From the Housatonics to the Ramapos to the Michaux State Forest, the Mid-Atlantic Highlands region of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut forms a 3.5 million acre greenbelt around the sprawling metropolitan region of Philadelphia, New York City and Hartford.
Unfortunately, the Highlands' critical resources are severely threatened by suburban sprawl and industrial development. Urgent action is needed to protect this nationally significant region.
PA/CT Highlands Study Review
The Forest Service has been conducting a study of natural resources in the Highlands of Connecticut and Pennsylvania to identify the most valuable resources. Learn more>>
The Place
- The "backyard" to the New York-Philadelphia-Hartford metropolitan area, the Highlands lie within two hours travel of more than 20 million people.
- Forested watersheds and reservoirs provide clean drinking water to more than 15 million residents of the region.
- With more than 200,000 acres of public open space, the Highlands host more than 14 million recreational visits annually.
- Several trails traverse the region, including the Appalachian Trail, Long Path and Highlands Trail, which has been designated as a National Millennium Trail.
- Over 100 plants and almost 50 animals listed as Federal or State endangered, threatened or species of concern make their home in the Highlands.
- The region provides critical wildlife habitat for more than 70 species of migratory songbirds and species such as black bear, bobcat, beaver, otter, and trout.
The Threats
- Rampant suburban sprawl is destroying farmland and forests, threatening drinking water, fragmenting critical habitat, and diminishing recreational opportunities.
- Between 1970 and 1990, the population of the Highlands grew by approximately 20 percent. This pattern is expected to continue. For example it is expected that by 2010, Sussex, Morris and Bergen counties in NJ will have reached a density of at least 1000 persons per square mile.
- In a regional study of the NY/NJ Highlands the USDA Forest Service found that over 5,000 acres of land a year are being developed in the NY-NJ Highlands.
- According to a 1997 Natural Resources Inventory by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pennsylvania was fifth in the nation in acreage of rural land lost to development from 1992 to 1997.
- Air pollution is reducing visibility from scenic vistas and endangering the health of hikers and the public.
The Opportunities
The AMC is a leading member of the Highlands Coalition, a group working to protect the critical treasures of the Highlands region and to support sound land use and "smart growth" in Highlands communities. Specific opportunities in the Highlands include:
- Implementing the Highlands Conservation Act, which passed on November 30th, 2004 and provides $110 million towards lands protection as well as research and planning assistance in the Highlands. The Governors of the four Highlands states have requested funding for a number of projects in the federal FY2007 budget.
- The AMC and the Highlands Coalition are working to secure federal and state funding to protect the critical treasures of the Highlands region.
In addition, federal funding through programs such as Forest Legacy is critical for providing the resources needed to protect these landscapes.
Get Involved!
For more information on how to get involved in protecting the Highlands, contact the AMC's Highlands Outreach Coordinator at 609-818-9898 or conservation@outdoors.org.
Resources
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