Watershed Conservation Plan - Destination Erie

10 PRIORITIES AND STRATEGIES FOR ACTION
10.1 Goals
The primary goals that this plan seeks to advance include (1) the protection of existing high-quality
natural, aquatic, and cultural/historical resources of the Pennsylvania Lake Erie watershed and (2) restoration
of aquatic habitats that have been degraded by urbanization and other non-sustainable land use practices.
Other important goals are to conduct outreach that will educate stakeholders about the importance and means
of achieving the primary goals via the enactment of best management practices (BMPs) and other pre-emptive
measures to mitigate for adverse effects of urban sprawl and anticipated water and habitat problems
associated with ongoing climate change. It is hoped that these goals may be achieved within a framework of
community-supported initiatives that also advance economic development of new resource-related tourism
opportunities as well as conservation funding activities that systematically capitalize on local stakeholder
investment with monies from outside the community.
The foregoing narrative in this document provided substantial historical and scientific accounts of the
past and current condition of the watershed, as well as projections for future conditions based upon the best
available science. A comprehensive summary of specific recommendations for future resource inventory and
planning considerations has also been provided in chapter 9. These recommendations may be taken at face
value and acted upon by a wide variety of plan users. A synthesis of those recommendations was the
underlying motivation for the action plan described in sections 10.2–10.4.
10.2 Action Plan Objectives, Stakeholder Involvement, and Role of LERC
Table 10.1 contains a proposed list of action plan objectives that could lead to accomplishment of the
previously stated goals. Completing the first three objectives in the short-term will be necessary precursors
for subsequent objectives to be achieved. Furthermore, the public interactions involved in achieving those
objectives will also be structured to solicit stakeholder input on the plan, and should be carried out as soon
as possible. The principle stakeholders include private citizens of the watershed who own properties
containing important resources and municipal officials who represent taxpayer and citizen interests in
establishing and enforcing land use policy and developing regulations. Other stakeholders include the general
citizenry of the watershed who share the communal benefits of clean water, an aesthetically appealing and
biologically diverse landscape, and the tourism economy that depends on a healthy environment. An effort
will be made to include all of these stakeholder groups in the implementation of the priority actions of the
plan. This community-based action-planning and implementation process is consistent with watershed
management "philosophy" advanced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA 2007) and U.S.
Forest Service (USDA-FS 2006).
Implementation of the plan over the long term will require the formation of partnerships among
stakeholders and established organizations with professional staff who are knowledgeable about land and
water protection and restoration methods/programs. It is assumed that the leadership for implementing the
plan will be provided by the state, county, and non-government organizations that have already established
community networks to plan and carry out conservation and water quality protection activities, including the
DCNR, DEP, the Erie County Conservation District (ECCD), the Pennsylvania Lake Erie Watershed
Association (PLEWA), and Pennsylvania Sea Grant. The Lake Erie Region Conservancy (LERC) is
committed to conducting initial plan outreach, coordinating stakeholder/organization interaction, and
facilitating as necessary the acquisition of funding to support protection and restoration initiatives. LERC is
also in a position to serve as a land trust organization for the Pennsylvania Lake Erie watershed region, and
will be able to serve as an agent for guiding the development of conservation easements on private holdings.
Other entities may also receive easements and properties to be placed under protection, including
municipalities, non-profit organizations, etc.
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