(From left to right): Chuck Marshall, VACR Restoration Coordinator, PA Fish and Boat Commission, Michael Caldwell, Superintendent, Valley Forge NHP, Deirde Gibson, Chief of Planning and Resource Management, Valley Forge NHP, Owen Owens, Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited

The Valley Creek Trustee Council is composed of representatives of the United States Department of Interior and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The U.S. Department of Interior is represented by the Superintendent of Valley Forge National Historical Park and the Commonwealth of PA is represented by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). The Council was established under the "Superfund" Law when Valley Creek was contaminated in the mid-1980's by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's), a well-known carcinogen. Contamination by PCB's resulted in the cessation of trout stocking, designation of Valley Creek as a "catch-and-release" fishery, and issuance of a health advisory regarding trout consumption ultimately leading to a significant loss of angler use as well as direct damages to natural resources. Monies to compensate for natural resource damages and lost angler use were received through legal settlements with the responsible parties and placed into a Restoration Fund administered by the Valley Creek Trustee Council.

The Trustee Council has developed a restoration strategy and identified potential restoration projects that are provided in the Valley Creek Restoration Plan (August 2004). The desired results of this plan are an enhanced fishery and restored natural resources, which the Trustee Council believes would best serve to reverse the lost use of services that the Valley Creek fishery once provided.

The goals of this plan are: (1) to increase use directly by improving angler access to Valley Creek and (2) to increase use indirectly by enhancing the services the Valley Creek fishery provides to anglers by increasing the population of catchable fish, thereby increasing the value of the fishery to anglers and drawing more anglers back.

For a downloadable tri-fold brochure on the Valley Creek Restoration program, click here.

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