The Highlands Critical Resources, Treasured Landscapes

About this book

Think of the Highlands as the "backyard" and "backstop" of the Philadelphia–New York–Hartford metroplex. A backyard that spans over three million acres across Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut, the Highlands serves as recreational open space for the metroplex's burgeoning human population. As backstop, Highlands' watersheds provide a ready source of high-quality drinking water for over fifteen million people.

The Highlands is the first book to examine the natural and cultural landscape of this four-state region, showing how it's distinctive and why its conservation is vital. Each chapter is written by a different leading researcher and specialist in that field, and introduces readers to another aspect of the Highlands: its geological foundations, its aquifers and watersheds, its forest ecology, its past iron industry.

In the 1800s, the Highlands were mined, cutover, and then largely abandoned. Given time, the forests regenerated, the land healed, and the waters cleared. Increasingly, however, the Highlands are under assault again – polluted runoff contaminating lakes and streams, invasive species choking out the local flora and fauna, exurban sprawl blighting the rural landscape, and climate change threatening the integrity of its ecosystems.

The Highlands makes a compelling case for land use planning and resource management strategies that could help ensure a sustainable future for the region, strategies that could in turn be applied to other landscapes threatened by urbanization across the country. The Highlands are a valuable resource. And now, so is The Highlands.
 

Contents

List of Illustrations and Tables
Preface

Introduction
   Richard G. Lathrop Jr.

Part I Geological Setting
1 Bedrock Geology of the Highlands
    Alexander E. Gates and David W. Valentino
2 Glaciation and Landscape History
   Scott D. Stanford
3 Major Soils of the Highlands
   John C. F. Tedrow and Richard K. Shaw

Part II Water and Watersheds
4 Groundwater and Surface Water Hydrology
   Otto S. Zapecza, Donald E. Rice, and Vincent T. dePaul
5 Water Supply Resources
   Daniel J. Van Abs

Part III Biodiversity
6 Forest History of the Highlands
   Emily W. B. (Russell) Southgate
7 Forest Ecology
   William S. F. Schuster
8 Wetlands of the Highlands Region
   Joan G. Ehrenfeld
9 An Overview of the Vascular Plants of the Highlands and the Threats to Plant Biodiversity
   Gerry Moore and Steven Glenn
10 Wildlife of the Highlands
   Elizabeth A. Johnson

Part IV People and the Land
11 Ironworking in the Highlands
   Theodore W. Kury and Peter O. Wacker
12 Agriculture and Urban Development Patterns in the Highlands
   Richard G. Lathrop Jr.
13 Open Space and Recreation in the Highlands
   Daniel Chazin
14 Land-Use Planning and Policy in the Highlands
   Robert Pirani, Thomas A. Gilbert, and Corey Piasecki
15 Future Vision of the Highlands
   Richard G. Lathrop Jr., Mary L. Tyrrell, and Myrna Hall

Glossary
Notes on Contributors
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Richard G. Lathrop, Jr. is a professor in the department of ecology, evolution, and natural resources and director of the Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis at Rutgers University. He has been actively involved in Highlands environmental policy and research for many years.