Founded in 2013 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DOD), and Department of the Interior (DOI), the Sentinel Landscapes Partnership’s mission is to strengthen military readiness, conserve natural resources, bolster agricultural and forestry economies, increase public access to outdoor recreation, and enhance resilience to climate change.
Being designated as a sentinel landscape means federal agencies, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) come together to work with willing landowners and land managers to advance sustainable, mutually beneficial land-use practices around military installations. Land and natural resources within the landscape boundary could be protected through conservation easements with landowners or receive priority consideration for participation in grant and assistance programs so farms can keep farming and wildlands stay wild.
Kittatinny Ridge is now one of 18 designated sentinel landscapes in the nation.