Mission Statement:

The Baker Creek Watershed Association mission is to promote the restoration and conservation of the Baker Creek Watershed by assisting, developing, sponsoring activities pertaining to safety, waterflow, envrionmental, and aesthetic issues.

Baker Creek Description:

Baker Creek originates on the glacial ridge of the Lake Erie watershed and flows north through the Borough of North East. The first third of the flow is mostly pastoral, becoming “domesticated” as it defines back property borders in residential neighborhoods. A small portion of the creek flows alongside the municipal parking lot, under buildings, and under roadways. The creek exits the Borough as it flows into 16-Mile Creek, which empties into Lake Erie.

Phase I

The Baker Creek Watershed Association was organized in 2000 with a Pennsylvania Growing Greener grant. With this grant, and some in-kind funds, we advertised and held public meetings, some with speakers. We visited school classrooms, set up a traveling display around the community, developed a brochure, stenciled stormdrains, and generally “recruited” people for our cause.
Internally, we held an organizational meeting, established a steering committee, set an agenda, wrote a mission statement, adopted bylaws, compiled a history of the creek, and sent a representative to a statewide conference.

On site, we photographed the length of the project area of Baker Creek, inventoried the plant varieties, held a Clean-Up Day, and began site preparations for a Demonstration Project.

Phase II

We were fortunate enough to receive a second Pennsylvania Growing Greener grant for an engineering assessment of Baker Creek. Following field research on November 1, 2001, the engineering assessment was completed and presented to the Steering Committee on November 28, 2001. The information from the assessment was significant enough to begin planning for a community Demonstration Project in the public municipal parking lot, a source of considerable non-point source pollution.

As a result of the increased attention that the group was receiving, three independent riparian projects were completed along the creek, at the property owner?s expense.

Phase III

Again, with the assistance of a Pennsylvania Growing Greener grant, we were able to hire a professional Urban Environmental Landscape Architect to draw up plans for improvements to the Municipal Parking Lot. This plan will address management of considerable stormwater, urban runoff from the impervious surface of the parking lot, a riparian buffer on both sides of the creek, catch basins, and permeable areas throughout the lot. This design is currently underway, and several drafts having already been shown at public input meetings. Partners in this projected construction are the North East Area Chamber of Commerce, the North East Borough, the North East Shade Tree Commission, the North East Cultural Center, Boy Scout Troop 57, and the North East High School Ecology Club.

NOTE: We are not a 501(c)(3); therefore we partner with either the Borough (in the case of a municipality being eligible) or one of our affiliated environmental groups, in which we maintain memberships, to apply for grant funds.

Officers:

• John Hallenburg, Chairman
• Jody Timer, Vice-Chair
• Diana Hatfield, Secretary
• Tom Mack, Treasurer

Membership:

• Average attendance at meetings: 12
• Monthly mailing list: 30
• Products: Brochure and Display Board
• Resources: Library of materials

Contact Information:

• c/o 21 S. Lake Street
• North East PA 16428
• Phone: 814-725-4262
• FAX: 814-725-3994
• e-mail:nechamber at lakeside dot net