[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 125 (Wednesday, October 6, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE GREEN VALLEYS ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM GERLACH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 5, 2004

  Mr. GERLACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Green Valleys 
Association on the occasion of their 40th Anniversary. For forty years, 
the Green Valleys Association has been working diligently to protect 
the watersheds and ecosystems in northern Chester County, Pennsylvania.
  The Green Valleys Association was founded in 1964 by landowners who 
were threatened by the proposed damming of the French Creek in Chester 
County. The proposed damming would have transformed the area into a 
reservoir, so the landowners took a stand and created a formidable 
defense against the dam--a group called the French Creek Watershed 
Association. This spirit and drive has been, and still is, a part of 
all who work within the Association, now known as Green Valleys 
Association. Six years later, in 1972, the Association expanded to 
oversee all five of the northern and eastern Chester County's 
Schuylkill River watersheds. This area includes Pigeon Creek, Stony 
Run, Pickering Creek, French Creek, and Valley Creek. The region 
covered by the Association is largely rural and more than 70 percent of 
the population who live there depend on the activism of the Green 
Valleys Association to help protect their water resources. Today, the 
Association's activity spreads throughout 21 municipalities and over 
155 square miles. The Green Valleys Association is unique in its work 
and purpose as it is the only watershed association in northern Chester 
County.
  Throughout the past forty years, the Association has worked to 
protect the natural resources in northern Chester County by helping to 
limit the Warner Quarry expansion, protecting Valley Creek and by 
achieving ``Exceptional Value'' status for the upper French Creek. In 
fact, all of the watersheds under Green Valleys Association's oversight 
have been designated either ``High Quality'' or ``Exceptional Value.'' 
Exceptional Value is the highest protective designation offered by the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
  The Green Valleys Association has also taken on the task of educating 
the public on resources and the environment. They provide the community 
with information on environmental laws; organize meetings on water 
resources, effective land-use planning and wildlife resources; and 
bring the community together for local participation in stream watches. 
They also provide summer camps and school programs for students 
introducing them to important environmental concerns. The Green Valleys 
Association has also developed the Sustainable Watershed Management 
program to be utilized as a tool for local municipalities to 
incorporate in regulations of water use.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring Green 
Valleys Association's role as an educator and a protector of the 
watersheds of northern Chester County, Pennsylvania. They have done 
tremendous work, and for that, they should be commended.

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