Canadohta Lake, located about 15 miles northeast of Meadville, is the second largest natural lake in Pennsylvania and offers numerous recreational opportunities. Canadohta Lake has a rich heritage and a dynamic history. First named Washington Lake in 1798, the lake has gone through many name changes as well as use patterns. A very popular resort in the early 1900's, today there are approximately 900 cottages and homes in the area.

"One of Pennsylvania's best kept secrets," is a good way to characterize the Canadohta Lake area. Great fishing and boating are available and the friendly community offers lodging and camping grounds. Hiking, biking, and overall relaxation and recreation are a specialty of Canadohta Lake.

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Conneaut Lake, ten miles west of Meadville, is the the largest natural lake in Pennsylvania. The surrounding area caters well to this water resource, offering many additional opportunities, including dining, nightlife, and nearby Conneaut Lake Amusement Park.

Created as a resort for hunters and fishermen in the 1880's, Conneaut has continued to broaden its appeal over the last century. Today, its waters offer great fishing as well as water-skiing, tubing, and other powerboat activities. If you've never been to Conneaut Lake, it's an experience you shouldn't pass up. Conveniently located midway between Erie and Pittsburgh, Conneaut Lake is easily accessible from both northern and southern Pennsylvania.

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Located in Crawford County directly off of Interstate 79, Geneva Marsh is the largest marsh in Pennsylvania and a wonderful resource of wetlands ecology and wildlife preservation. Providing a resting place to many species of migratory birds, and a home to wildlife, Geneva Marsh is an important ecosystem in northwest PA.

Access to the marsh is rather limited due to its nature and flora, but canoes and other small craft are best suited for exploring the area.

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Located in Two Mile Run County Park in Venango County, Justus Lake is a beautiful 65 foot deep lake providing excellent fishing and recreation opportunities. Canoes, rowboats and pedal boats are available for rent at the park, and swimmers will enjoy Crosby Beach and the picnicking areas nearby. There is also a trout stream that feeds Justus Lake and provides fishing opportunities as well.

Though Two Mile run is currently going through a transition from county ownership to private ownership, recreational opportunities have not been interrupted.

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Like many other reservoirs, Kinzua Dam was constructed as a flood control project which also created numerous recreational opportunities with the formation of the Allegheny Reservoir. Located in the northcentral section of Allegheny National Forest, the reservoir is surrounded by an outdoor playground to explore and enjoy.

The reservoir provides excellent fishing and has produced many trophy and state record fish. Power boats are permitted on the reservoir and swimming is popular. Camping on the banks of the reservoir also makes access convenient, and trails and other local sites provide unlimited outdoor enjoyment.

During the creation of Kinzua Dam, a hydropower project was devised and implemented. Hydropower is considered a sustainable method of power production, but it is used infrequently in the United States. However, there are drawbacks to hydropower such as downstream alterations, water chemistry changes, and loss of landscape due to dam construction.

As other sources of power such as coal, oil, and natural gas continue to be used up, and as power production from nuclear means becomes less socially acceptable, alternative sources of energy (solar, wind, hydro) will continue to be examined as possible replacements.

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The central hub of Moraine State Park in Butler County, Lake Arthur is probably one of the most heavily used and popular water resources in northwest Pennsylvania. Providing excellent opportunities for canoeing, sailing, windsurfing, and fishing, Moraine is a complete haven for water recreation. Moraine restricts engine size to 10 horsepower.

Moraine State Park was created over a previous mining area and is a good example of how reclamation of an environmentally degraded area can be successful.

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Lake Erie, one of the five Great Lakes in North America, provides the only shore/surf water break in Pennsylvania. There are many access points to the lake, but one of the more popular is at Presque Isle State Park. Providing nearly every activity that you can imagine, Lake Erie is a water lover's paradise.

In its current state, it is hard to believe in the 1960's and 1970's Lake Erie was so highly contaminated. The lake has gone through tremendous cleanup and now boasts good water quality and numerous aquatic opportunities.

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Lake Pleasant, in Erie County, is a very beautiful and biologically important lake. The 64 acre lake is about forty feet deep and is known for its lush plant species and diverse fish population. Several species of fish that live in Lake Pleasant are not found anywhere else in the region. Fishing is a common activity at Lake Pleasant, and the lake is stocked with trout each spring in addition to supporting a very healthy population of largemouth bass. However, no motor boats are allowed on the lake.

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Lake Wilhelm, part of M.K. Goddard State Park, in Mercer County, is an 1,860 acre lake that attracts a diverse crowd of anglers and wildlife seekers. The lake is known for its ice fishing as well as for being an excellent place to run, walk, hike, picnic, and canoe. Large sections of M. K. Goddard are open at designated times of the year for hunting, trapping, and dog training.

M.K. Goddard State Park is named after Maurice K. Goddard, who was known for his dedication to forestry and the environment. He became secretary of the Bureau of Forests and Waters — a precursor to the present day Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Goddard's goal was to create a state park within 25 miles of every resident of Pennsylvania. When Goddard retired in 1979, he had added 45 state parks and an additional 130,000 acres of state park land to Pennsylvania.

Mercer County is also the home of the McKeever Environmental Education Center, built to educate and inform groups and the public as to the environmental concerns and resources of the area.

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The Spillway at Pymatuning Lake

Pymatuning Reservoir and State Park, located on the state line between Pennsylvania and Ohio, offers a 17,000 acre water resource for many different activities. Built in 1934, the Pymatuning Reservoir was created primarily to control flooding in the Shenango Valley. The area northeast of the Spillway has been set aside and designated as a refuge for fish and wildlife.

Pymatuning boasts a number of different outdoor activities from sailing and fishing, to feeding the fish on the spillway and picnicking in the many pavilion/picnic areas. In addition, Pymatuning offers many educational programs for students and the public, explaining conservation and other environmental issues.

Pymatuning Reservoir is also home of the Pymatuning Ecology Laboratory, run by the University of Pittsburgh. This laboratory functions as a research facility as well as educational center for the biology department at Pitt. Undergraduate as well as graduate work is conducted in the Pymatuning area due to its designation as a high quality research site and the diversity of ecological habitats nearby.

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