Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation Plan - Western ...

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Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation PlanChapter 5. Cultural Resourcesgenerates a $1.7 billion impact to the economy each year. In 2005, revenue to the PFBC from boatingthrough licenses, fines, penalties, and others was $11,147,689 (PFBC, 2006a).PFBC manages 250 public access areas to Pennsylvania’swaterways; In addition, many other access points are managed byorganizations and municipalities. In 2005, in an effort to increasepublic access to waterways for boating, the Boating Facility GrantProgram was initiated. This program provides funding to publicentities for the establishment of stream access points that are open tothe public. Grants are awarded for land acquisition, project design,engineering, development, expansion, and rehabilitation of publicrecreational boat access facilities. The grants require a 25 percentmatch.The canoe launch at the Butlersoccer fields in its earlydevelopment stagePennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) and local residentsare working to establish a water trail for Connoquenessing Creek. Thewater trail when completed will be a map and guide for paddlingalong the creek. The production of the water trail is in its infancy,with current efforts surrounding the identification of potential accesspoints. Before the trail guide can be developed, an adequate numberof public launch sites will need to be established. The Boat FacilityGrant Program would likely be a good source of funding to establishaccess points identified by the Connoquenessing Creek Water Trail.Four initial areas have been identified as potential access locations. They include sites in EllwoodCity, Harmony, Forward Township, and Butler.• In Ellwood City, the area behind the sewage treatment plant has been identified as a potentialsite for a public access. The Borough of Ellwood City owns the property and is interested inestablishing public access.• Within the borough of Harmony, the PFBC has a lease agreement to establish a canoe launch atthe end of Jackson Street.• The ball fields in Forward Township would be an ideal location for a public launch. The land ispublicly owned, utilized for recreation, and has parking available. Installation of the launch areais all that would be needed for this site. According to PEC, development of this site could becompleted before the 2007 paddling season begins.• In Butler, the first public launch has been developed at the Athletic Fields, property owned bythe Butler School District. It was a combined effort between Butler School District,Connoquenessing Watershed Alliance, and the city of Butler. The partnership was awarded aGrowing Greener II grant for stream and streambank improvements at the site. However,increased marketing of the site, including signage and public awareness, are still needed andcould be obtained with the completion of the Connoquenessing Water Trail.Other potential launch areas discussed include the park along Glenwood Way, Renfrew Park, CampRedwing, and Country Club Golf Course.5-9
Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation PlanChapter 5. Cultural ResourcesEnvironmental EducationEnvironmental education is a learning process that increases knowledge and awareness of theenvironment and associated challenges (National Environmental Education Advisory Council, 1996). Itdevelops skills and expertise to address challenges; and fosters attitudes, motivation, and commitment tomake informed decisions and take responsible action.Heath Gamache explains the minedrainage system at Lutherlyn’s SemiconRun treatment siteThe agricultural community was the first to utilizeenvironmental education through the teaching of conservationpractices. Early practices expanded to include land-useproblems, preservation of natural resources, water qualityimprovements, and protection of native plant and animalspecies. Educating the public about important environmentalchallenges and developing knowledgeable citizens activelyparticipating in addressing these challenges is critical tosustaining the balance between environmental and humanactivities; ensuring the health and welfare of the watershed,protecting human health, advancing quality education,expanding employment opportunities, promoting sustainabledevelopment, and protecting our natural heritage(Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2002).With rapid changes occurring in our environment, education of watershed stakeholders is anessential and ongoing process. Several organizations and agencies provide environmental education tolandowners, students, and other stakeholders.Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) provides a variety of educational programs. WildlifeConservation Officers provide educational programs in schools. The programs are designed to beappropriate for each grade level. They also provide two teacher workshops—Project WILD andPennsylvania Songbirds. Project WILD trains educators about the environment, the outdoors, and theirinteractions. This program is designed to assist educators of grades K–12. It evaluates activities and cross-es them with Pennsylvania Department of Education’s (PDE) environment and ecology standardsreferencdeveloped in 2002. Pennsylvania Songbirds, a similar program, provides teacher workshops and lessonplans. It is co-sponsored by the Audubon Society, PGC, and DCNR. In addition to workshops andprograms, PGC has reference materials available to all educators.Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) provides several workshops for educators,including the Keystone Aquatic Resource Education (KARE) teacher workshop and PennsylvaniaAmphibian and Reptile educator workshop. These workshops provide educators with curricula to meetenvironmental standards required by PDE. PFBC can provide numerous educational videos, brochures,and fact sheets for students and educators on a variety of topics.Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) provides educationalprograms through its various divisions. The Bureau of Forestry is a leader in educating people aboutforestry and native wild plant conservation and management. Audiences include school-aged children,educators, organizations, local governments, private landowners, consulting foresters, industry, and thegeneral public. The Office of Wild Resource Conservation produces a variety of education materials:posters, activity books, and videos for the state’s conservation agencies, PDE, and conservation groups.5-10
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