The purpose of this project is to develop a Master Plan for the design, use, and conservation of the Spring Creek Canyon Park and its surrounding uplands. The Spring Creek Canyon area is located within a system of 6,000+ acres of riparian and lowland forests, agricultural and other undeveloped land owned by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission within Benner Township, Centre County. The study area includes a 1,800 dramatic acres surrounding Spring Creek, a naturally renowned cold water trout stream. With a mixture of fields and forests, the site contains large, contiguous blocks of deciduous and coniferous trees. Small floodplain areas border the narrow Spring Creek. Steep slopes typify the Canyon’s corridor boundary. The Creek, listed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as a high quality stream, is fed in part by a notable natural spring (Benner Spring), located at the western edge of the property. These varied habitats are home to unique plant communities in the canyon – many of which are found nowhere else in the Commonwealth. The Canyon is surrounded by agriculture land and open space intermixed with low-density residential properties.
Using an extensive public planning process, and with the goal of protecting the landscape’s unique natural resources, this master planning process will:
- Establish the appropriate use for the Spring Creek Canyon and buffer lands;
- Determine the appropriate opportunities for public access;
- Define a consensus-driven and sustainable management strategy that ensures the long term stewardship of the land.
