More than 77 acres of vital acreage for migratory birds in northern Berks County is now permanently protected from development, thanks to a partnership between Berks Nature, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, The Conservation Fund, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Berks Nature helped to secure the grant funds from The Conservation Fund, which allowed Hawk Mountain Sanctuary to read more
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January
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November
Heritage Conservancy Preserves 76 Acres in Quakertown Swamp
Heritage Conservancy is happy to announce that the Herrmann property, a 76-acre property located along Rich Hill Road in the heart of the Quakertown Swamp in Richland Township, is now preserved in perpetuity. This preservation success was 15 years in the making, and its completion means that a vital keystone piece of the Quakertown Swamp is now protected. Considered a high read more
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October
Willistown Conservation Trust Expands Bird-Tracking Program
A research collaboration led by the Willistown Conservation Trust, in partnership with several state agencies and nonprofits, received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to dramatically expand a new migration tracking system across a five-state area. The grant, awarded through the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Maryland Department of Natural read more
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June
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and The Nature Conservancy Protect 2,400 Acres
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and The Nature Conservancy announced today that the two will protect over 2,400 acres of Sanctuary forestland for generations to come. “Hawk Mountain sits on the Kittatinny Ridge, a globally significant migration super highway. Our goal is to protect this international flyway and to guarantee that our refuge for raptors—and the people who enjoy read more
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May
Hawk Mountain Kestrel Cam Goes Live
For the fourth year, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is hosting a 24/7 live stream via a camera mounted within a local American Kestrel nest box installed by the Sanctuary. The live stream can be found at hawkmountain.org/kestrelcam. The American Kestrel Nest Box Program is part of Hawk Mountain's long-term study of kestrel reproductive ecology, now in its 65th year. The Kestrel read more
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January
Spruce Plantings on Game Lands Will Help Northern Flying Squirrel
Scattered remnants of a diminishing boreal forest are the last footholds for the state-endangered northern flying squirrel in northeastern Pennsylvania. The diminutive nocturnal rodent, with its disproportionately large eyes and unique ability to glide through the air, is in trouble. Forest fragmentation, the loss of trees necessary for food and shelter, and competition with a read more
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December
WPC Preserves Bat Habitat and Public Fishing Access Along Spruce Creek
Today, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy announced the protection of 13 acres in Franklin Township, Huntington County, which includes a limestone cave system to be used for bat conservation and more than 1,200 feet of public fishing access to the renowned Spruce Creek. The property will be conveyed to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission once work to replace an read more
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October
Hawk Mountain Contributes to Major Advance in Global Raptor Monitoring
On October 16, 2017, an unmanned Russian supply ship successfully docked at the International Space Station. Along with supplies for the astronauts aboard, the ship delivered the new antenna that will help reduce the cost of tracking raptors globally from more than $4000 a unit to less than $600. The international team of scientists, statisticians, and movement ecologists read more
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July
Making Conservation Happen on the Monocacy
Wildlands Conservancy is making a direct and lasting impact in Northampton County through significant, on-the-ground projects aimed at stream and wildlife habitat restoration on the Monocacy Creek. Monocacy Park Stream Restoration Together with project partners, Wildlands is bringing together a new vision for Bethlehem’s beloved Monocacy Park – one that enhances the public’s read more
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July
Hawk Mountain reports a rarity for raptor research
A turkey vulture trapped and tagged with a satellite telemetry unit in 2004 by Hawk Mountain Sanctuary was recently re-sighted more than a decade later and with its transmitter still working. "The units we use are estimated to work anywhere from three to five years, so this one is a real overachiever," jokes Dr. Keith Bildstein, the Sarkis Acopian Director of Conservation read more
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February
The Perfect Partnership – Protecting Eagle Habitat
The Eagle Institute and Delaware Highlands Conservancy have merged in a partnership that will lead to the continued resurgence of the eagle in the Upper Delaware River region and to better protection of critical eagle habitat. The Eagle Institute is the Upper Delaware River Watershed’s premier organization for the protection of eagles and the stewardship of their read more
