PA Environment Digest Daily Blog: Public Comments Invited On Draft Juniata River Watershed Conservation Plan By Western PA Conservancy

The Western PA Conservancy invites residents of the Juniata River Watershed to comment on the draft Juniata River Watershed Conservation Plan that covers 3,400 square miles in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Franklin, Fulton, Huntington, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Snyder and Somerset counties.

The Juniata watershed’s tributaries provide habitat for numerous fish and aquatic species as well as recreational opportunities such as swimming, paddling and fly fishing.

Home to several state forests, state parks and state game lands, much of the land in the watershed is forested, providing abundant habitat for birds, wildlife and plants, including several rare and endangered plant species.

The plan highlights the resources found within the Juniata River Watershed and highlights conservation achievements implemented in the past 25 years.

The draft Juanita Forward - Building On 25 Years Of Conservation serves as a reference and educational tool promoting the conservation of natural resources, monitoring and improvement of water quality, and advocating sound community-planning practices.

Recommendations identified in this plan are not enforceable by any agency.

Implementation of this plan is the responsibility of the entire watershed community, and depends upon cooperation and collaboration among many different organizations.

The goal of this plan is to develop a strategy to make the vision for the watershed a reality. Practical solutions and action steps were suggested, and resources were identified to support implementation.

This plan can be used to assist groups and citizens working and/or living within the watershed with obtaining funding and other resources to fulfill the vision set forth for the area.

Development of the draft plan began in 2021 and is built on a strong foundation of public involvement.

Anyone wishing to provide public comment can submit comments directly to Jennifer Farabaugh at jfarabaugh@paconserve.org or 814-696-9356. The deadline for comments is October 31.

Visit WPC’s Juniata Watershed Plan webpage for more information.

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