introduction - Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe would like to acknowledge the many citizens and landowners of the county and surrounding areaswho volunteered information, time, and effort to the inventory and granted permission to access land.We especially thank:Dr. Carol Loeffler, pilot for the aerial reconnaissance of the countyJodi McCluskey, Clearfield County Planning DirectorClearfield County Planning CommissionRobert G. Merrill, Pennsylvania Bureau of ForestryDr. Hank Webster, Pennsylvania State University-DuboisDr. Joseph Hummer, Pennsylvania State University-DuboisClearfield County NHI Advisory CommitteeMany others contributed to the inventory effort. Without their help, the inventory would not have seencompletion.This report has incorporated ideas and approaches developed for conservation science initiatives recentlyundertaken in other states, most notably the Massachussetts BioMap project and the Maryland GreenInfrastructure project; we gratefully acknowledge the vision of these projects as providing the basis forimproved ways to represent conservation information in the Natural Heritage Inventory reports.Jessica McPhersonEcologistWestern Pennsylvania Conservancyiii