Goat Hill Serpentine Barrens Restoration

About the Program
Exelon Corporation’s Goat Hill Serpentine Barrens Restoration project includes two acres of rocky area located in the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania. The site is actively managed to enhance native plant communities and wildlife habitat. The site continues to control invasive species using spot removal and herbicide application of incompatible and invasive species. Additionally, the site aligns with PECO, an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation, to apply best practice vegetation management to contribute to the conservation of serpentine barrens in the region. The team uses monitoring results to guide future management of the site.

Program Impacts

• The team conducts annual vegetative assessments across two acres of rocky area during the growing season to assess vegetative coverage in the habitat.
• The site is managed to enhance native plant communities and wildlife while addressing threats to the serpentine barrens. The team reduced the encroachment of incompatible species by covering the exposed bedrock with organic matter to stabilize and expand the serpentine outcrops and promote a serpentine specific plant community. In 2020, 48% of the habitat had vegetative coverage. By 2022, that percentage rose to 69.6%. While vegetative coverage has risen, annual technical advice from vegetation management experts aid team members in controlling encroaching incompatible and invasive species.