Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has long been active in northwestern Pennsylvania. As part of WPC's place-based approach to conservation in priority areas, we established an office in the French Creek watershed. Located at Lake Pleasant in Erie County, the Northwest Field Station officially opened in 2000 with the goal of establishing WPC as a neighbor and partner for conservation efforts in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Staffed by an Aquatic Ecologist and several interns, this facility is WPC's link to the northwestern Pennsylvania community and our base for science and conservation efforts in this glacial region.
Committed to conserving western Pennsylvania's areas of high biological diversity as well as its areas of scenic and recreational importance, WPC biologists have focused on French Creek for two decades. With the establishment of the Northwest Field Station, we have increased scientific research in the French Creek watershed and are able to promote the conservation of this watershed and the unique glacial lakes of northwestern Pennsylvania.
Our long-term goal is to increase our understanding of the ecological processes and associated threats in the French Creek watershed and to the region's glacial lakes and promote conservation of these unique natural resources. We continue to work towards those goals and by:
- Leading efforts to establish scientific research and monitoring on French Creek and the region's glacial lakes.
- Developing a watershed conservation plan for French Creek based on existing information that identified data gaps.
- Building capacity of Northwest Field Station as education and research center for northwestern Pennsylvania.
- Working to build strong conservation partnerships with like-minded organizations in the region.
- Promoting WPC in northwestern Pennsylvania through outreach to landowners, schools, municipalities, businesses, and organizations.
- French Creek Conservation Plan
- The conservation plan for the French Creek watershed, completed in 2001.
- Lake Pleasant Master Site Plan
- A guiding document for the transformation and restoration of the immediate area surrounding Lake Pleasant. In PDF format.
- Lake Pleasant Master Site Plan Map
- A map of the recommendations contained in the Master Site Plan.
- French Creek State of the Stream Report
- First in an annual series giving a snapsnot of the stream's health.
- Allegheny Pools Mussel Project