"Open space" identified in Central Appalachian region

The Central Appalachian region, stretching from the Berkshires to northern Virginia, is rich with a diversity of resources — biological, recreational, cultural, and scenic. The region is of particular interest to the AMC because of our growing membership in the area and our burgeoning programs and activities at the Mohican Outdoor Center. To help guide the AMC's future conservation and programmatic efforts in the region, AMC researchers conducted a region-wide assessment of the natural landscape, the threats facing it, and the opportunities to protect special places and critical resources.

Methodology
The Central Appalachian study region is bounded to the north by the Massachusetts/Vermont border, to the west by the western slope of the Appalachians, to the south by Highway 64 in Virginia, and to the east by the Atlantic coastline. Though the focus of the study was on the Appalachian highlands, the study was extended to the coast to be comprehensive and to provide a good reference point when examining the maps.

The study considered both the nature of the landscape and the conservation threats and opportunities from a broad landscape perspective rather than focusing on local battles underway in the region. AMC researchers gathered geographic information on land cover, existing protected lands, human use (forest fragmentation, population density, and sprawl), recreational features, and air and water quality. In some cases, existing data was available from government agencies, but in other cases (especially for recreational features) the AMC had to create the data from other sources, such as books and paper maps.

The Findings
The findings of the study will help educate people about the natural and human landscape of this heavily developed region. They will help the AMC decide where to focus its energies and resources. And they will also help conservation groups, citizens, and public officials plan the long-term future of the region, through conservation of open space, development of recreational opportunities, and mitigation of threats to critical areas.

The results of the study include:

• Identification of 12 major regions of "open space", including a description of important natural and recreational resources, threats to those resources, active organizations, and opportunities for AMC involvement. You can view a locator map of these 12 regions, or to access more detailed information visit the Interactive Mapping Service.
  

		Results
		Major Open Space Regions Location East Wachusett/Quabbin Reservoir Mass./Conn. Berkshires and Taconics Mass./N.Y. Highlands (See also a more detailed study on the Highlands region.) Conn./N.Y./N.J./Penn. Long Island Pine Barrens N.Y. New Jersey Pinelands N.J. Catskills and Shawangunks N.Y. Poconos, including Kittatinny Ridge and Delaware Water Gap N.Y./N.J./Penn. Pennsylvania Ridgeline Penn. Rappahannock/York Rivers Va. West Virginia and western Virginia, the Monongahela region W. Va./Va. Lower Potomoc Valley Md./Va. Lower Susquehanna Watershed Penn./Md.