CHAPTER 4 - Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
CHAPTER 4 - Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
CHAPTER 4 - Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
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Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation Plan<br />
Chapter 4. Biological Resources<br />
Brush Creek County Park<br />
Significance: Managed land<br />
Location: Marion and North Sewickley townships<br />
Description: This park, established in the 1970s, sits atop 645 acres, making it the second largest<br />
county park in Butler County, while providing recreational outlets for the citizens in the<br />
northeastern part of the county. The park offers mowed picnic areas, baseball and soccer fields,<br />
tennis courts, paved roads, and a man-made pond. Brush Creek flows through the area; its<br />
floodplain is occupied by the above amenities. Some areas along the stream are forested with<br />
second growth trees, though a large portion of the upland and floodplain areas are in an unnatural<br />
state due to the development of park facilities. Some forested areas remain in the floodplain,<br />
representing a recovering mesic central forest community dominated by sugar maple and black<br />
cherry; bridges and hiking trails have been established to promote the use of this and other natural<br />
areas within the park.<br />
Rare Occurrences: No rare occurrences were noted in the park.<br />
Threats and Stresses: Utility right-of-ways cross the park in several areas fragmenting some of the<br />
forested resources and restricting them to small areas. Further development and maintenance of<br />
recreational areas within the park impact the natural resources. Abandoned mine drainage (AMD)<br />
pollution impacts Brush Creek, though the creek is recovering.<br />
Recommendations: Encourage the expansion and recovery of the natural areas within the park,<br />
and attempt to acquire land adjacent to the forested areas to allow ample space for buffers and<br />
encourage natural succession. Discourage any further development that would decrease the<br />
amount and size of natural areas within the park.<br />
Green Valley Park<br />
Significance: Managed land<br />
Location: New Sewickley Township (own and manage the site)<br />
Description: This park is located south of the turnpike (Rt. 76) along Brush Creek, and it has been<br />
cleared and developed for recreational uses. The areas along the stream offer ball fields, picnic<br />
pavilions, swing sets, and other recreational amenities for citizens of the area. Some forested<br />
areas remain along the slopes and in tributary valleys, representing a second growth Dry Mesic<br />
Acidic Central Forest community.<br />
Rare Occurrences: No rare occurrences were noted at this particular site.<br />
Threats and Stresses: There could be impacts associated with construction activities, noise, and<br />
pollution stemming from the nearby turnpike. The developed areas of the park limit the<br />
possibility for expansion of the natural, forested areas and buffer zones.<br />
Recommendations: Properly manage the forested areas, so that their natural qualities may<br />
improve. Provide buffer zones in the uplands and<br />
bottomlands surrounding the forest. Permit adjacent<br />
areas that have cleared to revert back to forest to<br />
provide this buffering zone. Expand the park by<br />
acquiring private lands bordering to the south,<br />
southeast, and northwest of the park.<br />
Hereford Manor Lakes<br />
Significance: Managed land<br />
Location: Franklin Township<br />
Description: Consisting of two impoundments and<br />
their associated wetlands, this property is owned by<br />
the <strong>Pennsylvania</strong> Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC),<br />
and has resulted from the reclamation of a strip-mined<br />
Improving biodiversity enhances<br />
recreation at sites like Hereford Manor<br />
Lakes<br />
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