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Pennsylvania's Cherry Valley May Become a National Wildlife Refuge

The Nature Conservancy and the Friends of Cherry Valley support recommendation to establish new national wildlife refuge in the heart of the Poconos.

MONROE COUNTY, PA — October 31, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy and the Friends of Cherry Valley enthusiastically support a recommendation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to establish a new national wildlife refuge to protect the rare and beautiful Cherry Valley in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.

If approved, this would be the first national wildlife refuge established in the Northeast states in at least a decade, and only the third national wildlife refuge in Pennsylvania. 
    
In a report released Oct. 31, the Service evaluated the potential for a new national wildlife refuge and offered three alternatives, including the ‘preferred alternative’ of establishing a refuge protecting up to 20,400 acres in Cherry Valley. Other alternatives include a smaller refuge and taking no action on the proposal.

If the refuge is established, the Service would be authorized to purchase some land outright and protect other acres through voluntary conservation easements, preserving not only habitat for the rare plants and animals, but also the landscape of working farms and private homes scattered throughout the valley. Only willing sellers will be involved in the project.

“This is about preserving a rural way of life as much as it is about protecting habitat,” said Bud Cook, senior project manager for the Conservancy’s Pocono Mountains project. “The idea for a refuge has been strongly promoted by the people in Cherry Valley, who love this place and have protected it for generations.”

“This is an enormous step forward in our efforts to preserve Cherry Valley,” said Debra Schuler, president of the Friends of Cherry Valley. “It will give landowners one more option to help preserve their lands as a legacy for future generations.  Efforts for land preservation have been stalled as funds are becoming harder to find from local government and area agencies.”

If approved, the refuge will protect an area that stretches south and west from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and encompasses a stretch of the Appalachian Trail and the slopes of Kittatiny Ridge, a globally important flyway for birds of prey. Bald eagles, broad-winged hawks and other raptor species pass through this area during their annual fall migration.  Numerous neo-tropical songbird species, such as Cerulean warbler, nest in the forests along Kittatinny Ridge.

The Cherry Valley area harbors several federally endangered species, including northeastern bulrush and, in the Delaware River nearby, dwarf wedge mussel. Endangered bog turtles make their home in the valley, as do rare plants including spreading globeflower, a member of the buttercup family, and grass-of-Parnassus.

U.S. Representatives Paul E. Kanjorski (Penn.-D-11th) and Charles Dent (Penn-R-15th) co-sponsored a bill in 2005 to consider Cherry Valley as a prospective national wildlife refuge. A year later, Congress approved the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge Study Act, requiring the completion of the study. The report released today will fulfill this legislative mandate.

Conservation groups, including the Conservancy, have been working to protect this region for more than 15 years. When the Service was asked to evaluate the potential for a refuge, it tapped the Conservancy to lead the team of experts who established the scientific foundation for the study. The full study team includes representatives from the Service, the Conservancy, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Monroe County Conservation District, Monroe County Planning Commission, National Park Service, East Stroudsburg University, Northampton Community College and Pocono Avian Research Center.

The Conservancy also received financial assistance supporting the study through a major gift from John S. Potter, Jr., in memory of Margaret Price Potter, his late wife who was a native of Monroe County.

The agency is accepting comments through Dec. 5 on the proposed actions presented in the report, titled the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge Draft Feasibility Study and Environmental Assessment. Public meetings have been scheduled in the area as follows:

Wednesday, November 19
      Christ Hamilton Church, RD 4 Box 4293, Bossardsville Road,
      Saylorsburg (570/992-4085)
      4:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Informational open house
      7:00 – 9:00 p.m.: Brief presentation followed by public comments
Thursday, November 20
      Stroudsmoor Country Inn, Ridgecrest Event Facility
      RD 4 Stroudsmoor Rd., Stroudsburg (570/421-6431)
      4:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Informational open house
      7:00 – 9:00 p.m.: Brief presentation followed by public comments

After the public comment period, the document will be completed and submitted to the Service’s headquarters for review and approval by the Director.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/pennsylvania.

The Friends of Cherry Valley are dedicated to the conservation of the region's scenic beauty, wildlife, ecological and environmental resources, and rural character.  We strive to maintain these unique resources and to provide a high quality of life for the area's resident, visitors, and generations to come.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.