Three Pennsylvania waterway projects receive federal funding boost
Three Pennsylvania waterway projects have received a financial boost through the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and various partners.
They provided $39.2 million to support 95 fish habitat conservation projects in 24 states. In Pennsylvania, funding was approved for the Moshannon Creek Watershed in Clearfield County, the Callen Run Dam removal effort in Jefferson County and shoreline improvements on the Pymatuning Reservoir Shoreline in Crawford County.
“It’s a big win, when you look at the leveraging of federal dollars here. Overall that represents a 5.7 to 1 leveraged funding match,” said Ryan Roberts, NFHP program manager. They were able to fund about 10 more projects than last year.
Moshannon Creek Watershed
An Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture project to evaluate mitigation steps for threats to the Moshannon Creek Watershed is receiving $43,500 toward a $47,266 project. Roberts said this project “will be a focal point for on the ground habitat projects in the future.”
The section of Roup Run is classified as as Class A Brook Trout Fishery by the Fish and Boat Commission, and this planning project is looking at ways to address pollution created by acid mine drainage.
The planning study is being done by the Moshannon Creek Watershed Association upstream of Roup Run in partnership with the Native Fish Coalition - Pennsylvania Chapter and the Clearfield County Conservation District.
Callen Run Dam removal
The Callen Run Dam removal project is receiving $86,000 of the $105,320 project in Heath Township, Jefferson County.
American Rivers and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy are partnering to remove two obsolete dams that are blocking 12 miles of high-quality coldwater habitat on Callen Run, a tributary to the Clarion River. One dam was removed in 2018, and the second impoundment, the Upper Callen Run Dam, is now slated to be removed.
The two-year project is intended to restore access to high-quality aquatic habitat for mussels and fish in the Clarion River near the Allegheny National Forest.
“Anytime you can benefit multiple species in a way to conserve habitat for fish, if you can help out multiple species, that's something you are looking for,” Roberts said about why the application was funded. “Biggest bang for the buck, so to speak, in terms of what you can get out of a project.”
Pymatuning Reservoir
The Pymatuning Shoreline Stabilization and Fish Habitat Reservoir effort received $75,000 toward the $163,174 project with the Pymatuning Lake Association and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Ben Page, lake habitat chief for the Fish and Boat Commission, said the three shoreline areas being improved are on the southeast portion of the lake at McArthur, Bradford Woods, and South of Grandview.
The shoreline project will stabilize 900 linear feet of lake shore line. Deflectors and rock rubble humps will provide 13,500 square feet of stabilization and rock fish habitat.
The riparian buffer will improve 45,000 square feet of shoreline. The 150 proposed short vertical plank structures will provide 2,400 square feet of new wood fish habitat.
Roberts said this work is complementary with a Bass Pro project that is providing habitat structures and rock improvements on the reservoir.
He said his organization's goal involves “bringing all of these partners to the table to protect, restore and enhance fish habitat across the country and in Pennsylvania.”
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About the National Fish Habitat Partnership
Since 2006, NFHP has supported 1,378 projects benefiting fish habitat in all 50 states. This effort works to conserve fish habitat nationwide, leveraging federal, state, tribal, and private funding resources to achieve the greatest effect on fish populations through priority conservation projects of 20 regionally based Fish Habitat Partnerships.
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors ,Twitter @whipkeyoutdoors and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: National Fish Habitat Partnership funds three projects in Pennsylvania