Devault, Pa., February 6, 2026 — French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust is thrilled to announce it has been awarded $998,814 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and $421,762 from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP). These funds are the foundation for habitat restoration along the South Branch of the French Creek, designated as “Exceptional Value Waters” by the PA DEP. Both awards help fund efforts to restore an impaired stream channel within the South Branch and the surrounding wetlands and floodplain.
“This work on French & Pickering’s Thomas P. Bentley Nature Preserve and adjacent downstream property advances our mission to preserve, steward, and connect people to the land in northern Chester County,” noted Bill Gladden, Executive Director.
This project will mitigate erosion, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce flooding during major storms. With reduced bank erosion and enhanced ecological function along more than 4,500 feet of the creek and the surrounding wetlands and floodplain, water quality will also improve.
One of 30 awards totaling $12.5 million announced by NFWF on February 4, 2026, French & Pickering’s $998,814 award is funded through the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund, created in 2018 and funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to achieve the goals outlined under the Delaware River Basin Restoration Act. This award builds on a $162,100 grant awarded by NFWF in 2023 for the design and permitting of this project. As part of this partnership with NFWF, French & Pickering is still working to fill a remaining gap of over $500,000 in required matching funds.
French & Pickering’s $421,762 award from the PA DEP is one of 89 project awards totaling over $17.3 million announced on January 21, 2026. As a result of the August 2022 conviction of Energy Transfer Marketing & Terminals, L.P., for its conduct during the construction of two major pipelines, Energy Transfer has paid $10 million toward six projects that improve the watershed and stream quality along pipeline routes. The South Branch restoration project’s PA DEP funding comes from this settlement.
“French & Pickering is excited to move this important project from the design and permitting stage into implementation,” said Karl Russek, Conservation Director. “This is a flagship project in the larger effort to improve water quality and habitat in the South Branch watershed, a historic working landscape that is over 50% permanently protected. In addition to this project, we have worked with landowners and partners such as the Stroud Center to plant over 21 acres of streambank, with an additional 37 acres of work planned.”
French & Pickering also acknowledges the generosity of longtime supporters Ray and Terry Bentley, who donated the value of a permanent easement on a property downstream of the Thomas P. Bentley Nature Preserve onto which the project will extend. Without their commitment to conservation, this project would not be possible.
For more information about these awards or how you can support this project, please contact Karl Russek, krussek@frenchandpickering.org.
Read more about the NFWF funding here: https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2026-02/125-million-awarded-partners-delaware-river-watershed-conservation
Read more about the PA DEP funding here: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dep/newsroom/2026-01-21-shapiro-administration-invests-more-than-17-million-for-conservation-projects-across-pa
