2.   Purpose and Vision

The Lackawanna River Corridor Association is leading this watershed-wide community planning program to build a strong shared vision of our river and its watershed resources among the more than 250,000 persons who live and work in the Lackawanna River Watershed.

Since the completion of the Lackawanna River Citizens Master Plan in 1990, the LRCA has been working with elected officials, local municipalities, county agencies, state and federal agencies, business and community groups to encourage the protection and appropriate management of the river corridor and its adjacent lands.  This work has resulted in the development of new riverside parks; a program to develop a forty-mile trail along the river, the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail; the creation of the Lackawanna Valley Conservancy, a land trust which is acquiring and managing river corridor and watershed lands; the designation of a Class A fishery in twelve miles of the river; the acquisition by the Rail Trail Council of thirty-two (32) miles of abandoned D&H railroad, twenty (20) miles of which run along the upper Lackawanna.

The LRCA also conducts River Watch, a citizens water quality monitoring program, River and Trail Works, a volunteer work projects program which has helped to clean up trash, plant trees and build trails and river access sites.  The LRCA also helps to facilitate a partnership among several agencies to promote mine reclamation and stream restoration projects.

This work has been driven by a vision for a renewed and revitalized Lackawanna River developed during the formation of the Citizens Master Plan for the Lackawanna River in 1989-90.  The vision for the Lackawanna grew stronger with the completion of the Plan for the Lackawanna Valley in 1991.  These complimentary plans and shared visions continue as the basis for the partnerships engendered by the LRCA and the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority (LHVA) for the cultural, educational and resource conservation programs initiated through the past ten years.

The collective experiences encountered by the LRCA and our partners in the implementation of the original recommendations of the Citizens Mater Plan have created an understanding of the challenges to the multi objective management philosophy, which has served as the foundation of the Citizens Plan.

Where a consensus was achieved and maintained, the development of the trail is a strong example, a significant level of success has been possible.  Other recommendations in the Citizens Mater Plan have proven more difficult to implement.  The creation of a Lackawanna River Partnership, an intergovernmental initiative to guide environmental restoration and water resource management decision-making has not been realized at the level recommended in the 1990 plan.  There is a continuing dialogue among the various agencies and the LRCA which is providing some of the guidance envisioned in the Citizens Mater Plan.

The successful outcomes and remaining challenges deriving from the Citizens Mater Plan form one of the basis of analysis and recommendation in this river conservation plan.  The other informational basis in this plan are the physical reassessment of the river corridor and watershed tributaries, the involvement and input from local elected officials, property owners and interested citizens. 

The new opportunities created by changes in funding, programs and policies particularly at the state government level also provide direction for local watershed decision-making as do new nongovernmental resources such as the partnerships among the LRCA, Rail Trail Council of Northeast Pennsylvania (RTC), and their land conservancy affiliates the Lackawanna Valley Conservancy (LVC) and the Trails Conservation Corporation (TCC).  The development of Environmental Advisory Committees (EAC’s) by local municipalities in the context of the Municipalities Planning Code may also provide opportunities for implementation and management for a variety of recommendations in this plan.

2.1  Vision

The community vision for the Lackawanna continues to be:  a revitalized Lackawanna River with a water quality that sustains a viable fishery and is ultimately fishable and swimable from its headwaters to its confluence.  The vision further includes a well-balanced natural riparian corridor protecting the river and featuring an extensive and well-maintained park and trail system.  The vision also looks to upland and headwaters areas of the Lackawanna watershed along tributary streams to see well-managed natural areas of healthy forests and wetlands, protected through a mix of public ownership and private conservation easements.

Our community vision also includes a view towards the decision-making and long-term management process whereby the citizens of the valley acting through the communities’ institutions in government, the business and non-profit sectors maintain an active involvement insuring the sustainability of our watershed relationships.  The collaboration among agencies, utilities and community interests can enhance future investments in  management of our water resource infrastructure.  Understandings of how informed land use practices can protect and compliment natural systems while encouraging the smart growth of our economy further expand the vision we have for the Lackawanna.

Ultimately, this community vision for the Lackawanna is our guide to maintaining a high quality of living, sustaining balanced economic and ecological relationships and excelling in the competitive global environmental of the Twenty-first Century.

2.2  Scope of Work

The scope of work for this Lackawanna River Conservation Plan includes the following elements:  

·       a review and reassessment of the Lackawanna River Citizens Mater Plan of 1990  

·         a physical assessment survey program of the main stem of the Lackawanna  from the confluence to mile thirty and assessment surveys to all major tributary streams  

·       a series of public meetings, press releases, and media and internet contacts to elicit public comment and involvement  

·        presentations and working group discussions with municipal officials and agency staff  

·       key person surveys and interviews  

·       involvement of officials, agency staff and community volunteers with the planning process  

·       compilation of physical assessment data; formation, ranking and prioritization of issues, projects, programs and recommendations by LRCA Board Members and staff with review and comment by municipal officials and the public.  

The Lackawanna River and Watershed Conservation Plan for the 21st Century is the final result of this seven-step process.  We believe the plan represents the consensus vision of the citizens and elected officials of the Lackawanna Valley for the Lackawanna Watershed.  The Board of Directors of the Lackawanna River Corridor Association looks forward to the growing collaboration of all watershed interests as our community works to implement the recommendations in this plan.