Wetlands Property Renamed to Reflect Area’s Ecology

The former Tom Ridge Wetlands in Huston Township has a new name.

Wildlife for Everyone Foundation recently announced ‘Soaring Eagle Wetland’ as the new designation for the 135-acre property along Route 220 between Julian and Martha’s Furnace.

‘The name draws on the area’s ecology, referencing the Bald Eagle Creek that forms the southern border of the wetland and the migration of golden eagles along the Bald Eagle Ridge, the largest in the eastern United States,’ a news release from the foundation said.

A project to make the wetland accessible to all is currently under way. An ADA-compliant walking trail through the wetland, set to open next year, ‘will afford visitors glimpses of the multitude of wildlife, wildflowers and unique birds that stop over during their migration,’ according to the foundation. 

An education pavilion near the entrance will provide space for programming and events, and an accessible fishing pier will be constructed at Bald Eagle Creek.

Groundbreaking is expected at the end of this year. The project got underway last summer with stream restoration work.

Initially acquired by environmental consultants WHM Group in 2002, the wetland was developed under contract with PennDOT and the Federal Highway Administration as mitigation for environmental disruption caused by relocation of Interstate 99. WHM donated the property to Wildlife for Everyone, which in 2011 opened and dedicated it as the Gov. Tom Ridge Wetlands, named for the former Pennsylvania governor and honorary foundation board member.