Welcome!
French Creek Valley Conservancy is a private 501(c)3 accredited non-profit land trust dedicated to maintaining and enhancing the exceptional water quality, natural habitat, biological diversity and recreational opportunities of the French Creek Watershed in Northwest Pennsylvania. Our work in land protection, stewardship, education and community outreach is supported by our members, donors and partners.
French Creek is nationally recognized as one of the most biologically important waterways in the entire country. Flowing through the heart of Northwest Pennsylvania, French Creek hosts an astonishing 27 species of native freshwater mussels, over 80 species of fish, boasts a rich historical significance and offers wonderful recreational opportunities. The French Creek Watershed is truly a community treasure, worthy of our attention, conservation and preservation.
2024 French Creek Watershed Cleanup
Saturday, September 7th
The trash weigh-in, collection and picnic will take places at the Cambridge Springs Fairgrounds. Teams register for a specific location and collect trash in the morning then bring to the fairgrounds between 11am and 3pm. Corporate teams compete for the coveted traveling hellbender trophy and individuals, teams, schools, clubs and organizations are entered into drawings for cash prizes. The schools with the most participants can win a cash prize for their science program. Trash must be brought to the fairgrounds by 3pm to be considered for prizes.
**New This Year** Limited Supply of T-Shirts will be available for pickup at the picnic after 11am on a first-come-first-served basis. No early pickups.
Since 1992, people who live, work and play in the French Creek watershed have been joining together once a year to show their love for the river and the land. That year a small group of FCVC friends decided to get together for a day, clean the river they loved by collecting trash, and celebrate with a potluck picnic after. They continued meeting annually and the event grew. By the late 2000s, corporate sponsorships and friendly competitions for participants were added. This included a small industrial scale to weigh trash loaned by a local business.
Fast forward a few decades, and the Cleanup has become the largest day of stewardship in the watershed with hundreds of volunteers and being FCVC’s largest fundraiser of the year. The funds raised at the event through the generosity of our corporate sponsors go toward ensuring we can care for the land we’ve conserved for generations to come.
French Creek Cleanup 2023 — made possible in part due to the generosity of these sponsors:
