Northeastern Area

The Highlands of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania

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Land, water and people come together to form the regional landscape found in the Highlands. Stretching from northwestern Connecticut across the Lower Hudson River Valley of New York, through northern New Jersey to southeastern Pennsylvania, this region contains nearly 3 ½ million acres of forests, farms, and communities. The careful protection, management, and use of the natural resources located in this nationally significant region are essential for the long-term sustainability of both the natural and built environments that nurture all life for both current and future generations.

What's New

The public comment period for the Pennsylvania and Connecticut Highlands Regional Study, Part 1, Resource Assessment, is now closed.

Thanks to all those who shared their views and suggestions.

Download the Public Comments Summary.

Highlands Stakeholder Workshops Completed

Interested citizens, planners, developers, state officials, and resource managers talked about the effects of land use change on the nationally significant Highlands region. Workshops were held in Pennsylvania and Connecticut in October.

The Workshops provided an opportunity for stakeholders to review the results of the regional studies for the Highlands of Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Participants shared their views about land use change, its likely impacts, and the most promising strategies for the Highlands’ communities to conserve resources and accommodate change.

Participants contributed their ideas about which features, landscapes, or districts should be considered when identifying conservation focus areas.

The Forest Service will use the results of the workshops to complete its report on the Highlands of Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The report draft will be ready in the spring of 2008, when residents and others interested in conservation in the Highlands will be invited to review the work and provide their comments. The final report will be complete in the summer of 2008.

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View north from the Bearfort fire tower on Bearfort Mountain in Newark's Pequannock Watershed, West Milford Township, New Jersey. Photograph by George M. Aronson.