American river otter returns to Pa. watershed after 100-year absence

An American river otter has been spotted in the Ridley Creek watershed after more than a century of absence.

Ridley Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in Chester and Delaware counties near Philadelphia. The otters have returned to the headwaters of the creek in southeastern Chester County.

“This exciting development marks a significant milestone in regional conservation efforts and underscores the importance of protecting natural habitats for wildlife,” the Willistown Conservation Trust said in a release. The nonprofit trust focuses on 28,000 acres within the watersheds of Ridley, Crum and Darby creeks.

The trust captured images of the otter on a game camera it installed in the area to monitor wildlilfe.

American river otters were ubiquitous in most waterways across North America before the arrival of European settlers, the trust said. They were gone by the early 1900s — a casualty of fur trapping and habitat destruction.

In the 1980s, there were focused reintroduction efforts, which led to a population rebound of the American river otter in northern Pennsylvania, according to the trust.

The sighting is monumental, the trust said, as the otters are highly sensitive to pollution and habitat degradation, and they need healthy water conditions. It’s also a sign that conservation efforts in the region are positively impacting the overall ecosystem, the trust said.

The Willistown Conservation Trust has been working to restore habitat and protect open space in Ridley Creek Watershed’s headwaters since the trust’s inception in 1996, along with the Crum and Darby Creek watersheds.

Kirkwood Farm was purchased in March 2023 by movie director M. Night Shyamalan, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. He sold 90 acres of the farm to the trust in January for $9 million, the Inquirer reported. The trust renamed the preserved land Kestrel Hill Preserve and plans to open it to the public.

The American river otter was found on land close to what would have still been Shyamalan’s property at the time. It was caught on camera along Okehocking Run, a small tributary to Ridley Creek, and near Plumsock Road and Route 3, according to the Inquirer.

American river otters are a keystone species in aquatic ecosystems, the trust said. Their presence indicates a healthy ecosystem.

“As a predator, they regulate prey populations, their foraging and den building behaviors modify habitat structure for other wildlife and their presence in the ecosystem influences community dynamics,” the trust said.

Tom Keller, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s furbearer biologist, said the return of the river otter is a direct result of conservation efforts.

“This is a great example of a community caring about a watershed and a species responding to that passion and dedication,” Keller said.