Ohio River, Buffalo Creek among nominees for Pennsylvania's River of the Year

The five nominees for Pennsylvania’s River of the Year include the Ohio River and an obscure but environmentally unique waterway, Buffalo Creek in Armstrong and Butler counties.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the nonprofit Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers annually pick nominees for the honor. A public vote determines the winner.

DCNR will award a $10,000 grant to the organization that nominated the winner and offer technical assistance to help them celebrate their waterway with at least one paddling trip and other events and promotional activities. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania would receive the money on behalf of Buffalo Creek, while the Ohio River Trail Council, Friends of the Riverfront and RiverWise nominated the Ohio River.

Voting began this week and ends on Jan. 17. Votes can only be cast via a single email from a single account to the River of Year website.

While the 981-mile Ohio River that begins at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in Pittsburgh is well known, the 34-mile Buffalo Creek is obscure in comparison.

Buffalo Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River, is a favorite of anglers, walkers, cyclists and birdwatchers. A section has been declared an Audubon Important Bird Area because of the rich habitat and unusual birds species it hosts. According to the website eBird.org, 156 bird species have been found in the Buffalo Creek Watershed, including 42 species identified by the Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan as Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission designated a section of the Buffalo Creek as a site for “Best Fishing Waters for Stocked Trout.”

“The Creek is an amazing gem that is important ecologically, recreationally and economically,” said Sarah Koenig, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania’s conservation director.

The whole intent of selecting a River of the Year is to raise awareness about the importance of the waterway for its ecological value, tourism and economic development, said Janet Sweeney, director of Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers.

“It’s important that people think of the waterways as a resource and something special,” she said.

Sweeney’s organization received 11 nominations this year for the 2020 River of the Year. They weighed a number of factors in picking the five nominees, including the waterway’s conservation needs and challenges, abilities of the nominating organization to sponsor a series of events and identification of partner organizations to help.

She pointed to a public paddling event in the winter known as “ShiverFest” on the Lackawanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania, which is another nominee for 2020 River of the Year. The other nominees are Connoquenessing Creek in Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties and Brandywine Creek in southeastern Pennsylvania.

After conducting a study for the future stewardship of Buffalo Creek, Audubon found there was diminishing water quality. This was alarming as the creek and its tributaries have enjoyed a reputation for good water quality.

“I don’t want it to be a story about recovery but preservation,” Koenig said.

On the heels of its conservation plan for the creek and the entire Buffalo Valley watershed area, Audubon has secured grants to more closely study the water quality and find the sources of pollution, which is degrading some areas of the waterway.

Audubon is in the process of building a nature center in Buffalo Township near the Creek, which will host a number of public programs in the future.