Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation Plan - Western ...

Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation PlanChapter 6. Issues and Concerns6. Do you have any specific projects or type of projects you would like to see identifiedin the plan?Land/Watershed Conservation• Reclaim gas and oil wells and abandoned mine lands• Establish and protect open space; “Grow more grass and less cement”• Encourage preservation of large tracks of natural land to prevent fragmentation• Offer tax incentives for land conservation/preservation, in addition to simple praise (The “Clean& Green” program was mentioned as a model)• Protect biologically diverse areas (BDAs)• Protect important bird habitat areasGovernment Planning & Land Management• Manage land use, especially in highly development-pressured areas• Train planning and zoning boards in dealing with development pressures• Encourage farmland preservation (offer tax and other incentives)• Support land conservation with conservation easement assistance, tax incentives, and praise• Regulate development, and reduce it in sensitive areas• Encourage “green” design of developments• Establish development ordinances to reduce negative impacts on land, streams, and communities;ordinances should include tougher sewage regulations and erosion prevention efforts• Establish stormwater best management practices• Better regulate active mines to reduce negative environmental impacts• Educate residents about waste management (especially tire disposal)• Address property trespass issues (light, sound, physical, visual)• Balance economic and environmental needs; look for compromises where both can benefit• Create more employment options• Improve roadsStream Improvement• Protect more riparian buffers, floodplains, steep slopes, and wetlands• Develop instream habitat and bank stabilization structures, where necessary• Address upstream problems first: downstream clean- ups are ineffective if pollution originatesupstream• Establish rain barrels and rain gardens to minimize runoff• Reduce flooding: prevent runoff and sedimentation with better land-use practices• Increase stream and litter clean-ups: a member of PA CleanWays said 215 dumps were found inButler County in 2006, many of them near the Connoquenessing Creek• Remove unused dams from Connoquenessing Creek for fuller migratory potential• Increase fish stocking of local streams• Revitalize the Brush Creek Watershed AssociationWaste Disposal• Make disposal easier and more affordable: consider giving each household a landfill coupon forone trash load per year; provide collection sites for large and/or hazardous materials like tires,appliances, and electronics• Provide mandatory trash collection• Step-up enforcement and education to minimize littering• Sponsor road and stream clean-ups6-31