Habitat management, Recreational access, Water conservation
Highlands Conservation Act projects in Pennsylvania

States

Pennsylvania

Ecosystem

Forest, River/stream, Rural, Urban, Wetland

Subject

Landscape conservation
a path leads through a field.
Image Details

The Pennsylvania Highlands region encompasses Appalachian hills and valleys extending from the Allentown area in the northeast down to Harrisburg and the Susquehanna River in the southeast. Projects in the state are conserving important wildlife habitat, creating new outdoor recreational areas and protecting drinking water supplies for residents in and around Lehigh Valley, Reading and Pottstown, and it is in close proximity to the cities of Philadelphia and Harrisburg. The successes of the Highlands Conservation Act are the result of the hard work of multiple state and local partners, supported by a 50% funding match from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

State partners include:

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Pennsylvania Game Commission

Click here for a complete list of HCA partners in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Highlands at a glance: 
Number of Completed ProjectsAcres ConservedTotal Obligated funds 
302,253$34,178,589.00

 View the 2024 Highlands Conservation Act Pennsylvania fact sheet.

an image of a detailed fact sheet on stats the Highlands Conservation Act program. For the full fact sheet, visit the Highlands Conservation Act program website
Image Details

Library

News

A view of the forested hills leads to a large open body of water below
Connecting to nature in the Highlands Region
Meet Mark Zakutansky, director of conservation policy engagement at Appalachian Mountain Club. His childhood connections to nature turned into a career conserving the land he loves as one of the driving forces behind land conservation throughout the Highlands.
Story
Our Partners
A bobolink bird sits in a shrub, its beak is open as it sings.
Expanding existing state parks in Pennsylvania
The Highlands Conservation Act grant program is helping state parks in the Highlands region of Pennsylvania meet public demands for outdoor recreation areas.
Story
Our Partners

Programs

Fly Fish Clinic at Wolf Creek
The Office of Conservation Investment funds conservation and connects people with nature through grants that support conservation efforts with partners. We provide technical assistance and administer grants that distribute millions of dollars annually to support fish and wildlife conservation,...
Program
Falls Church,VA
A pond reflects sunlight on the water. Wild grass, lily pads, and wildflowers surround the pond. Tall trees grow on the land in the distance across the pond.
The Highlands region spans 3.4 million acres across Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. In an effort to conserve natural resources in this region, the Highlands Conservation Act was passed in 2004, founding the Highlands Conservation Act grant program. This grant program is among...
Program

Partners