Two things were made clear Thursday during a meeting about the French Creek watershed between public officials from five counties, including Venango, and representatives from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
A wildlife refuge idea for the area, the federal officials said during the meeting at the Crawford County Courthouse, is “not a proposal” as people have been led to believe.
And, the idea to purchase land in the watershed via that federal “effort,” local government officials said, doesn’t have their backing because of continual concerns of possible declarations of eminent domain.
Maghini said the federal government is considering the watershed as the site of a refuge via the acquisition of properties because “we had a preliminary project in 2012 that considered French Creek for protection,” particularly for its six mussel and “a couple of fish” species listed as protected.
Vicki Muller, who serves as Fish & Wildlife’s manager of the Erie National Wildlife Refuge, posed the question, “Why here, when Fish & Wildlife could go anywhere? It’s because French Creek is probably “the most biologically diverse (waterway) east of the Mississippi; definitely in Pennsylvania.”
She told the public leaders that “nothing is broken” and reiterated there’s “no proposal yet” for a national refuge. Land acquisitions are “a long process and we don’t want to put a proposal out there that will fail.”
Republican Venango County Commissioner Sam Breene told Maghini and Muller that the federal approach “sounds more like a pronouncement rather than a proposal” and inquired as to whether the government would respect local rejection of it.
Maghini said acceptance would be based on what the objections are, to which Breene replied there are “many,” including possible eminent domain declarations and loss of properties from local tax rolls, as he cited to the newspaper in a story that appeared in Monday’s edition.
“Personally,” Democratic Venango County Commissioner Albert Abramovic said, “I’m afraid of eminent domain. Right now, the public thinks they are taking us.”
Maghini said, “If folks are opposed to eminent domain, then that’s what people have heard but it’s not real. That would not be part of any proposal. If it’s something rooted in taking lands from the tax base, then that is something we can hear.”
Democratic Crawford County Commissioner John Christopher Soff asked whether Fish & Wildlife has the authority to enact its program via eminent domain, to which both Maghini and Muller said would be up to the agency’s director.
Muller said even though Fish & Wildlife Director Martha Williams “legally does have the authority” to implement eminent domain, “Why would she sign it? I wouldn’t put that proposal out there” on a plan receiving overwhelming rejection.
Getting the word out
Many of the various county leaders told the Fish & Wildlife representatives that their approach in expressing the idea to the general public was flawed from the beginning, with accusations of only a select group of people being informed about it so as to win favorable response to it, which the agency denied.
“As a landowner (on French Creek in Utica), I knew nothing of the stakeholders meeting,” Abramovic said in reference to a conference call to discuss the idea, and the only reason he was likely informed is because he is a commissioner.
Neither Breene nor fellow Republican Commissioner Mike Dulaney, who said “only Chip was invited,” were part of that meeting.
“No one has a clue as to what is going on other than the (Monday) story (in The Derrick and The News-Herald),” Abramovic said. “You just avoided us (Venango County).
Breene then reminded Muller and Maghini that “We had to ask you for this meeting.”
Erie County Executive Brenton Davis told Muller and Maghini that the federal effort to communicate the idea to the public was “botched” from the beginning through lack of communication with county leaders.
“No matter what you put out now, there will be confusion,” Davis said.
Breene said, “This meeting would not have happened if not for all of the county officials asking for a meeting.”
What’s next
The county leaders asked for more transparency and communication as the process moves forward — specifically, more rounds of public input, to which Abramovic suggested a session be held in Venango County.
Muller and Maghini conceded the map outlining areas of interest in the French Creek watershed must be refined so as to eliminate public confusion.
“Vicki and I need to do our homework to narrow down the area,” said Maghini while conceding the process “will take time,” but ensured a refined document of which lands to be considered will be prepared. “We need something real to talk about.”
Dulaney advised Muller and Maghini that a revised document must include wording assuring the public that eminent domain will not be authorized. Without it, “you will never get a buy-in.”
After the meeting, Maghini told the newspaper that Venango County would be included in scheduled public listening session stops.
“Oh, yes, yes, yes,” he said. “Absolutely.”
