WARREN — The Allegheny River has been selected as one of four finalist waterways in Pennsylvania to be voted on by the public in the annual “River of the Year Contest.”
The Allegheny River is over 315 miles long and with a watershed area of 11,580 square miles. Including its tributaries, the Allegheny River system is the location of the most diverse and populous freshwater mussel habitat in the world, and is one of the most biologically diverse watersheds in the state. Every year, thousands of people paddle down this beautiful river.
The Allegheny River was nominated for the contest by Penn Soil Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council, a charitable organization headquartered in Warren, but serves the residents of eight northwestern Pennsylvania counties. Penn Soil RC&D provides technical and financial assistance to community groups who would like to do community improvement projects, but who may not have sufficient resources to complete a project.
Wes Ramsey, executive director of Penn Soil RC&D stated, “Our primary area of interest is in improving quality of life in four areas: Water Management, Agricultural Land Management, Forest Land Management, and Community Development.”
When asked to list some examples of the activities that he will undertake throughout the year if the Allegheny River is selected as the 2017 “River of the Year,” Ramsey stated, “Penn Soil RC&D will take responsibility for developing and coordinating a project plan to unite watershed stakeholder groups into a partnership that works together to promote watershed awareness to the citizens of the Middle and Upper Allegheny region and encourages citizens to take ownership of their watershed by promoting the value of clean water to their community.”
The contest is co-sponsored by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the state organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR). Online voting for the contest officially began on Nov. 14, and will extend through Dec. 19.
There are no age restrictions or residency requirements to participate and anyone with a valid email address can vote. The organization who nominated the winning entry in the contest receives a $10,000 DCNR grant to help celebrate the River of the Year.
“We encourage all those who are a fan of the Allegheny River for its beauty, its recreational value for those who enjoy paddling, hunting, fishing, trapping, boating, swimming, and for its importance to the citizens of western PA as a source of water for household and business use to take a moment and visit www.pariveroftheyear.org to vote for the Allegheny River,” Ramsey stated.
