Cong. Mike Kelly | Cong. Mike Kelly Official photo
Cong. Mike Kelly | Cong. Mike Kelly Official photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On June 28, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) announced he has received the support of executives and commissioners from Erie, Crawford, and Venango counties demanding the reconsideration of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's (USFWS) proposed French Creek National Wildlife Refuge.
Erie County Executive Brenton Davis (R); Crawford County Commissioners Francis Weiderspahn (R), Eric Henry (R), and John Christopher Soff (D); and Venango County Commissioners Sam Breene (R), Michael Dulaney (R), and Albert "Chip" Abramovic (D) this month have signed letters in opposition to the proposed refuge, which would establish new federal designations, ownership, and oversight of private lands in Erie, Crawford, Mercer, and Venango counties in Pennsylvania; Chautauqua County in New York, along with French Creek and the French Creek Watershed.
You can read the following letters from Erie County, Crawford County, and Venango County leaders.
"I want to thank these county leaders for joining me in this effort," Rep. Kelly said. "The future of this proposed wildlife refuge, and its potential impact on property owners, remains very unclear. Local residents continue to voice strong opposition to this proposal. We are calling on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to reconsider their proposal and to work with local conservation groups who have revitalized French Creek in recent years to make it the incredible community treasure that it is today."
Over the last three weeks, Rep. Kelly has conducted a poll on his website asking constituents of Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District if they support or oppose the proposed French Creek National Wildlife Refuge. With 3,267 total responses, 71% of survey participants said they oppose the proposed refuge.
The announcement of support from county leaders follows a joint letter led by Reps. Kelly, Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA), and Nick Langworthy (R-NY) who last month called on the USFWS to reconsider federal designations on private land.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing the refuge to protect habitats for the creek’s mussels as well as the aquatic biodiversity of French Creek. French Creek spans 117 miles from Chautauqua County, New York to Venango County, Pennsylvania.
Original source can be found here.
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