The goal of the Halfmoon Creek Watershed Renewal Project, led by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, is to restore the health of streams that are harmed by polluted runoff, and to protect them for the health, well-being, and quality of life of watershed residents.
Half of the freshwater that enters the Bay flows from Pennsylvania, including Halfmoon Creek.
“By improving water quality in Halfmoon Creek, we can positively contribute to the conservation efforts happening in the Bay,” said Jill Barskey, Streamside Projects Coordinator for ClearWater Conservancy in State College.
“It was inspiring connecting with partners, learning about oyster farming, discussing opportunities to engage with volunteers in the Halfmoon Creek community, and learning from Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) educators at the Karen Noonan Center,” Barskey added.
The Project is based on an innovative plan developed by CBF Pennsylvania Senior Watershed Planner Caitlin Glagola roughly four years ago. It combined emerging high-resolution watershed data and modeling with extensive local stakeholder engagement.
Partners developing and implementing the Halfmoon plan with CBF included county conservation districts, local watershed and conservation organizations, academic institutions, state and local government agencies, local businesses, planning agencies, landowners, farmers, and residents.
With CBF staff, those on the trip included: Jillian Barskey; Elyse Johnson (Halfmoon Township) and Caitlin Dooley (Ferguson Township), Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps, and Spring Creek Watershed Commission members; Taylor Blackman, PhD Candidate at Penn State, and Owner of Ridge and Valley Wetland, LLC; and Sparrow Francis, Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light, Distributed Organizer and Special Projects Coordinator.
CBF’s Karen Noonan Memorial Education Center is situated on 20 acres of marsh in southern Dorchester County, Maryland.
Visitors experience a “green building” with alternative energy sources and composting waste facilities, that functions as a learning tool, and a residential center.
At the Noonan Center, participants took part in oyster dredging, marsh walks, beachcombing, and watercolor postcard painting. They also attended presentations focused on grant-writing, volunteer engagement, and the Renewal Project deliverables.
“Folks who joined us at the Noonan Center will be making choices as to where the funding will be allocated,” said Mariah Saunders, CBF Halfmoon Conservation Coordinator. “It was a great opportunity to strategize about the health, safety and wellbeing at Halfmoon Creek, and experience the Bay. Four of the five guests on this trip had not been to the Bay before.”
The goal of the Halfmoon plan is to return impaired streams in the watershed back to health while protecting and improving non-impaired streams.
The plan was approved by both the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, making its implementation eligible for federal funding through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.
Former Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) sought an additional $1.06 million for the Halfmoon Creek Watershed plan.
To learn more about the Halfmoon Creek Watershed Renewal Project, contact Mariah Saunders at MSaunders@cbf.org or (443) 603-3980.
For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA webpage. Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left column). Click Here to support their work.
Also visit the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership to learn how you can help clean water grow on trees.
CBF has over 275,000 members in Bay Watershed.
How Clean Is Your Stream?
The draft 2024 report has an interactive report viewer that allows you to zoom in to your own address to see if the streams near you are impaired and why.
Click Here to check out your streams. Click Here for a tutorial on using the viewer.
(Photo: Pictured during their trip to CBF’s Karen Noonan Center are, front to back, left to right: Shayla Keller, CBF; second row, Caitlin Dooley, Ferguson Township resident, and Elyse Johnson, Halfmoon Township resident; third row, Sparrow Francis, PA Interfaith Power & Light; Jillian Barskey, ClearWater Conservancy, and Fiza Zahid, CBF; fourth row, Doug Walters, Brian Gish, and Mariah Saunders of CBF; and Taylor Blackman, PhD Candidate at Penn State)
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NewsClips:
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-- Erie Times: EPA Great Lakes Office Reeling From Surveillance, President’s Cuts: ‘Death By A Thousand Cuts’
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-- Chesapeake Bay Journal: Indigenous Tribes Ask For Seat In Chesapeake Bay Program
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-- Inquirer - Frank Kummer: Why Is Wissahickon Creek Suddenly Fluorescent Green? [Spoiler - Philadelphia Water Dept. Dye]
-- Delaware River Alliance For Watershed Education May 16 Networking & Insights For Young Environmental Professionals In-Person Event In Philadelphia, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
-- PA National Guard Combat Aviation Partners With Coast Guard To Transport Buoys For Maintenance From Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay
-- Partnership For The Delaware Estuary: 2024 Annual Report
-- Erie Times: RFK, Jr., Grandkids Swim In Polluted DC Creek On Mother’s Day Despite Advice To ‘Stay Out’
[Posted: May 16, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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