These funds will be used to perform stream assessments and develop conservation plans in three watersheds and complete on-the-ground projects, such as construction of instream fish habitat structures and stabilization of eroding stream banks in eight additional watersheds.
These grants are made possible through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources through a Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2) grant administered by the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, and through funding from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.
“In our twentieth year of grant making, we are pleased to be able to continue to increase the amount of funding that is available for coldwater conservation projects across the state,” said Rachel Kester, Program Director for the Coldwater Heritage Partnership. “We congratulate the grantees and thank them for their efforts to protect and restore watersheds and fish habitat throughout Pennsylvania.”
The following organizations will receive funding support from the Coldwater Heritage Partnership this year--
-- Clinton County Conservation District - This project will stabilize and protect approximately 2600 linear feet of streambank on Fishing Creek in Mill Hall Borough, Clinton County, and will provide more suitable habitat for coldwater species of fish in a Class A wild trout stream.
-- Elk County Conservation District - This project is part of a collaborative, phased approach to reconnect and improve aquatic habitat in the Middle Fork East Branch Clarion River watershed by removing passage barriers (culverts), stabilizing eroding streambanks, and enhancing in-stream habitat structures. This phase of the project includes the installation of three fish habitat improvement structures to protect 120 feet of stream bank along Middle Fork and Briggs Hollow Roads, Jones Township, Elk County.
-- Huntingdon County Conservation District – This project will develop a coldwater conservation plan that will provide a foundation for the continued management and conservation of the coldwater stream ecosystem in the Shavers Creek watershed, Huntingdon County.
-- Kettle Creek Watershed Association – Through this project, the KCWA will complete strategic wood additions to enhance habitat on 6.93 miles of wild trout streams in the headwaters of Trout Run, a major tributary of Kettle Creek, Clinton County.
-- Lehigh County Conservation District - Partners will stabilize and install fish habitat structures in a 730-ft section of the Little Lehigh Creek in Lehigh Parkway, Lehigh County, to reduce erosion, mitigate flooding impacts, and improve aquatic habitat and recreational opportunities.
-- Somerset Conservation District – Funding will be used to install large wood habitat structures into Clear Shade Creek and Mile Run, Somerset County, to provide fish cover and stream channel stability.
-- Tiadaghton Trout Unlimited - This project will provide a thermal imaging map of Long Run and identify cold water influences in the Long Run watershed, Tioga County, to help prioritize conservation projects that will benefit the wild trout population.
-- Tubmill Trout Club Unlimited – This project will construct stream habitat and erosion correction devices along 2,500 feet of Hendricks Creek, Westmoreland County, for the benefit of wild trout.
-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy - This project will replenish large woody material into the Farnsworth Branch of the West Branch Tionesta Creek watershed, Warren County, to enhance habitat for naturally reproducing wild brook trout populations, increase groundwater storage, decrease water temperatures, and reconnect historic floodplains.
-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy - This project will remove eleven old, collapsed timber bridge structures in Seeley Hollow, improving fish passage to 2.84 miles of coldwater habitat in Elk County.
-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy – Funding will be used to create a coldwater conservation plan for Shannon Run, a tributary to the Conemaugh River, Westmoreland County, to assess brook trout populations and identify restoration needs within the watershed.
The Coldwater Heritage Partnership is a collaboration between PATU, DCNR, the Fish and Boat Commission, and the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.
Visit the Coldwater Heritage Partnership website to view plans and projects that have been completed since the program began awarding grants in 2003.
NewsClips:
-- Reading Eagle: 1,300+ Feet Of Blue Marsh Lake Shoreline Restored, Fish Habitat Added
-- YourErie.com: French Creek Watershed Could Soon Become A National Wildlife Refuge
-- WTAJ: ClearWater Conservancy Celebrates Earth Day With Annual Watershed Cleanup Day In Centre County
Related Articles - Watersheds:
-- Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership Plans To Plant 500,000 More Trees Across PA During 2023 [PaEN]
-- County Conservation District Week Observed April 23-29 [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension Watersheds: How Land Use Impacts Groundwater [PaEN]
-- Julia Krall Named PA Executive Director Of Chesapeake Bay Foundation [PaEN]
[Posted: April 27, 2023] PA Environment Digest
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