Efforts are underway to establish a natural areas inventory program for Colimbia County. A public meeting to discuss this project was held on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 at the Columbia County Planning Commission office on Sawmill Road. Bradford County has also initiated a plan for the Northern Tier areas as explained below: "An exciting concept in natural resource conservation launched by Bradford County in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy's Pennsylvania Science Office (TNC). For years DCNR's Bureau of Recreation and Conservation and the Wild Resource Conservation Fund, in partnership with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy, have identified, monitored and protected an important part of Pennsylvania - its diverse plant and animal species. But even today in the 21st century, we don't know the status, or have not even identified, many species in the state. As communities continue to grow, these county inventories of our species and natural areas will be a vital component in the Commonwealth's Growing Smarter land-use planning efforts. This project will include a county-wide inventory to locate exemplary natural areas - old growth forests, undisturbed wetlands, bird rookeries, habitats harboring rare animal and plant species, and recommend how the sites should be protected. The inventory is a natural partnership between local governments, the state, and private organizations. Inventories are a logical step in gaining full understanding of the county's and state's biological diversity. Local governments will also benefit by knowing where their most significant natural areas are, so they can make informed land-use decisions that will best manage their resources. As pristine land diminishes under increasing human encroachment, it is vital that we quickly locate and conserve the best remaining habitat for rare wildlife and wildflowers. Many of these plants and animals are important to us not only because of their rarity--once a species is lost, it is lost forever--but also because so many of these species may help us in our daily lives. The cure for cancer or diabetes may be found someday to come from a rare plant. The information collected through the inventory will be useful to many people, but two types of activities are particularly helped: -- Land Use Planning - provide an information tool to help county and municipal planning boards quickly identify potential conflicts between development and the natural environment. -- Conservation Planning - A fundamental goal of many organizations and individuals is to preserve natural areas representing Pennsylvania's diverse habitat types. A comprehensive natural areas inventory is a tool that helps focus limited conservation resources on Pennsylvania's best natural areas. The County Natural Areas Inventory will be carried out in five stages: 1. Aerial photographs of the county will be examined to find potential natural areas (areas where disturbance by humans is minimal). 2. Data will be compiled from the files of the PA Natural Diversity Inventory, and local experts: naturalists, soil conservationists, foresters, and college faculty. 3. Potential natural areas will be surveyed from an aircraft to eliminate those no longer in a natural state, and to prioritize ground surveys. 4. Landowners will be contacted, and the potential natural areas will be visited on foot to eliminate those that show substantial disturbance, and determine whether any rare animals and plants or exemplary natural communities are present. Detailed information is collected on the status of species and natural communities, features which make the area significant, and the area that needs to be conserved. 5. County scorecards and survey forms keep track of the inventory's progress and summarize each area's natural features and their quality. Locations are mapped and provided to the county and local governments along with a report describing the areas identified. " Information provided by the County Natural Areas Inventory Coordinator, The Nature Conservancy, 208 Airport Drive, Middletown, PA 17057 phone: (717) 948-3836. e-mail; wgleason@tnc.org