The Fishing Creek Watershed basin is located in North Eastern part of Pennsylvania on a glaciated portion of the Allegheny High Plateau. There are 386 square miles in the Fishing Creek Watershed. The watershed overlaps five counties including southern Sullivan, northern Columbia, and western Luzerne counties, with small tributaries extending from SW Lycoming and NW Montour counties (see map). The highest elevation is 2,501 feet and located in the northwestern part of the Watershed (Gamelands 13). The lowest elevation is 496 feet at Fernville, near Bloomsburg. Highest elevations are at the headwaters (source of water of the watershed) and lowest elevation near the mouth (drainage point of the watershed into the Susquehanna River). This allows for the North/South flow pattern that exists in this basin. Kris, an 8th grade student at the Middle School, reports that the climate of our area is the way it is because of the lower elevations in the valley compared to the surrounding area. The cold air from surrounding hills and mountains sinks down and is trapped in the valley. The air temperature is then changed from the many rivers and streams in the area. In the winter, when cold spells come from the west, warm coastal air from the east meets it and warms the temperature slightly. During the summer the warm air from the hills is trapped down in the valley, resulting in higher temperatures and humidity. This also causes the average summer rainfall to be 11.9 inches. The average yearly rainfall for our area is 39.9 inches. The Fishing Creek Watershed consists primarily of rural communities. The estimated total population of the Watershed is 29,587. Agriculture, small scale industry, and recreation are among the more dominant activities in the Watershed.   The Susquehanna River Basin - The Bigger Picture!