Watershed Conservation Plan - Destination Erie

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had developed a GIS mapping tool to identify potential locations in Pennsylvania that might support breeding activity by bald eagles. The mapping "prediction" for the western portion of the Pennsylvania Lake Erie watershed (Figure 6.10) identified several portions of the Conneaut Creek watershed (and a small area of the Elk Creek watershed) as satisfying the habitat needs of this bird. Observations since 2002 of bald eagle nesting activity near the areas predicted by Myers and Bishop (2000) confirms the validity of their GIS model. Figure 6.10. The mapping "prediction" of bald eagle habitat for the western portion of the study area (source: Myers and Bishop (2000). The area shaded in light blue is the portion of northwestern Pennsylvania examined as part of that study. 116
A small number of the birds listed on the study area's list of "breeding birds of conservation concern" (see Table 6.4) are "interior forest" specialists (e.g., black-billed cuckoo and cerulean warbler) that require large tracts of uninterrupted forest in order to breed successfully (Brauning 1992). The cerulean warbler is a specialist for mature forests bordering streams or rivers. Roads or other clearings cut into a forest create microclimate differences (e.g., lower moisture, elevated winds, higher temperature, more light) that cause changes in vegetation composition and increased invasion of species typical of open habitat (Cottrell 1997). The depth of this "edge effect" in mixed hardwood forests ranges 40–60 m. The shape of a forest patch affects how much of it will be affected by edge effect (Cottrell 1997). Fragmentation of forests by roads or development activities that reduce large forested tracts smaller patches contribute to decline of forest interior birds partly because edge communities offer excellent feeding and nesting sites for opportunistic animals, including nest predators (e.g., blue jays, crows, squirrels, chipmunks and shrews) and brood parasites such as brown headed cowbirds (Cottrell 1997; Gross 2002). Gross (2002) noted that forest management practices designed to benefit "early successional" species (e.g., Game Land 314) may be detrimental to forest interior species. The authors of this plan wish to advance a land management strategy that will sustain maximum biodiversity in the study area, which will aim to maintain a wide variety of habitats. Therefore we will primarily advocate protecting and increasing uninterrupted forested areas, while also encouraging the development of early successional habitat, especially in areas such as Game Land 314 where open agricultural lands have been abandoned. 6.1.5 Mammals No mammals were listed in the PNHP (2006) database of special concern vertebrates in the Pennsylvania Lake Erie watershed. Review of recent reports by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC 2006) concerning non-game mammals of concern (e.g., Indiana bat, Allegheny woodrat, least shrew, etc.) confirmed that the northwestern corner of the state is not known to be home to any mammal species of special conservation concern. Despite the apparent lack of endangered mammal species, the study area supports a healthy diversity of both game and non-game mammals, including many species that would be considered "aquaticdependent." Campbell et al.'s (1994) review of recent mammal records for Presque Isle indicated a total of 26 species on the peninsula. Cunningham (1995) reported a total of 34 mammal species known to occur (at present or in the recent past) on Presque Isle and in Erie County. Comparable species richness is possible at "inland" sites within the study area, exemplified by the 23 mammal species documented in a five-month survey of the Coho site (now Erie Bluffs State Park) on the west side of Elk Creek in 1974 (AEA 1974). Cunningham (1989) found 22 mammal species at that location in a study conducted 1974–1977, and 26 species of mammals in a seven-month study at the Roderick Preserve (Game Land 314) conducted during 1977 (Cunningham 1990). Non-game, aquatic-dependent mammals in the area include rodents and insectivores that inhabit wetlands (e.g., meadow vole, meadow jumping mouse, starnosed mole, masked shrew), and bat species (e.g., little brown bat) that reside near aquatic habitats and feed on adult aquatic insects. Harvest data available from the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC 2006) concerning mammals likely occurring in the region reports data for each of 22 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) across the state. Erie County and portions of Crawford and Warren Counties are found within WMU 1B, which includes most of the French Creek watershed in addition to the study area. Among the eight species of mammals important to trappers in northwest Pennsylvania are four species that are directly dependent upon aquatic habitats—raccoon, muskrat, mink, and beaver. Cunningham (1990) reported that mink was "probably common" at the Roderick Preserve site (Game Land 314). The PGC harvest records for furbearers in northwestern Pennsylvania during a 12-year period (1991–2002) indicate relatively stable populations of all species (Lovallo 2005a, 2005b). During the 2003–2004 hunting and trapping season, an estimated 332 coyotes were harvested in WMU 1B. The 1991–2002 harvest statistics for coyote in the northwestern Pennsylvania region indicated a trend of increasing coyote abundance in our area (Lovallo 2005b). 117
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Pennsylvania Rivers Conservation Pr
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land to development. Strong communi
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Human resources available to facili
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other communities, organizations, a
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TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures .
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8.3 Sustainable Development and Gov
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Figure 5.14. Average summer phospho
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Figure 10.3. Management Areas propo
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND PLAN AUTHORSHIP
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working with interested teacher and
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Figure 1.3. Perceived importance of
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1.3 Watershed Plan Focus The primar
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Figure 2.2. Detail of the south-cen
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Figure 2.4. Physiographic provinces
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westward. Although the paucity of f
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via the Erigan River, a major river
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Warren and Whittlesey can be found
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evised paleoenvironmental picture,
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characteristic ground stone tools,
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phase represent the most common Lat
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including flexed and extended inhum
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with the appearance of European tra
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The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania wa
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of $800 for the purchase of The Tri
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In addition to these townships, the
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Pittsburgh Railroad had reached New
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Figure 3.3. Density of registered a
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the Whittlesey and Warren III stran
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Table 3.3. Properties in the Study
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Table 3.3—continued Name Address
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Table 3.3—continued Name Address
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"Little Ice Age"), and the validity
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"massasaugies" (Eastern Massasauga
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eport (Col. John Fleeharty) lamente
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flowing streams. The starting point
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elow the park." Apparently the pump
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A submerged arching sand feature is
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of the lake plain and upland areas
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characteristics, and are important
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Lake section (see Figure 2.4). Nota
Page 85 and 86: Figure 5.2. Flow time series for Tw
Page 87 and 88: Figure 5.4. Flow time series for Co
Page 89 and 90: Figure 5.8. Flow per square mile pe
Page 91 and 92: area that have thicker glacial depo
Page 93 and 94: Table 5.4. Protected Water Uses for
Page 95 and 96: Stream Zone County 3—East Branch
Page 97 and 98: 5.10.2 Permitted Discharges The two
Page 99 and 100: Figure 5.14. Average summer phospho
Page 101 and 102: Figure 5.15. Graphical analyses of
Page 103 and 104: Figure 5.17. Average summer nitrate
Page 105 and 106: Figure 5.19. Mercury concentrations
Page 107 and 108: Figure 5.20. Map showing locations
Page 109 and 110: Figure 5.22. Number of stream miles
Page 111 and 112: 91 Figure 5.24. Results of Campbell
Page 113 and 114: Table 5.6. Range in Number of E. co
Page 115 and 116: Figure 5.26. Maximum E. coli counts
Page 117 and 118: The recent investigation completed
Page 119 and 120: Figure 5.30. Sources of known nondo
Page 121 and 122: 6 NATURAL RESOURCES 6.1 Animal Life
Page 123 and 124: Rank Status Taxon Common Name Globa
Page 125 and 126: Table 6.2. Pennsylvania Vertebrate
Page 127 and 128: Table 6.3. Noted Occurrence of Spaw
Page 129 and 130: Figure 6.4. Water quality designati
Page 131 and 132: Figure 6.6. Fishing hours spent on
Page 133 and 134: Figure 6.7. Comparative analysis of
Page 135: Figure 6.9. Percentage breakdown of
Page 139 and 140: phytoplankton by Dreissena allows l
Page 141 and 142: populations increase. Corbicula flu
Page 143 and 144: Rank Status Taxon Common name Globa
Page 145 and 146: Rank Status Taxon Common name Globa
Page 147 and 148: Two other forest wetland plant comm
Page 149 and 150: 6.2.4 Emergent Wetlands Over half o
Page 151 and 152: alleghaniensis), sugar maple, red m
Page 153 and 154: Table 6.6.Percentage Composition of
Page 155 and 156: Figure 6.18. Detail of the largest
Page 157 and 158: Figure 7.1. Responses made by study
Page 159 and 160: Figure 7.3. Spatial distribution of
Page 161 and 162: Presque Isle State Park is connecte
Page 163 and 164: Table 7.2. Number of Recreational O
Page 165 and 166: lakefront recreational properties,
Page 167 and 168: Map Id Subwatershed Comment 51 41.5
Page 169 and 170: Bayfront Center for Maritime Studie
Page 171 and 172: Other watershed associations or wat
Page 173 and 174: Figure 8.1. Child poverty rates in
Page 175 and 176: comprehensive vision or plan, have
Page 177 and 178: and municipalities should be encour
Page 179 and 180: 5. In order to sustain maximum biod
Page 181 and 182: 10 PRIORITIES AND STRATEGIES FOR AC
Page 183 and 184: easements for riparian areas, and p
Page 185 and 186: Table 10.2 Management Areas Defined
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Figure 10.2. Example of how GIS can
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Figure 10.4. Example of how GIS can
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Watershed Portion MAs Main Subwater
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Restoration actions Management Area
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11 REFERENCES CITED Abrams, M. D. 2
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Broyles, B. J. 1971 Second Prelimin
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Cooper, N. L., J. R. Bidwell, and D
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Dzurko, Robert 1972 Conneaut Creek
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Goodyear, A. C. 1999 The Early Holo
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Jasim, S. Y., A. Irabelli, L. Schwe
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Leighton, R. 2006 Pennsylvania Fish
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Michaels, A. 2005 Pennsylvania Has
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2007d Waterways, Wetlands, and Eros
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Richardson, J. B., and J. B. Peters
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Soon, W. and S. Baliunas 2003 Proxy
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Tomikel and Shepps 1967 Trasande, L
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Whitley, D. S., and R. I. Dorn 1993
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Preparing For Watershed Conservatio
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Introduction (cont’d) In March of
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Executive Summary Overall, responde
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Executive Summary (cont’d) Cont
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Summary Of Key Groups (cont’d) Ur
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Please Indicate Whether You Agree,
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In Your Opinion, Is The Need For Im
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If You Had To Choose Between Proper
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Favorite Locations For Recreation I
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Favorite Motor Boating Locations To
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Favorite Hiking Locations Location
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Favorite Swimming Locations Total R
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Knowledge Of Historic And Prehistor
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Support For Stream Protection Measu
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LERC Rivers Conservation Plan Publi
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• Mason: As far as education, get
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• Kloss: Educate people about Act
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Great Lakes Commission http://www.g
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Center for Economic and Environment
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The Erie County portion of the Penn
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Feature Parameters Parameter Variab
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Feature Parameters Parameter Variab
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Watershed Conservation Plan - Destination Erie

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