Pennsylvania Highlands Coalition

12/04/2025

https://www.lehighvalleynews.com/environment-science/northampton-county-celebrates-bauer-preserve-acquisition-as-its-23rd-park

Northampton County celebrated the acquisition of the Bauer Preserve, its 23rd park, in Stockertown on Thursday.

11/20/2025

Montgomery County is currently accepting applications for their Open Space Grant Program, Montco Forever Green. This program is open to the county's 62 municipalities and land conservation organizations that operate with Montgomery County. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with awards up to $500,000. A minimum 25% match is required. Please reach out to Bill Hartman ([email protected]) with any questions.

Learn about Montgomery County's open space grant program.

10/17/2025

Berks County Planning Commission is working on the "Imagine Berks Comprehensive Plan." They are looking for responses from Berks County residents and visitors. Use the link below to give your feedback that will help shape Berks County!

The purpose of this survey is to receive feedback from Berks County residents that can then be incorporated in the Berks County Comprehensive Plan.

08/13/2025

Protect the View is a science based campaign highlighting 10 viewsheds in the Circuit Trail Network that are at risk of development. The website gives information about what is at risk of development and what the areas will lose. It serves as a tool for partners and one partner, Jack Stefferud with Natural Lands, shared how he has used Protect the View in his land acquisition work.

08/08/2025

Protect the View was a campaign launched in 2019 to analyze 10 viewsheds in the Circuit Trail Network that were at risk of development. Since then, several of the viewsheds have undergone changes. 260 acres have been protected, 60 got developed and there are still thousands that are at risk.

08/01/2025

The Appalachian Mountain Club will be hosting a webinar about the updates to the Protect the View campaign on August 8 at 11 am. Protect the View was launched in 2019, to bring attention to 10 view sheds along the Circuit Trails that were in danger of development. This webinar will highlight what's been protected, what's been developed, and what still needs to be done! Learn more about the Protect the View Campaign here: https://protecttheview.com and sign up for the webinar here: https://rb.gy/hgqycz

Protect the View is a science-based campaign and call to action resulting from rigorous conservation and land development analyses. The in-depth research produced 10 views from 6 Circuit Trails that are vulnerable to development pressure. Protect the View visually showcases and highlights the many b...

06/26/2025

The Land Assessment to Conserve Water Resources in the Pennsylvania Highlands is live! This project, which includes an interactive map and a report, is a tool that can be utilized to make better informed conservation choices when protecting watersheds. Learn more and access the tools on our blog!

The Land Assessment to Conserve Water Resources in the Pennsylvania Highlands project is live! Th...

06/20/2025

The PA Highlands Coalition will be hosting a webinar on Tuesday, June 24 at 10 am to launch the Land Assessment to Conserve Water Resources. This tool was created to help land conservation partners identify forests to protect to improve water quality. Our GIS Scientist will be demoing the map and answer questions. Register at the link below!

Protecting watersheds is essential for ensuring a clean water supply, supporting biodiversity, and maintaining healthy ecosystems. Protecting forests and riparian forest areas within a watershed is vital, as they act as natural filters, regulate water flow, prevent erosion, and maintain water qualit...

05/20/2025

Join the PA Highlands Coalition as we host a webinar on June 6 from 11-12. This webinar will feature Dan Pierce, Highlands Specialist with DCNR, and Sherry Acevedo, Conservation Coordinator with Northampton County, as they share how municipalities can get involved with the HCA Grant program and an example of a successful project. To sign up, visit https://tinyurl.com/3wa7cty8

05/12/2025

Shippensburg University will be hosting a webinar featuring panelist from AMC. Join this webinar to learn how to help AMC researchers track wildflower phenology, through iNaturalist. To register and receive the link visit:

Join Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) researchers to learn how you can contribute to research focusing on the climate resilience of spring wildflowers in the deciduous forests of the Appalachians. Using iNaturalist, an online community science platform, you can help AMC track wildflower phenology (th...

05/07/2025

The Highlands Trail Network in PA launched a trail challenge! From May 1 to December 31, log as many miles as you can, walking on the Highlands Trail, to earn fun prizes. Find more at the link below!

Explore the Highlands Trail, challenge yourself, and win fun prizes! Anyone can enroll in the Highlands Hiking Challenge. Between May 1st, 2025, and December 31st, 2025, complete as many miles of the Highlands Trail segments as possible. Hit the following mileage benchmarks and receive a patch and c...

12/03/2024

The Highlands Conservation Act turned 20 this year! To celebrate, the US Fish and Wildlife Service hosted a hike at Storm King Mountain in New York. Non-profits and government agencies from across the 4-state Highlands region to reflect on the successes of the last 20 years and to plan for many more years of conservation success. Read more below!
https://pahighlands.org/news/the-highlands-conservation-act-turns-20