Kelly, county leaders release statement following meeting with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service about proposed French Creek National Wildlife Refuge

MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Today, the office of U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly along with Erie County Executive Brenton Davis; Crawford County Commissioners, Francis Weiderspahn, Eric Henry, and John Christopher Soff; Venango County Commissioners Chairman Sam Breene, Michael Dulaney, and Chip Abramovic; Mercer County Commissioner Scott Boyd; and Chautauqua County, New York Executive Paul Wendel, Jr. met with Vicki Muller and Mark Maghini from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) to discuss the proposed French Creek National Wildlife Refuge.

During a 90-minute meeting at the Crawford County Courthouse in Meadville Thursday morning, the group of elected officials received a commitment from USFWS to pause the current proposal for the wildlife refuge amid opposition and concern from Rep. Kelly, county leaders, and local residents. The proposed refuge would create new federal ownership and oversight of lands in Erie, Crawford, Mercer, and Venango counties in Pennsylvania; Chautauqua County in New York, along with French Creek and the French Creek Watershed.

Further, USFWS has committed to drafting a new proposal that would potentially limit the size and scope of a national wildlife refuge along French Creek. Under the current proposal, the refuge would cover area along French Creek and its watershed, which could have encompassed the watershed’s entire 1,250 square miles of land and nearly 800,000 acres. Additionally, USFWS acknowledged they did not properly engage and inform the communities of impact. They have committed to including elected officials in future planning.

“A pause on the proposed French Creek National Wildlife Refuge is absolutely necessary,” Rep. Kelly said. “Officials from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have told us there is no official plan or size for this refuge, and I believe that’s exactly the problem – this has been a solution in search of a problem with farmers and landowners caught in the middle. The federal government does not need to have control of French Creek. We all support a healthy and vibrant French Creek, but I believe local conservation efforts are already accomplishing what U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is trying to do.”

 

BACKGROUND

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service previously proposed the French Creek National Wildlife Refuge to protect habitats for the creek’s mussels as well as the aquatic biodiversity of French Creek. French Creek spans 117 miles from Chautauqua County, New York to Venango County, Pennsylvania. A national wildlife refuge would create new federal ownership and oversight of lands in Erie, Crawford, Mercer, and Venango counties in Pennsylvania; Chautauqua County in New York, along with French Creek and the French Creek Watershed.

However, farmers and landowners have voiced opposition citing concerns over land acquisition by eminent domain and other methods by the federal government.

In 2022, French Creek was named Pennsylvania’s “River of the Year” by Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) largely due to conservation efforts by local residents to promote the creek’s health and biodiversity. Local residents insist using local land trust and conservation groups instead of a national wildlife refuge to care for and protect the health of French Creek and its tributaries.