Hollidaysburg, Pa. – August 15, 2018 – Landowners within the Plum Creek watershed, as well as other interested groups and residents, are invited to attend a public meeting on August 20, 2018, to address restoration efforts along Plum Creek and its tributaries.
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is hosting this meeting, which will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Martinsburg Volunteer Fire Company at 205 South Market Street in Martinsburg.
The Conservancy’s watershed conservation staff will provide information on the importance of planting trees along the streambanks to create riparian buffers that help reduce the level of non-point source pollution entering creeks. Excess nutrients and fertilizers from agricultural operations and sediment from eroding streambanks are the leading causes of reduced water quality in our region’s waterways, according to Jennifer Farabaugh, the Conservancy’s watershed manager for the Juniata and Potomac regions.
Plum Creek, located in Blair County near Martinsburg, is designated as a High Quality Cold Water Fishery by the PA Department of Environmental Protection and is a Class A Wild Trout Stream where it flows into Halter Creek, but the headwaters of the stream are impaired by nutrients and siltation due to agriculture. The Plum Creek watershed is located in portions of Taylor Township, North Woodbury Township and Martinsburg.
“There is an abundance of fish and other aquatic species in certain areas of this creek, but the watershed faces threats such as excessive erosion and sedimentation,” Farabaugh said. “This meeting provides opportunities for interested landowners to learn about ways they can participate in safeguarding the long-term health of this local resource.”
Developed by the Blair County Conservation District and the John Kennedy Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Plum Creek Watershed Assessment, Restoration, and Preservation Plan lists riparian buffers as an area of concern in the watershed. Farabaugh and other partners will share information about grants available to landowners to implement trees plantings on their properties and other successful best management practices.
Other partners working in the Plum Creek watershed include the Trust for Tomorrow, John Kennedy Trout Unlimited, Blair County Conservation District, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and BluAcres, LLC. Funding for this project is made possible by the Coldwater Heritage Partnership and PA DEP Growing Greener.
For additional information about the public meeting, please call 814-696-9356 or email jfarabaugh@paconserve.org.
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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped to establish 10 state parks, conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands and protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams. The Conservancy owns and operates Fallingwater, which symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 132 community gardens and other green spaces that are planted with the help of about 12,000 volunteers. The work of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.
Media contact:
Carmen Bray
Director of Communications
412-586-2358 (office)
cbray@paconserve.org