Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Michael DiBerardinis this week named the Youghiogheny River as the Commonwealth's River of the Year for 2008.

The designation recognizes the watershed's shift from a threatened past to a promising recreational future and its role in Western Pennsylvania history.

"While it is recovering from serious degradation from mine drainage, the Youghiogheny remains fragile and in need of ongoing improvements and protection from new sources of pollution," said Secretary DiBerardinis. "Scores of partners working to preserve, protect and enhance this great resource have pumped new life into the river and the many communities surrounding it."

Popularly knows as the as "the Yough," the river flows north 132 miles from its origination in Maryland to its mouth at McKeesport.

Before emptying into the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, the more than 70-mile section of the Youghiogheny River in Pennsylvania drains 1,250 square miles in Somerset, Fayette, Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.

"The Yough is steeped in rich national and industrial history, surrounded by towns where George Washington camped during the French and Indian War," said Secretary DiBerardinis. "The greatest mineral resource in American history, the Pittsburgh Coal Seam, is centered in the Yough's corridor. Now it's being rediscovered by a new breed of travelers - anglers, canoeists and rafters who brave its whitewater, and hikers trekking along the Great Allegheny Passage as it parallels the river for nearly 70 miles."

Boasting a 150-foot-wide waterfall, the river is the focal point of the 19,000-acre Ohiopyle State Park, which attracts more than 1.5 million visitors a year. The river's whitewater attracts 100,000 boaters each year for the thrill of rapids that can be run all summer with releases from Youghiogheny River Lake.

DCNR's "River of the Year" designation honors local residents, governments, non-profit and conservation organizations working to improve waterways and the quality of life in their watersheds across the state.

With this year's designation, the Youghiogheny River will be the subject of a Rivers Month poster to be issued in June.

To help celebrate, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council will revive the "Yough River Sojourn," which had been held for several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A sojourn is a water-based journey for canoeists, kayakers and others to raise awareness of the environmental, recreational, tourism and heritage values of rivers.

The sojourn will offer several days of canoeing, whitewater rafting and bicycle riding on the parallel Great Allegheny Passage, along with environmental education and interpretation opportunities.

For more information, visit the Ohiopyle State Park webpage and the PA River Sojourn webpage.

NewsClips: Yough River Cleanup Lauded

Op-Ed: The Yough is Worth Protecting

Link: The Youghiogheny River Trail

3/21/2008