The Coho site is a 540 acre property on the Lake Erie shore, about 16 miles west of the City of Erie on the boundary of Girard and Springfield Townships. It spans over 1 mile of lakefront, extending west from the mouth of Elk Creek.
The Coho site features and attractions include:
• mature forest
• rare, endangered, and threatened floral communities
• the Elk Creek watershed
• diverse faunal community, including white-tailed deer, eagles, turkey, trout, and salmon
• unique coastal, wetland, and rare oak savannah sand barren ecosystems
• active agricultural property
• archaeological sites spanning the entire cultural sequence known for the Commonwealth's Lake Erie shore
• footpaths, access roads, and adjacent 6 mile length of Bessemer rail line
• adjacent Elk Creek Access Recreational Area currently owned by Girard Township.
The Coho site is the last large tract of undeveloped land on the Commonwealth's Lake Erie shore. Its popularity is shared by a diverse clientele that includes boaters, sportsmen, biologists, botanists and foresters, archaeologists, naturalists, preservationists and other recreational users.
With support from The Conservation Fund, the R.K. Mellon Foundation, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and with the conservation efforts of the Lake Erie Region Conservancy (LERC), the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) the Coho site is now protected and will be turned over to the state of Pennsylvania for public use and enjoyment.
In January 2004 Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) acquired the 540-acre Coho tract in western Erie County from Reliant Energy. The Conservancy intends to turn over the land to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) early next year for inclusion into its state park system.
Links:
Conservation Fund Article About Coho
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Article About Coho
DCNR Article About Coho
Coho | LEWP | PA Heritage District | McClelland Park
Forest Erie | ENT Park | Six Mile Creek Park | Bayview Park