George Washington checking out a Creek Connections display on how students are learning about the creek that he once canoed in 1753. Back to Top Rich in Biological Diversity Experts recognize French Creek as one of the most significant natural resources in Pennsylvania and eastern North America because of the variety of plants and animals the stream hosts. More types of fishes and mollusks are found there than in any other stream in the state. The stream contains over 70 species of fish and 25 species of mollusks, several of which are endangered in the state and in the nation. Fourteen of the creek's fish species are darters, including the rare eastern sand darter which was rediscovered in 1991.
Freshwater mussels are valuable indicators of water quality.
Research indicates that 25 mollusk species still inhabit the French Creek watershed and only one species has been lost compared to historical records. Seven of these mussels are now found almost nowhere else in the state. The biological diversity and water quality in French Creek stem in part from the stream's geologic history. Lawrence River system. The stream therefore contains fauna indigenous to that system.