Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area
| Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area | |
| Pennsylvania State Park | |
 A trail through the woods
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| Named for: the donor, Joseph E. Ibberson | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Dauphin |
| Townships | Middle Paxton, Wayne |
| Location | |
| - elevation | 1,053 ft (321.0 m) |
| - coordinates | 40°25′49″N 76°51′24″W / 40.43028°N 76.85667°WCoordinates: 40°25′49″N 76°51′24″W / 40.43028°N 76.85667°W |
| Area | 783 acres (317 ha) |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Management | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
| IUCN category | III - Natural Monument |
 Location of Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area in Pennsylvania
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| Website: Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area | |
Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area is a 783-acre (317 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Middle Paxton and Wayne Townships, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania in the United States.
It is dominated by large hardwood trees and offers opportunities for hiking, cross-country skiing and hunting. Environmental education programs are available. It is named after Joseph E. Ibberson, who donated the land for use as a conservation area on December 9, 1998. Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area is off Pennsylvania Route 225 on Peters Mountain. It was opened to the public in 2000.
A conservation area is different from a state park. Conservation areas have much less development on the lands than a state park. They are large tracts of land with few improvements, a lack of through roads and the recreational facilities are minimal. There is an effort to manage the resources with minimal development of the park. Other conservation areas in Pennsylvania are the nearby Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area (also in Dauphin County) and Varden Conservation Area in Wayne County.
Peters Mountain was once covered with an old-growth forest of white pine and hemlock trees. These trees were cut down during the lumber era that swept throughout the mountains of Pennsylvania during the mid-to late 19th century. The largely coniferous forest was replaced by the mixture of hardwood trees that are seen today at the Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area. The common tree species are chestnut, red, black and scarlet oak, table mountain, white, and Virginia pine, hickory, black gum, basswood, black walnut, black birch, black cherry, sassafras, black locust, red maple, and American beech. This wide variety of trees species creates a habitat for a wide variety of woodland creatures, such as the white-tailed deer, American black bear, wild turkey, grey and red squirrels, ruffed grouse and a wide variety of birds.
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