stands.

International Day of Forests

Posted on by North American Land Trust

March 21 marks the International Day of Forests, a holiday that was created by the UN in 2013 to bring awareness to the importance of all types of forests on our planet.  This day comes before World Water Day on the calendar, as the two are intrinsically linked in an important relationship that sustains life and affects all aspect of our lives.  Without forests, humans would not be here, and it is up to us to ensure their protection for years to come.

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The Importance of Forests:

  • Forests are a key source to clean breathable air: they pump out oxygen and absorb the CO2 that fuels global warming, which is stored in wood, leaves, and soil for centuries.
  • Forests are home to nearly half of all known species (80% of land biodiversity).
  • Forests are home to an estimated 60 million indigenous people who rely on forests for their livelihood and economic income.
  • Forests have a cooling effect on the environment through evapotranspiration and shade, and urban trees help buildings stay cool and in turn reduce the need for fans or AC.
  • Forests soak up surface runoff, such as stormwater that carries toxic chemicals like gasoline and lawn fertilizer, protecting ecosystems downstream.
  • Forests act as windbreaks, protecting crops from wind by providing a buffer area.
  • Forest roots prevent erosion.
  • Forests provide plentiful food sources for animal and human consumption, such as fruit, nuts berries, seeds and sap.
  • Forest products, such as paper, tissues, cosmetics, and medicines, are used in our daily lives. About 1% of the global GDP comes from timber production and non-timber products.
  • Forests provide scenic views and allow us to interact with nature and enjoy recreational activities outside, such as hiking, biking, bird-watching, and exploring. The phenomenon known as “biophilia”—the attraction to forests—encourages mindfulness, creativity, an appreciation for nature, and it may even help us live longer.CS2

 

The Current State of U.S. Forests:

  • An increase in urbanization and deforestation has resulted in the loss of forests which provide vital habitat to a variety of species. This loss of habitat has had a direct influence on the decline of many species, and it can also lead to increased flooding and drought risk.
  • The southeastern U.S. once consisted of a Long Leaf Pine Savannah, which supported over 200 species of plants and animals, and was maintained by frequent wild fire. Due to cropland conversion, logging, and urban development, only 3% of this native habitat remains, along with 29 species of concern or endangerment directly attributed to this loss of habitat.
  • S. forests absorb emissions equivalent to 191 million cars in a given year.
  • Industrial logging has increased in the Southeast, and the industry predicts that more biologically diverse and unprotected forests will be lost in the next decades.
  • Currently, the U.S. South is the world’s largest exporter of wood pellets, which are considered a “renewable” alternative to coal, to Europe. However, U.S. Scientists warn that burning trees for electricity will accelerate climate change; it can take up to 100 years to recapture carbon that was burned from a tree.IMG_20130731_143226_325

 

Despite the fact that within the past 25 years, the world has lost forest area equivalent to the size of South Africa, the rate of net forest loss has dropped by 50 percent since 1990.  However, that does not mean that we should stop fighting to protect our forests.

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What we can do to Protect our Forests:

  • Reuse and Recycle paper and paper products.
  • Buy wood products that have been sustainably harvested or reclaimed.
  • Only support brands with zero deforestation policies.
  • Print less; use email and paperless sources instead, or if you have to print, print double sided.
  • Use cloth napkins and reusable lunch boxes.
  • Eat organic and local; organic and locally grown foods reduce the clearing of forest for agricultural lands.
  • Buy products without paper packaging.
  • Write to the U.S. Forest Service to show your support for recreational forest values.
  • Support local conservation and environmental groups.
  • Practice sustainable land management, such as controlled burns and replanting, as advised by a Forestry Manager.
  • Conserve land and forests through Conservation Easements held by Land Trusts.
  • Get outside and appreciate what needs to be protected; visit a local state or national park, but be sure to stay on the marked trails.
  • Raise awareness, make smart consumer choices, and take action!P1160136