Watershed Conservation Plan - Destination Erie

easements for riparian areas, and promoting urban/suburban reforestation in its long list of recommendations
for managing the water quality problems in the Walnut Creek subwatershed.
Preserving forested riparian buffers and maintaining forested land use are also thought to be the best
"insurance" against the adverse effects of climate warming on cold water fisheries, since the summer shading
by trees in riparian areas (especially in headwaters) has been proven to keep stream water temperatures in the
range needed to support trout (Pollock and Kennard 1998; Sweeney 1992; Wilkerson et al. 2006). This
strategy is well suited to the situation of the steelhead fishery in the Pennsylvania Lake Erie watershed (see
chapter 6, section 6.1).
Forest lands in private ownership near urban centers are recognized as being particularly vulnerable to
development pressure, and should be given the highest priority in conservation and land use planning (USDA-
FS 2004, 2005). Most of the watershed appears to be vulnerable to sprawl, since expansion of infrastructure
(e.g., public water and sewers) is projected by the Erie County Comprehensive Plan to occur from nearly all
the watershed's scattered boroughs and Erie's metropolitan center (Graney, Grossman, Colosimo and
Associates, Inc. 2003). A USDAFS (2005) study included the Pennsylvania Lake Erie watershed in areas
nationwide where 5–20% of privately owned forests are expected to be converted to housing over the next
25 years. These concerns would seem to provide ample justification for the protection strategy proposed in
the next section of the plan.
10.4 Forest, Riparian Area, and Headwaters Protection and Restoration Plan
10.4.1 Watershed Zones and Management Areas
In order to facilitate assignment of proposed actions to protect the resources most critical to safeguarding
our streams and groundwater supplies, the Pennsylvania Lake Erie watershed was divided into the 18 distinct
management areas (MAs) shown in Figure 10.1. The management areas are intended to serve as geographic
templates for specific project planning by diverse stakeholders, with the assumption that the projects
developed by multiple organizations and political units will better serve the interests of the public at large,
and should be more attractive to funding organizations.
Each management area falls into one of three habitat/resource zones. Zone 1 areas contain lands
directly drained by mostly headwater streams, and would include many important groundwater recharge
areas. Areas classified in Zone 1 collectively include the largest part of the watershed (Table 10.2). The
primary protection objective for Zone 1 is to use all available methods to keep forested areas forested, for the
reasons explained above (see section 10.3). Although this zone already contains the highest percentage of land
area covered by forests, many of those forested tracts are fragmented by roads and intervening segments of
open agricultural land. The highest priorities for Zone 1 areas will be to protect all of the current forests and
restore non-forested riparian areas to a forested condition, which will enhance groundwater recharge, maintain
cool summer water temperatures, reduce forest fragmentation, and protect wildlife habitat.
Zone 2 areas contain upper main stem portions of the larger streams of the watershed and distinctive
valley features associated with escarpments and gorges. Many of these areas are situated in the vicinity of the
lake-ridge and intermediate in position between higher elevation headwater areas (Zone 1) and the lower
elevation lake plain (Zone 3). Zone 2 areas contain many of the watershed's important cold water fishery
resources (see chapter 6) and sites having scenic and historical importance (see chapters 4 and 5). Land
acquisition and protection actions (e.g., conservation easements) that increase public access to these areas
could enhance recreational tourism opportunities in the watershed. Other high-priority actions for Zone 2
would include protection of existing forests (especially those associated with headwater tributaries connected
directly to main stem reaches) and restoring non-forested riparian areas to a forested condition.
Zone 3 areas encompass the lake plain, which contains most of the intensively developed (agricultural
and urban) portions of the watershed. Since much of the eastern two-thirds of the lake plain has been
deforested, any and all remaining forests in the central and eastern lake plain areas (MAs 3A and 3B) should
be given very high priority for protection, since they represent unique forest types distinct from those already
protected in Management Area 3C. As in Zones 1 and 2, high priority should also be given to protecting and
restoring riparian forests of small streams, including those associated with coastal bluffs and ravines within
Zone 3 (see chapter 5, section 5.4). Like Zone 2, large stream reaches within Zone 3 also contain fishery
resources and sites having scenic and cultural/historical importance; therefore, land acquisition and protection
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