Allegheny College’s Watershed Conservation Research Center (WCRC) is beginning work to restore two tributary stream channels thanks to a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Growing Greener grant totaling $279,216.
The unnamed tributaries are located within the French Creek and Oil Creek watersheds. Key to the project is the reintroduction of downed trees — donated by local landowners — into the stream channels, which will reconnect their floodplains and slow down the waterway. In turn, both waterways should see a reduction in sediment buildup and stabilize their banks, improving habitat quality for fish and other aquatic life.
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Crawford County Conservation District are also project collaborators, according to WCRC’s co-directors Kelly Pearce and Casey Bradshaw-Wilson, both associate professors of environmental science and sustainability.
“Restoration projects of this scale rely on the collaboration of diverse conservation organizations, each contributing unique strengths in permitting, site access, technical expertise and research,” Pearce said. “By bringing together the knowledge of local conservation partners with the research capacity of the WCRC, the project will achieve meaningful and lasting restoration outcomes.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) broader Growing Greener Plus program distributes funds yearly for watershed restoration, mine land reclamation and stormwater management initiatives. The most recent round of funding distributed over $17 million to 89 distinct projects. WCRC was the only grantee in Crawford County.
Growing Greener grants are one of the best investments that Pennsylvania makes into improving our environment,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “These 89 projects will lead to cleaner water for us to drink and swim in, better habitat for fish and wildlife, and less pollution in our streams and rivers. It enables local governments, county conservation districts and non-profit organizations to make Pennsylvania a better place to live and thrive.
Pearce adds that, aside from financially bolstering the program, the grant award serves as validation of the work WCRC has done in the five years since its inception while simultaneously elevating the community’s reputation to that of a watershed restoration leader in Pennsylvania.
“Receiving Growing Greener funding and recognition demonstrates that this project addresses conservation priorities of statewide importance, not just local needs,” Pearce said. “This investment affirms the ecological significance of local waterways and reinforces Meadville’s identity as a community committed to environmental stewardship and sustainable natural resource management.”
