2017 RIVER: “So rich in scenic beauty and historical significance, the Allegheny River is deservedly one of western Pennsylvania’s natural treasures.”
This is a description from Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, when the announcement was made that Allegheny is the 2017 River of the Year.
The DCNR and the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers made the announcement this week.
The celebrate, the Penn Soil Resource Conservation and Development Council — the group that applied on behalf of the mighty Allegheny — will receive a $10,000 Leadership Grant for activities during 2017.
There’s no word yet on what events are to come, or how close to home they will be. The Allegheny is long — traveling through several Pennsylvania counties all the way to Pittsburgh, as well as reaching into New York state.
The Penn Soil RC&D Council is based in Warren.
Among the events river enthusiasts will be able to look forward to is the River of the Year sojourn, which the DCNR says is one of several paddling trips the agency supports along with POWR.
“Home to an increasing bald eagle population, the Allegheny River flows more than 315 miles through the state, including a portion of the PA Wilds,” the DCNR stated. “With a watershed area of 11,580-square-miles, it contributes 60 percent of the Ohio River flow at Pittsburgh.
“Eighty-six miles of the Allegheny River — from Kinzua Dam to Emlenton — are federally designated National Wild and Scenic Recreation River, containing seven islands that are protected under America’s National Wilderness Preservation System.”
