Fall / Winter 2015 - 16 Newsletterlebanonvalleyconservancy.org/.../2015-fall-winter-newsletter-final.pdf · Fall / Winter 2015 - 16 Newsletter 752 Willow Street, Suite e Lebanon,

MOONSHINE EVENT HIGHLIGHTS KITTATINNY HERITAGE

There are two convenient

tools to use to benefit the

Lebanon Valley Conservancy.

First : Use Goodsearch. com

as your search engine.

It is easy to download their

toolbar. Secondly, use

Goodshop.com whenever

purchasing from one of the

600 affiliated merchants.

Each time you use either

tool, a percentage of your

purchase goes to the

Conservancy. This is one

easy way to donate every

time you research or shop.

Fall / Winter 2015 - 16

Newsletter

752 Willow Street, Suite e

Lebanon, PA 17046

www.lebanonvalleyconservancy.org

717-273-6400

[email protected]

Easy Way to Support the Conservancy

Ms. Katherine J. Bishop, Chief Executive

Officer of Lebanon Seaboard Corporation

has graciously offered to Chair the

Lebanon Valley Conservancy’s Annual

Appeal Fundraising initiative for 2015-16.

It is your generous and ongoing financial

contributions that support the many

projects of the Conservancy.

This year’s Annual Appeal effort

continues through July of 2016.

‘Our Lebanon Valley, Our Life, Our Responsibility’

The Lebanon Valley Conservancy, Inc. hosted it’s first heritage event at

Moonshine Church in Union Township on a crisp, clear fall evening,

October 24, 2015. Over 100 people listened around the campfire to

historians speak about the Blue-Eyed Six (6 individuals hanged for

murdering a man for insurance money in the first case of insurance

fraud in Pennsylvania) and of Joseph Johns (a former slave who lived

on the mountain and sold charcoal for a living). Children painted pump-

kins and had their faces painted. People shared spooky stories and

enjoyed hot dogs, hot cider and cocoa, cookies and smores.

Conservancy members provided cemetery tours and information on the

more notable persons interred in Moonshine Cemetery including

Joseph Johns. The church and cemetery land were actually donated

by the Moonshine family, whose stone also graces the graveyard.

Information on protecting the natural heritage of the Kittatinny Ridge was

made available to visitors. The event was free of charge thanks to our

sponsors: Strickler Insurance, Hutters Store, Tony’s On Market Street,

Pizza Town II, Kwik Quality Press, Gray’s Apple Orchard, BG’s Market,

and Conservancy Board Members. Judging from the community interest

and success of the event, we will definitely consider scheduling a similar

project in the future.

Appreciation is extended to Moonshine Church, Lickdale Fire Company

and PA State Police for their support in a successful evening.

We cannot do it without you !!!

Take a stand for conservation.

Memberships expire at the end of

the calendar year. Our organi-

zation needs your support to

increase the pace of land conser-

vation in the Lebanon Valley.

~ It’s time to get involved !!! ~

Become a member, or renew

your membership today. Bene-

fits of membership include a

semi-annual Newsletter, notice

of free field trips / programs and

advance tickets at reduced price

for Conservancy events.

Memberships are available at the

following levels:

□ Individual $20

□ Family $40

□ Partners in Stewardship

$100

□ Lebanon Valley Leaders

$500

□ Corporate Champions

$1,000

To renew now, clip and complete

this Membership information block.

Send the clip with your name,

address, email address, type of

membership, and payment to:

Lebanon Valley Conservancy

752 Willow Street, Suite e

Lebanon, PA 17046

Name

__________________________

Address

__________________________

City______________________

State________ Zip__________

Email_____________________

Phone____________________

Check #___________________

To donate by credit card, please go

to our website and click on

DONATE. Our site address is

provided in the title area on Page 1.

Volunteer: Yes No

the Conservancy, please let us

know. We are also interested in

your ideas for field trips, pro-

grams, etc. Give us a call.

LVC Administrative Assistant at

Telephone: 717-273-6400

The LVC is always interested in

folks who would like to volunteer.

If you have an interest in assist-

ing with our tours & events and/

or if you have a specific expertise

you feel may benefit the efforts of

Please, Sign Up For Membership !

We Need You !!!

Suitable for her

The Dolores Geesaman property is 29.04 acres of land, and is mainly

forested. Plant species include red, white and chestnut oak, hemlock ,

white pine, black birch, black gum, hickory, sassafras, yellow poplar and

red maple over story with mountain laurel, raspberry, hay scented fern

understory. Herbaceous plants include striped wintergreen and common

milkweed. The Geesaman property contains dirt access roads which are

in good condition and this property is part of a larger forest which is con-

nected to an adjacent protected Herr property and land owned by Fort

Indiantown Gap. It is situated on the back side of the Kittatinny Ridge

and designated as a priority conservation area.

New Conservation Easement in Union Twp.

Coming Attractions for 2016

“How long can men thrive

between walls of brick,

walking on asphalt

pavements, breathing the

fumes of coal and of oil,

growing, working, dying, with

hardly a thought of wind and

sky, and fields of grain,

seeing only machine-made

beauty, the mineral-like

quality of life.”

Charles A. Lindbergh

Readers Digest, November 1939

Photo by George C. Gress

Watch for Migration Season Alerts on our Web Site ~ www.lebanonvalleyconservancy.org

~

Scholarship Awards Application Period is Now Open ~ Application procedures on our web site

~

“Spring in the Valley 2016” See our article on the back page of this Newsletter

Tickets on Sale, March 1 thru April 1 and more information will be provided closer to the event

~

Swatara Watershed Association “Sojourn—Clean up the Creek”, weekend of May 7-8, 2016

A program is scheduled both Saturday & Sunday at noon & Saturday evening at

Schiavoni Park, 9080 Bridge Rd., Swatara Twp (across from Hoss’s in Hummelstown)

~

Lebanon County Bicycle Coalition Tour de Lebanon Valley, event May 14, 2016

Lebanon Valley Conservancy bicyclist’s rest station location is anticipated to be in Millbach

~

Land Owner Outreach ~ Educational Program on Land Conservation

and the importance of preservation of the Kittatinny Ridge to be scheduled in the Fall

~

Send us your ideas for events and projects !

Appalachian Trail Conservancy’ s Mission

Alicia Riegel-Kanth is a proud native of Lebanon County and currently Environmental Planner and Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Project Co-Lead with the Appala-chian Trail Conservancy (ATC). Alicia delivered a presentation in November to the Lebanon Valley Conservancy Board regarding her ATC municipal outreach efforts. The Kittatinny Ridge & Corridor is a Global Important Bird Area and Mega-Greenway in Pennsylvania, and is one of the Common- wealth’s most treasured large landscapes. It is an integral part of the landscape of Lebanon County, providing pristine habitat for countless wildlife species, as well as clean air and clean drinking water for County resi-dents. The Kittatinny Corridor provides a plethora of daily recre-ation opportunities for Lebanon County residents and tourism opportunities for residents outside our county and attracts out-of-

state visitors.

The program provided information on a guide for communities to enact the PA Appalachian Trail Act to protect scenic, historic, natural, and aesthet-ic trail values and identified seven principles: 1) Local Recognition of the Trail and its Significance, 2) Trail-related Landscapes and Key Parcels, 3) Zoning for Landscape Protection, 4) Mandates and Incentives for Conservation Design, 5) Regulating Potentially High-impact Uses, 6) Working Relationships with Key Landowners, and 7) Municipal Capacity to Address Trail and Relat-ed Landscape Issues.

Alicia described the ATC Ordinance Assessment Initiative, a two-year project undertaken with assistance from Natural Lands Trust to review the zoning and subdivision/land de-velopment ordinances of each mu-nicipality along the Trail and make recommendations for ordinance amendments or other planning tools to increase protection of the Trail.

The 2016 Round of the ATC Conser-vation Assistance Mini-Grant

Program was launched recently. $40,000 in total grant funding is avail-able for award, with more money available for exemplary municipal projects. For more information, con-tact ATC at 717.258.5771 to discuss the recommendations for your municipality.

Alicia discussed the continuing munic-ipal outreach efforts in Lebanon Coun-ty and asked LVC Board members for assistance in spreading the word.

Fishers are arboreal (tree dwelling), and if you see

one, it may appear as a long dark furred critter scram-

bling amidst the tree canopy. They are a primary

predator of the porcupine, evolving behaviors to get to

the vulnerable underbelly of the spiny tree dwelling

rodent. They can also be a significant predator of

forest birds living in the canopy.

Next time you take a walk along the Stony Valley

Rail–Trail, be quiet and observant and you might catch

a brief site of a long time resident of the Lebanon

Valley that has returned home. It is a treat you will

appreciate, and feel good about as we move in the

right direction to conserve our Kittatinny home.

“ The people have a right to

clean air, pure water, and

to the preservation of the

natural, scenic, historic and

esthetic values of the

environment.

Pennsylvania’s public

natural resources are the

common property of all the

people, including genera-

tions yet to come. As

trustee of these resources, the

Commonwealth shall

conserve and maintain them

for the benefit of all the

people.”

~~~

The Pennsylvania

Constitution

Article 1, Section 27

The Lebanon Valley Conservancy, Inc. is intimately

involved in the conservation of the Lebanon Valley por-

tion of the greater Kittatinny ecosystem. Part of that

reason is to ensure a home for the creatures that share

the world with us and enhance our quality of life. A re-

cent success story involves the fisher, a tree dwelling

weasel that used to live in this part of the Lebanon Val-

ley but was extirpated (extinct in the Lebanon Valley)

decades ago by hunting and habitat loss.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission began a program

to reintroduce the fisher back into its original home

range in the state. The great news is that this amazing

creature has been seen in the Lebanon Valley in the

Kittatinny mountains after a long absence.

Like Us on

FACEBOOK !

“There can be

no greater issue

than that of

conservation

in this

country.”

~

President

Theodore Roosevelt

~

Kittatinny Tree Weasel ~ “The Fisher” by Charles Wertz

Fisher ~ Martes pennanti Photo from: http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/109926324

Alicia Riegel-Kanth

AUDUBON SAYS ... LEBANON VALLEY

GLOBALLY IMPORTANT by Charles Wertz

Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area Photo by George C. Gress

Lebanon Valley Conservancy supporters are keenly aware of the need

to protect our natural heritage for current and future generations. That

natural heritage happens to include TWO Globally Important Birding

Areas according to the National Audubon Society, as the U.S. repre-

sentative to BirdLife International. These two areas within our bounda-

ries include the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area and the Kit-

tatinny Ridge passing through the northern part of Lebanon County and

neighboring counties.

The greater Kittatinny and Middle Creek areas of the Lebanon Valley

have been identified as focus areas for natural resources conservation

from the inception of the Lebanon Valley Conservancy, Inc. LVC has

protected over 400 acres in the Kittatinny to date and is currently part of

an effort with the Nature Conservancy and PA Dept. of Conservation

and Natural Resources working with landowners to conserve their land.

The Globally Important Birding Area designation is an incredible honor

for one of the smaller counties in Pennsylvania and its environs. It is an

even more incredible responsibility for our citizens to step up and

protect these natural wonders.

Kittatinny Ridge Contains Biodiversity of Woodlands

Criteria for meeting Global Important status includes the following:

A1 - Species of Global Conservation Concern

A2 - Assemblage of Restricted-range species

A3 - Assemblage of Biome-restricted species

A4i - ≥1% biogeographic (N. Am.) population of a waterbird

simultaneously; ≥5% over a season

A4ii - ≥1% global population of a seabird or terrestrial species

simultaneously; ≥5% over a season

A4iii - ≥ 20,000 waterbirds / ≥10,000 seabirds [not currently

applied in the U.S.]

A4iv - Aerial bottleneck where ≥ 5% North American population of

a migratory waterbird, or ≥ 5% global population of a migratory seabird

or terrestrial species passes during a season.

Landowners wishing to conserve their land in these important areas

should call the Lebanon Valley Conservancy, Inc. at 717-273-6400.

KITTATINNY GHOST TOWNS DESERVE A VISIT

By Charles Wertz

Want to get more in touch with your Lebanon Valley roots? Then take a moment to get

some fresh air and check out our fascinating history awaiting you at an unlikely place. At

rest in the bowels of the Kittatinny Ridge and State Game Lands 211 is a piece of yesteryear

under the canopy of forest between Second and Sharp Mountains along the Stony Valley

Rail -Trail. A 1749 Lewis Evans map at the Library of Congress describes this area along

the Kittatinny Mountain as St. Anthony’s Wilderness. The Rail -Trail is accessible from

Goldmine Road with plenty of places to park at the gate.

This jewel of the Lebanon Valley was part of the Dauphin and Susquehanna Rail Road dur-

ing the 1800’s and early 1900’s. It was used to connect the area’s coal and timber riches

with industrial centers in southern and western Pennsylvania. Prior to the 1850’s these

natural resource products were transported by horse and wagon or on the Union Canal.

Heading west on the Rail -Trail at a largely level grade, one comes to the first of several

extinct communities. Rausch Gap Station was Stony Valley’s largest single community

established in 1827. There were mine offices, homes, workshops, a railroad turntable and

a coal breaker. By 1860 about 1,000 people lived at Rausch Gap, most English immigrants.

By 1910 the town was deserted when the coal was tapped out. About 80 structure founda-

tions remain. Several hundred yards south of the railroad grade are three hand-dug wells

and three tombstones dated 1854. On the north side of the railroad grade one will find an

acid mine neutralization station constructed by Dauphin County Trout Unlimited in 1986.

The next historic area of human habitation is at Cold Spring Station. As early as 1775 the

spring was heralded, and water eventually was bottled and sold throughout the eastern U.S.

The Dauphin and Susquehanna Coal Company built a bathhouse and other infrastructure for its officers and employees here prior to 1840. When

the railroad was completed from the east in about 1850 a hotel was built which rapidly became a summer resort. An impressive new hotel was built

in 1870, renewing interest in the springs. The hotel burned down 14 years later. There was a railroad station house, a springhouse, bowling alley,

dance hall, barbershop, post office and saw mills. Ruins can be found south of the railroad grade on the west side of Cold Springs Road. In 1920

the Lancaster YMCA operated Camp Shand on the property as a retreat that included Dresden Lake used for boating, swimming and ice-making.

A fascinating book written in 2005 by the father and son team of James C. Logan and James M. Logan entitled “Cold Spring Hotel Site, Uncovering

its Layers of History” is available at the Lebanon County Historical Society. It contains many pictures and maps.

Leaving Cold Spring Station on the Rail -Trail one next comes upon Yellow Springs Station. Still in Lebanon County, there were three deep coal

mines operated in this area in the early 1840’s. In addition to the rail station, there was a water-powered saw mill, a coal breaker, several houses

and other buildings. The Appalachian Trail passes through the site of the former Yellow Springs community following the old Dauphin-Pottsville

Stagecoach Route used in the early 1800’s. A coal transfer center existed at the top of

Sharp Mountain north of the railroad grade. One will find an unusual stone tower believed to

be part of the coal operation on the mountain top after a 2 hour jaunt following a blue-blazed

trail.

Crossing into Dauphin County the next ghost town is Rattling Run which was founded about

1827 on the south slope of Sharp Mountain. A station house, water-powered sawmill and

several other structures existed at the time. Eleven house foundations can be found on the

north side of the railroad grade at the location of where an inclined plane moved coal from

mines on the mountain down to the tracks. Rattling Run was also a stagecoach stop for this

coal mining village.

After Rattling Run came Water Tank Station. This stop provided critically important water to

the steam locomotives traveling through the valley. There was a homestead, outbuildings,

and a large water tank with a swinging spout. Remnants of the last caboose used in the

valley can be found on the south side of the rail-trail, having served as a hunting cabin for

many years after the railroad closed.

One can learn more about the tremendous resources of the Stony Valley entrusted to our wise stewardship at www.StonyValley.com.

Rausch Gap Stone Arch Bridge

Photo From: www.stoneyvalley.com

Yellow Springs Station

Photo From: www.stoneyvalley.com

“Spring in the Valley ~ 2016”

752 Willow Street, Suite e

Lebanon, PA 17046

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Stewards of 2015—2016 The Lebanon Valley Conservancy

would like to thank our

generous sponsors !!!

“Flying Hunters: Hawks & Owls” Presentation By Jack Hubley

Yes !!! Jack Hubley will be back with a new program for this coming year’s Lebanon Valley

Conservancy, “Spring in the Valley” event scheduled for Sunday, April 10, 2016. Jack’s “Wild

Neighbors” presentation last spring was amazing. You will get another chance to enjoy him with

“Flying Hunters: Hawks & Owls” at our 2016 event.

Last year’s event was so popular that we have received numerous requests for a similar project

in 2016. We are in the process of developing the program and we will begin accepting silent

auction item pledges and event sponsorships in January.

Event sponsors are requested to ensure the success of the 2016 program.

Nine businesses and families supported the event last year making it a really enjoyable and

educational afternoon. Individuals and businesses interested in becoming one of 2016’s

event sponsors are urged to contact the Conservancy.

“Spring in the Valley ~ 2016” will have our guest presentation by Jack Hubley, Silent Auction,

2016 Conservation Advocacy Award presentation, projects and initiatives highlighted,

lite dining fare and much more. Additional information will be forthcoming.

We can’t wait to see you there !!!

To pledge Silent Auction Items and/or to become an event Sponsor, please contact us at:

Phone: 717-273-6400 or donate thru our web site: www.lebanonvalleyconservancy.org

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