Restoration work to occur July 28-Aug. 15, weather permitting
PITTSBURGH, PA. – July 22, 2025 – Fish such as stocked trout, wild trout and native redhorse suckers in Kinzua Creek will have improved habitat, and anglers should see improved fishing opportunities by summer’s end, thanks to a habitat improvement project being implemented in late July by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in partnership with Allegheny National Forest and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
A tributary to the Allegheny River that runs through the Allegheny National Forest, Kinzua Creek joins the Allegheny Reservoir southeast of Warren, Pa. The project will occur July 28 through August 15, weather permitting, upstream of Westline in McKean County, and west of Route 219 at four locations on the stream. Luke Bobnar, watershed projects manager with the Conservancy, says the project aims to reduce streambank erosion and sedimentation in the stream, as well as improve habitat and cover for fish and other aquatic species.
“This is a scaled-up extension of the work we’ve been doing in the larger Kinzua Creek watershed for more than a decade,” Luke says. “We also hope the project reduces the force of flooding by spreading water out onto undeveloped portions of the floodplain away from the road, which in turn will create habitat for amphibians and fish.” This will also provide foraging areas for meso-carnivores such as foxes, bobcats and weasels. Kinzua Creek also houses freshwater mussels and other species of significance.
“The partners will be working to create naturally inspired structures that will provide overhead cover and deepwater habitats, or pools, and stabilize eroding streambanks,” says Mark Sausser, stream habitat section chief at PFBC. “There will be machinery in the creek to install the habitat structures. Some disturbance and muddy water will be expected, but there will be no adverse effects to the water quality during construction,” he adds. “We apologize for the short-term disturbance this may cause for recreation, but the long-term benefits will be well worth it.”
The project will involve harvesting trees, then placing 25- to 50-foot lengths of trees, with root balls attached, into the stream. Trees and stone will be entrenched into the stream bottom and banks to prevent erosion.
Harvesting materials on site helps to reduce project cost and the potential introduction of invasive species, and creates “wild” looking habitat structures, Luke notes. “It’s a nature-based solution,” he says, adding, “We’re going to be extremely careful how we install structures so that we’ll improve habitat while reducing high flow velocity along Westline Road.”
Financial assistance for this project was provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, with a grant from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund—RIVERS, and from the Sinnemahoning Creek Watershed Restoration Grant Program and the Habitat/Waterways Conservation Voluntary Permit Program administered by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and from stewardship funds administered by the Allegheny National Forest.
For more information about the Kinzua Creek habitat improvement project, please contact Kylie Maland, WPC’s watershed manager for Lake Erie and Ohio River basin at 814-776-1114 or kmaland@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 establish 11 state parks, conserved more than 290,000 acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.
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