Lebanon Valley Conservancy

The Middle Creek Water Management Area provides a secure resting and water-roosting area for tundra swans during late February and early March. The birds do not generally feed on Middle Creek's acreage, instead they are attracted to surrounding, privately-owned farmland that yields winter wheat. Fortunately, winter wheat is a hardy crop, so the farmland can recover from some grazing.

However, Lebanon County is under intense pressure from development. Some of the fields that used to hold winter wheat now hold housing subdivisions. The concern is that if more agricultural lands are lost, huge numbers (the highest recorded 14,700) of swans will no longer use Middle Creek as a stopover. Given the importance of the general Middle Creek area to the tundra swan population, an effort now is being made to preserve the farmland and open space of the tundra swans' range.

As part of its educational initiatives, the Lebanon Valley Conservancy has developed a video designed to inform and motivate viewers to become involved and contribute toward the preservation of agricultural land along this important eastern flyway for migratory birds.