The East Branch Codorus Creek watershed has long supported both natural life and human activity. Its wooded hills, meandering streams, and abundant wildlife have sustained many species of plants and animals, while people have depended on its water for irrigation, business, and clean drinking, bathing, and cooking water. Osprey, or the “fish hawk,” were nearly extinct from this area but made a comeback in the 1990’s because of pesticide restrictions. Farming has been a major part of the watershed’s history since the first European settlers arrived and reached its peak in the early 1900s; in 2004, 28% of the watershed was devoted to farmland producing grains, peaches, apples, corn, potatoes, eggs, and livestock. From the late 1700s to the early 1900s, the creek powered 16 mills, including the Keystone Factory and Grist Mill, which produced flour, vegetable oils, lumber, and cloth. Many native peoples lived in the watershed over thousands of years, and stone tools found in the Loganville area reflect that long presence. German immigrants settled here in 1728, followed by English, Irish, and Scotch settlers, and today the watershed contains over 17,000 households with residents from many ethnic backgrounds. Native Americans hunted and fished throughout the watershed, later arrivals also enjoyed its beauty and bounty, and today boaters, cyclists, canoeists, runners, skiers, birdwatchers, and walkers use the East Branch’s 2,700 acres of parkland.