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The Nature Conservancy’s “Last Great Places:” The Long Pond Preserve and Hauser Nature Center
By Amanda Kuhn Photos courtesy of The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy has been tackling climate change; protecting our land and water; providing food and water sustainably; and building healthy cities since 1951. As discussed in the last issue of Pocono Living Magazine, the efforts of the Nature Conservancy (TNC) can be felt all around the world by communities of all size. Through partnerships with local organizations, the people tied to an area’s natural systems become actively engaged. Because their voices are heard, the community is able to successfully impact conservation. In Pennsylvania, TNC is actively working on a variety of programs, and the impact of these programs can be recognized in our own backyard. We had the opportunity to discuss local efforts plus the impact of statewide programs with TNC’s Conservation Lands Project Manager, Ellen Lott. “Personally, I’m pleased that an organization with a global scope and an urgent mission has identified the Poconos as a priority for protection. Over decades, the Conservancy has made a significant investment in resources, time and staff to protect the lands and waters of this region. That speaks to how truly exceptional this landscape is. I feel lucky to live and work here.” explains Lott.
One of the most notable TNC preserves in our area is The Long Pond Preserve and Hauser Nature Center. In 1993, The
Meadow Restoration at Long Pond
Nature Conservancy named the Pocono Plateau and surrounding mountaintop ridges one of the world's "Last Great Places” because of it’s high concentration of globally rare plants, animals, and habitats. This designation makes the Pocono Plateau one of fewer than 100 sites worldwide to receive such a distinction. Similar to northern Canada, Long Pond harbors species that are tolerant to cooler temperatures, a reminder of the area’s glacial past. Representing the only natural community of its kind in the world, the globally rare mesic till barrens at Long Pond are interspersed in a vast landscape of swamps, bogs, marshes, and shallow ponds surrounded by red spruce, balsam fir and eastern hemlock — woodlands more characteristic of Canada’s northern climate, explains Lott.
In addition, Lott also shares that numerous bushes and shrubs found throughout the landscape spark interest throughout the year and attract a variety of birds making Long Pond one of the Audubon Society’s “Important Bird Areas of Pennsylvania.” Rhododendron, mountain laurel, high bush blueberry and huckleberry bushes create a perfect habitat for songbirds migrating from their winter homes in Latin America and the Caribbean. The area also hosts American Bittern and Northern Harrier – bird species not commonly observed in other parts of the region. These moor-like heath lands also boast Rhodora — a rare, pink-flowered, wild azalea that attracts photographers from around the world and makes Long Pond one of the most important moth and butterfly habitats in the state. Visitors might see rare sights of snowshoe hares in winter, white coyotes, fishers, foxes and of course, black bears.
Kids making pollinator houses at the Hauser Nature Center
↑ Newt at Long Pond by Josephine Gingerich
↑ Rhodora (Rhododendron canadense) blooming at the Long Pond Preserve, by Pat McElhenny
Because the Long Pond barrens are a fire-dependent system, the suppression of brush fires has jeopardized much of what makes this landscape unique. According to Lott, without this natural disturbance, the shrubland transforms into fireintolerant forest that does not support the rare species known to reside here. In response to this threat, TNC has worked with partners to establish a prescribed fire program to restore and maintain this unique landscape. With the Pennsylvania Game Commission, The Nature Conservancy has employed prescribed burning to restore more than 2,000 acres in the barrens over the past decade.
In 2011, in agreement with the Bethlehem Authority, the TNC signed a conservation easement that protected most of the rarest landscapes in Long Pond including 22,000 Pocono
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Long Pond aerial by George C. Gress
acres and more than 8,500 acres in the Long Pond watershed. TNC continues to work with partners to protect Long Pond’s exceptional landscape and provide public access to quality outdoor recreation.
Like the Bethlehem Authority, The Nature Conservancy works closely with many other local organizations that share their goals of protecting the lands and waters in our area. These local organization include, Pocono Heritage Land Trust and Brodhead Watershed Association, as well as Monroe County Conservation District, Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, Tobyhanna/Tunkhannock Creeks Watershed Association and North Pocono CARE. Lott explains, “We helped launch the new non-profit, 1% for Nature, in Monroe County. East Stroudsburg University students are involved with stream monitoring and stream restoration in Cherry Valley. We also work with municipalities and counties that provide funding for local land conservation. We worked closely with Friends of Cherry Valley and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to establish the Cherry Valley National Wildlife Refuge 12 years ago. Since then, more than 6,000 acres have been protected at Cherry Valley through the collaborative efforts of The Nature Conservancy, other conservation organizations, as well as the USFWS, the Commonwealth, Monroe County, Stroud Township and private foundations, plus many people who donated funds to preserve land in Cherry Valley”.
As Spring and Summer arrive, we encourage you to get out, observe, and appreciate the work of The Nature Conservancy and the many other organizations that protect our lands and waters.
Although the Hauser Nature Center is temporarily closed due to the pandemic, the public can enjoy two trails behind the center; a half-mile meadow walk and a 1.65 mile woodland/meadow walk. For more information visit www.nature.org. Interested in becoming a volunteer? The Nature Conservancy is always looking for individuals who share their passion for protecting and conserving our environment. By joining their efforts, we can become one step closer to living in a place where people and nature thrive.
The Long Pond Preserve & Hauser Nature Center 1567 Long Pond Road, P.O. Box 55 Long Pond, PA 18334 Phone: 570-643-7922
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