Franklin, Pa. – October 1, 2024 –
Residents of the French Creek watershed are invited to review and provide feedback on the French Creek Watershed Conservation Plan through October 31. The plan is a project of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in partnership with the French Creek Valley Conservancy and other partners and is based on input and voluntary interest from landowners throughout the region. 
Encompassing 1,250 square miles in Erie, Crawford, Mercer and Venango counties in Pennsylvania and Chautauqua County in New York, the French Creek watershed’s tributaries provide habitat for numerous fish and aquatic species as well as recreational opportunities such as paddling and fishing. Much of the land in the watershed is forested, providing abundant habitat for birds, wildlife and plants.
French Creek, a tributary to the Allegheny River, is the most biologically diverse stream of its size in Pennsylvania or any state in the northeastern United States, containing about 86 species of fish and even more species of freshwater mussels.
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has permanently protected more than 4,500 acres in the French Creek watershed to date. Each of its 19 preserves in this area are open to the public for outdoor recreation that includes hiking, hunting, fishing, canoe and kayaking and bird and wildlife watching. The French Creek watershed also includes the Erie National Wildlife Refuge and four Audubon Society Important Bird Areas.
For approximately 50 years, the Conservancy has partnered with conservation organizations, local government agencies and the public to improve water quality in the watershed. Projects have included planting riparian trees along streams to prevent erosion and decrease pollutant runoff, working with farmers to implement agricultural best management practices to manage nutrients, stabilizing eroding banks and removing stream barriers to encourage aquatic organism passage and support trout populations. The Conservancy’s land conservation work improves water 
quality by protecting the forests and wetlands that filter pollutants, reduce runoff and erosion, and more.
In the late 1990s, the Conservancy partnered with Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Allegheny College to form the French Creek Project to address the watershed’s recreational and aesthetic values, and protect its many rare and important species and habitats. The project developed the first French Creek Watershed Conservation Plan, published in 2002, to address problems and identify opportunities to work collaboratively to solve conservation challenges using the methods and projects named above.
With feedback and suggestions from the community, the new French Creek Watershed Conservation Plan seeks to build on the 2002 plan. Funding for the project is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, through a grant from the Environmental Stewardship Fund.
“We want to understand what residents of communities within the French Creek watershed think of current conditions, and how they would like to see the watershed resources used in the future,” says WPC Watershed Manager Kylie Maland.
Residents may preview and provide input on the draft plan here through October 31.
Residents are also invited to attend a public meeting on Tuesday, October 22, at 7 p.m. at the Saegertown American Legion Post 205, 755 South St., Saegertown, Pa., 16433. Please register by contacting Kylie at kmaland@paconserve.org or 814-776-1114.
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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than 290,000 acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.
About French Creek Valley Conservancy:
The French Creek Valley Conservancy is a private 501(c)3 non-profit land trust dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the exceptional water quality, natural habitat, biological diversity and recreational opportunities of the French Creek Watershed in Northwest Pennsylvania. The FCVC is nationally accredited through the Land Trust Alliance (LTA). The FCVC’s work in land protection, stewardship, education and community outreach is supported by members, donors and partners.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Sumoske
Communications Specialist
412-586-2328
jsumoske@paconserve.org