Discovering the State of the Region in South Mountain

The South Mountain Partnership (SMP) is a collaborative network of people and organizations protecting and promoting the agricultural, natural, cultural, and recreational resources of the region in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, and York counties of south-central Pennsylvania. SMP is one of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) eight identified conservation landscapes. The South Mountain Partnership is also a key part of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Pennsylvania Landscape Conservation strategy.
What makes this region special and worthy of protecting? Read on to explore…
Characteristics

The South Mountain landscape is a distinct area of south-central Pennsylvania that is nearly a half-million acres in size and includes portions of Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties. The folds of forested uplands that form the South Mountain ridgeline run in a generally north-south direction and reach elevations of nearly two thousand feet. This ridgeline is the northern terminus of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a main geologic province of the Appalachian Mountains that originates in northern Georgia and ends here in south-central Pennsylvania.
There is more to the South Mountain landscape though: the forested uplands are surrounded by lower-laying, fertile valleys that have been inhabited and used as important transportation corridors since the Native American era. The Cumberland Valley is part of the “Great Valley,” a series of valley lowlands within the Appalachian Mountains system that stretches from northern Alabama to southern Canada.
Nearly half a million people live within the
four-county area of Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties, and these
people live amongst a wealth of unique natural and cultural features.
Resources

When we think of our home here in the South Mountain we might think of the following kinds of resources;
➔ Natural Resources: Mountains, Forests, Rivers and Streams, Vernal Ponds, Wildlife, Habitat Corridors, and Bird Flyways
➔ Cultural Resources: Gettysburg and Civil War History, Furnace Stacks, Museums, Historic Barns, the State’s First State Forest and Oldest State Park.
➔ Agricultural Resources: Fertile Soil, Rolling Valleys, Hayfields and Cornfields, Dairy Cows, Fruit, and Farm Stands
➔ Recreational Resources: The Appalachian Trail, World-Class Trout Fishing, Country Roads, and Multiple State Parks
The South Mountain Partnership considers these four resources critical aspects of our landscape and we are committed to protecting and preserving them.
What is at Stake:

However, we know these resources are threatened and our home is facing change. The loss of working farms, woods and wildlife, runaway development, water pollution, air pollution, less active lifestyles, flooding, and new pest problems are picking up speed.
Our four counties represent 4 of top 6 fastest growing areas in the state, and development pressure from our trucking industry is changing the landscape at a rapid pace.
Working Together for Collective Impact

These changing conditions called for action. The South Mountain Partnership operates as a network of over 50 organizations (local government, non-profits, educational institutions, and businesses) and we wanted to work together on a project to understand the effects of these changes. The “State of the Region” was launched to measure the impact of change in our region.
The State of the Region is the first-ever
project that measures public health and environmental health, maps trends and
priority conservation areas, and provides recommended actions to address
regional challenges. The Report Card uses the most recent data available for
the South Mountain region to measure the state of nature, recreation, history
and culture, agriculture and food, and public health. Each measurement is rated
in one of three categories: thumbs up, meaning good work, thumb sideways, which
indicates the need to do more, and thumbs down to indicate a need for
improvement.
Ready to understand what the Report Card revealed about each resource type? Check back for our next article in the series to explore more.
For more information visit the SMP website at https://www.southmountainpartnership.org/