Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge accepts donated tracts of land

Sussex - Petrohawk Energy Corp., through its subsidiary Proliq, Inc., has donated over 10 miles of abandoned railroad bed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The land has become part of the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. The tract, which runs through the existing refuge including its recently approved Papakating Creek expansion area, amounts to about 100 acres of land in Sussex County in the townships of Vernon, Wantage and Frankford. The addition of this donation could provide additional public trail opportunities through parts of the Refuge resulting in increased public access. This tract provides a corridor of habitat connectivity into the recently approved Papakating Creek expansion area. Surrounding tracts of land may potentially be purchased in the future to establish areas of meaningful wildlife habitat with the old rail bed serving as a connector. The Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge was established by Congress in 1990 to conserve the biological diversity of the Wallkill Valley by protecting and enhancing its lands and waters in a manner that will conserve fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. The refuge puts a special emphasis on managing forest-dwelling and grassland birds, migrating waterfowl, wintering raptors and endangered species, while providing opportunities for scientific research and compatible public use.