On June 11, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn joined the French Creek Valley Conservancy and the PA Organization for Waterways and Rivers to celebrate French Creek as the 2022 River of the Year.

“Pennsylvania is a beautiful state with amazing waterways, and today I am pleased to paddle one of the Commonwealth’s best bodies of water, French Creek, to celebrate the tremendous 2022 River of the Year honor,” Dunn said. “Special thanks to the French Creek Valley Conservancy and its volunteers for protecting the creek throughout the year. That work is critical to community leadership driving conservation and providing valuable recreation opportunities to the public.”

Dunn joined a group on a nine-mile paddle on French Creek, beginning at Bicentennial Park in Meadville to Shaw’s Landing in Crawford County.

French Creek is one of the most biologically diverse waterways of its size in the United States, meandering 117 miles from its headwaters in southern New York through four Pennsylvania counties to the Allegheny River.

The creek is home to 27 species of freshwater mussels, more than 80 species of fish, and numerous waterfowl and songbird species, including bald eagles and four Audubon-designated Important Bird Areas (IBAs).

French Creek is also home to the Eastern Hellbender, the largest species of salamander in North America, and the official amphibian of Pennsylvania.

“Today is a very special day and we are delighted to celebrate French Creek as Pennsylvania River of the Year,” said French Creek Valley Conservancy Executive Director Brenda Costa. “We are grateful to DCNR and POWR for supporting this program and giving this honor to French Creek. The creek is a common thread that joins so many small communities in northwest Pennsylvania with a sense of pride and passion, and we are grateful to the thousands of people who voted for French Creek. People often share stories with me about their experiences and family memories surrounding French Creek, and I look forward to having more people discover our community treasure.”

FCVC is an accredited land trust dedicated to protecting the French Creek Watershed. FCVC currently protects more than 3,000 acres of land throughout the watershed, helping to conserve French Creek, its tributaries, critical riparian areas, and providing recreational access.

FCVC manages French Creek as an official Pennsylvania Water Trail and will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year.

As a part of winning the River of the Year award, the French Creek Valley Conservancy received a $10,000 Leadership Grant to help fund a slate of year-long award activities.

DCNR and POWR worked with FCVC to create a free, commemorative poster celebrating the French Creek River as the 2022 Pennsylvania River of the Year.

“We are proud to celebrate the French Creek and all of the great work done to elevate it to this level,” said POWR’s Janet Sweeney. “As enthusiasm for River of the Year continues to grow, this program continues to be a wonderful opportunity to showcase all of the nominated waterways and the great work being done in Pennsylvania communities on these valuable resources.”

A commemorative River of the Year sojourn is among many paddling trips supported by DCNR and POWR each year.

An independent program, the Pennsylvania Sojourn Program, is a unique series of a dozen such trips on the state’s rivers.

These water-based journeys for canoeists, kayakers, and others raise awareness of the environmental, recreational, tourism, and heritage values of rivers.

Learn more about the River of the Year program and sojourns, visit DCNR’s website.

For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog,  Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

Related Articles:

-- French Creek Named 2022 Pennsylvania River Of The Year

-- DEP Our Common Wealth Blog: Surveying Mussels In French Creek, Crawford County

[Posted: June 12, 2022]

6/20/2022