Celebrating Ten Years of Conservation in the
French Creek Watershed
Ten years ago, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy joined with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Allegheny College to form the French Creek Project. After a decade of cooperation, the project has won national recognition for raising public awareness of the French Creek watershed and engaging watershed communities in preserving the creek.
Recently, the project has grown to include new partners including county conservation districts, local governments, conservation organizations and The Nature Conservancy. Individual landowners, too, are joining the project, and are being assisted in adopting sound conservation practices that will help protect the stream.
WPC’s commitment includes scientific study of water quality and the aquatic communities in the French Creek watershed. The goal of WPC’s scientific work is to understand the ecology of French Creek, the region’s glacial lakes and threats facing each of these unique resources in order to promote effective conservation strategies.
Photos by WPC's Tamara Smith.
French Creek’s Unique Communities
The key indicator of French Creek’s unique quality is its exceptional wildlife. French Creek harbors diverse and abundant aquatic communities, especially freshwater mussels, darters (a small fish of the perch family) and distinctive wetlands.
WPC has published two State of the Stream Reports on French Creek on the overall health of the water and the stream’s many freshwater mussels.
More species of native freshwater mussels (27) live in French Creek watershed than any other watershed in the northeastern United States.
Two of these mussels, the clubshell (Pleurobema clava) and the northern riffleshell (Epioblasma torulosa rangiana) are listed as federal and state endangered species. These have been lost from 95 percent of their historic range, but maintain healthy populations in sections of French Creek and the Allegheny River.
The rayed bean mussel (Villosa fabalis) is a candidate for federal listing, and the snuffbox (Epioblasma triquetra) and the rabbitsfoot (Quadrula cylindrica) are both proposed candidates for the federal endangered list.
Fourteen other mussel species are proposed as rare, threatened or endangered in the state by the Pennsylvania Biological Survey.
Data shows that as habitat and water quality become degraded, the number of pollution-sensitive species decreases. Fortunately, mussel populations have remained fairly stable in recent years. WPC science staff found the same number of native mussel species in the creek’s main stem in 2003 (24) as in 1994. In 2004, staff documented 25 species and evidence of recent recruitment for most species. Species richness, however, varies throughout the watershed.
Current research is focused on continued freshwater mussel research to fully understand why French Creek has such biological diversity and how to ensure its protection. This research will guide the development of a monitoring plan, as well as restoration and re-introduction plans for nearby watersheds with depleted mussel populations. Through this work, WPC strives to inform the public about these important regional resources to enlist greater support for their conservation.
State of the Stream Reports on French Creek can be found at Data shows that as habitat and water quality become degraded, the number of pollution-sensitive species decreases. Fortunately, mussel populations have remained fairly stable in recent years. WPC science staff found the same number of native mussel species in the creek’s main stem in 2003 (24) as in 1994. In 2004, staff documented 25 species and evidence of recent recruitment for most species. Species richness, however, varies throughout the watershed.
Current research is focused on continued freshwater mussel research to fully understand why French Creek has such biological diversity and how to ensure its protection. This research will guide the development of a monitoring plan, as well as restoration and re-introduction plans for nearby watersheds with depleted mussel populations. Through this work, WPC strives to inform the public about these important regional resources to enlist greater support for their conservation.
State of the Stream Reports on French Creek can be found on our website or are available by calling WPC’s Northwest Field Station at (814) 739-9991.
Go to the next story...
