New Stairway Ridge plot consolidates 19,000-acre forest corridor, hiking trail

WESTFALL — The 708-acre Polatnick property in Westfall Township called is now protected, forever, thanks to Pike County’s Scenic Rural Character Preservation program (SRCP).
This heavily forested ridgeline parcel includes pockets of wetlands and the headwaters for Mill Rift (Bushkill) Creek, which has been designated a Class A Exceptional Value wild trout stream. The property is now included within the Buckhorn tract of Delaware State Forest.
More than two miles of the Bushkill Creek and its tributaries flow through wetlands and hemlocks on the property on their way to the Delaware River. Three unnamed tributary streams begin on or near the property and feed into the Bushkill.
The permanent protection of this parcel creates a contiguous green corridor known as Stairway Ridge. A woodlands hiking trail leads from Milford Beach through Grey Towers, the Milford Experimental Forest, and the county park, ending on the Polatnick property.
Together with the Buckhorn Tract, State Game Lands 209, and other adjacent protected land, Stairway Ridge forms a 19,000-acre block of contiguous forestland. The preservation program was established in 2006 to use smart planning and conservation in response to the pressure increasing population puts om the environment.
"The project is an example of Scenic Rural Character Preservation program funds at work — protecting Pike County’s water, flora and fauna, while expanding outdoor recreational opportunities for the public," says a SRCP statement. "However, the initial Scenic Rural Character Preservation Program was limited to a period of 10 years, which time frame has now passed.
"To help maintain the high quality of life that we all enjoy in Pike County, the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, the local land trust serving Pike and Wayne counties in Pennsylvania and Sullivan and Delaware counties in New York, would like to hear what you think about continuing local conservation, planning and land protection efforts."
Pike County residents are invited to visit delawarehighlands.org to complete a brief online survey.