This page is dedicated to the biological diversity of the York/Lancaster Susquehanna area as well as my personal thoughts on the ecology of the area.
Get to know the region:
- What soil series are you standing on?
sandy loam
- What was the total rainfall in your area last year (July-June)?
41.2 inches rainfall
- When was the last time a fire burned your area?
Sept 25, 2019
- What were the primary subsistence techniques of the culture that lived in your area before you?
Native Americans lived off the land in the Susquehanna area. They hunted and used agriculture.
- Name five native edible plants in your region and their season(s) of availability.
Chokecherry, Chickasaw Plumb, Paw Paw, Red Mulberry, and Gooseberries. These Berries are in season between June and July.
- Where does your garbage go?
Landfills in the area.
- How long is the growing season where you live?
Around 7 months.
- On what day of the year are the shadows the shortest where you live?
June 21st
- When do the deer rut in your region, and when are the young born?
Mid-October to Mid-December
- Name five grasses in your area. Are any of them native?
Kentucky bluegrass, rough bluegrass, ryegrass, fine fescue, and turf type fescue are commonly used grass strains. None are native to the York-Lancaster Region or Pennsylvania as a whole.
- Name five resident and five migratory birds in your area.
Resident birds: Ring-Billed Gull, Killdeer, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, and the Blue Jay.
Migratory birds: Purple Martin, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Worm-eating Warbler, Orchard Oriole, and the Indigo Bunting are all seasonal to the York-Lancaster Region.
- What is the land-use history of where you live?
York and Lancaster were first inhabited by Native Americans. After Pennsylvania was colonized, York and Lancaster became the site for large scale manufacturing in the state. Today there are still many manufacturing jobs in this region. Additionally, there is a large Amish community that shares the region.
- What primary ecological event/process influenced the landform where you live?
The Susquehanna River was formed in an event known as the Alleghenian orogeny uplift in which Africa collided with EurAmerica.
- What species have become extinct in your area?
Because of humans in the area, both Mountain Lions and Passenger Pigeons have become extinct in the region.
- What are the major plant associations in your region?
PA Botany, The Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, The Center for Plant Conservation, and the Audubon Chapter in PA are all important associations for the conservation of natural resources in the area.
- What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom where you live?
The Harbinger of Spring is the first flower to bloom in the spring.
What this tells us
For a low population area in the middle of Pennsylvania, the Susquehanna National Heritage Area has a surprisingly rich ecology and history. When you delve deeper into the biological diversity, you can’t help but want to explore. The birdlife in the region spans across many species you wouldn’t expect to find with such ease and so close to civilization. Additionally, the area has conserved large parts of its wildlife all over, allowing for large populations of deer, birds, fish, and plant life. Although the National Heritage Area may seem to focus on the Susquehanna River by virtue of its name, the river is just one part of what the SNHA encompasses. The entire region supports an entire ecosystem that not only lives side by side with civilization but is easily experienceable by the public everywhere.
The Susquehanna National Heritage Area clearly has a lot to offer. From a plethora of plant and animal life to a rich look into American history and culture, the region has it all. The region is also filled with trails, parks, and lakes that are open for public access. Pennsylvania, as a whole, has a great diversity of birdlife to explore. Anywhere within the SNHA, you can find yourself no more than a 15-minute drive from a beautiful spot to walk and take in the natural beauty of the region. Because of the wide availability of natural space, the area is teeming with life. The birds are easily spotted along the many trails you can hike and are well fed due to the many berries that grow in the area.
The Susquehanna River is truly a sight to take in for many reasons. The wide bending river has the same vibrant life along either bank in addition to the diversity of aquatic life it holds. Additionally, the river is a historic and cultural landmark for Native American history. You can take kayak tours to see the petroglyphs carved into large rocks throughout the river. The river was a large part of Native American life in the region’s past. As a running source of water, it was a valuable resource for both drinking water and a spot for hunting and gathering edible plants. Spanning across the Susquehanna River is the Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge. This is the 5th bridge to span the river. You can see what is left of the previous 4 and learn the roles they played in the region’s history, specifically in the Civil War.
While this region is filled with natural resources to protect, there are always many competing motivations for how to use land and natural resources. Unfortunately, many of the waterways in the Susquehanna River National Heritage Area have been heavily polluted by manufacturing byproducts, landfill waste, and agricultural runoff. This poses a large threat to the ecological diversity of the region. We have already seen the Eastern Mountain Lion and the Passenger Pigeon tragically become extinct in the state of Pennsylvania. Polluting the natural waterways hurts every part of the delicate ecosystem as the harm to the fish life continues up the food chain. There are many conservation groups in the area fighting to clean the waterways and protect the land and wildlife, but they can only do so much. Conservation and cleanup are both expensive projects, and without large sources of reliable funding, they are difficult to maintain. Political pressure from the city of Baltimore has put pressure on the Susquehanna National Heritage Area to expand cleaning efforts (the Susquehanna River is a tributary that flows into the Chesapeake Bay). Although we may value natural resources for their beauty and ecological significance, it is important to recognize how powerful it can be to use the natural resources economic value to protect those very resources. These natural resources are a large part of their communities, so when incentives to conserve land and life line up with political motivations, we can find the most effective results.
The Susquehanna National Heritage Area 