 2004 Grant Awards
Announced
February 28th, 2004
Coldwater Heritage
Partnership
Announces 2004
Grant Awards
The
Coldwater Heritage Partnership today announced that $42,400 worth of
grants has been awarded to local organizations to protect and conserve
Pennsylvania
’s coldwater stream habitats. The
Coldwater Heritage Partnership is a cooperative partnership between Pennsylvania Trout, the Pennsylvania Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission, and the Western Pennsylvania Watershed Program.
“Pennsylvania Trout is excited to be part of awarding grants to ten
worthy organizations for the conservation and protection of their local
streams,” stated
George
Mellinger
, president of Pennsylvania Trout. Funded
organizations will be responsible for creating a Coldwater Conservation
plan that:
· Gathers existing data about the coldwater ecosystem;
· Identifies potential impacts, threats, problems and
opportunities to our coldwater streams;
· Formulates a plan of action for proposed conservation and protection
strategies; and,
· Builds community awareness and support for the
conservation of our coldwater streams.
"Not only does this work have conservation value, but
it also helps to ensure the success of an important segment of the outdoor
recreation industry,"
DCNR Secretary
Michael
DiBerardinis
said. "This partnership provides the much-needed funding to continue
the long-term stewardship of our world-class coldwater streams."
$5,000
will be awarded to the Pennsylvania Environmental Council to create an
action plan for restoring and protecting Cedar
Run and its watershed, a coldwater fishery in Cumberland
County
.
$5,000
to Lower Saucon Township, in Northampton County to build awareness and
create protection strategy to sustain the Class A wild brown trout fishery
in Cooks
Creek.
$1,873
to the Allegheny Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited to make
recommendations for protecting Lick
Run, and high-quality coldwater brook trout fishery in
Clearfield
county.
$2,105
to the Loyalhanna Watershed Association to implement a macroinvertebrate
monitoring program and conservation strategy in the Loyalhanna
Creek
and key tributaries.
$3,700
to Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited to conduct assessment and
create conservation plan for Mill
Creek in
Westmoreland
County
.
$5,000
to the Lackawanna River Corridor Association to monitor three drinking
water source streams and develop conservation and protection strategies
for Roaring
Brook, Spring Brook and Stafford Meadow Brook.
$4,750
to the Perkiomen Chapter of Trout Unlimited to prepare a coldwater
conservation plan for the West
Branch of Perkiomen Creek,
focusing on opportunities for dam removal within the watershed.
$5,000
the Bushkill Stream Conservancy to assess water quality threats,
coordinate stewardship opportunities, and educate the community about the
coldwater resources of Sober’s
Run
in Northampton County.
$5,000
to American Littoral to build awareness and develop an action plan to
protect and conserve Northkill
Creek
in
Schuylkill
and
Berks
Counties
.
$5,000 to the Bedford County Conservation District, in partnership with
Fort Bedford Chapter of Trout Unlimited to develop a conservation plan
using public involvement to foster local stewardship of Shober’s
Run, a high-quality coldwater fishery in
Bedford
County
.
"We were happy to see so much interest in the CHP
program from the conservation community.
This program is modeled on the efforts of many fine organizations
working to restore stream health, but is different in that it provides
opportunities for groups to develop proactive strategies for protecting
some of our best coldwater resources," Pennsylvania Fish and Boat
Commission Executive Director Dr. Doug Austen said.
"Because this type of grassroots conservation work is vital
for the future of the state's coldwater streams and wild trout fisheries,
organizations will have the opportunity to submit applications again this
fall."
Besides offering grants, CHP works to: foster greater public understanding
of coldwater ecosystems; identify special areas of concern, such as areas
with exceptional water quality and high potential for impacts; and provide
technical assistance and financial opportunities to organizations
dedicated to protecting our coldwater ecosystems.
Grantees were acknowledged at the 2004 Keystone Coldwater
Conference, February 28th at the Penn Stater in
State College
.
For additional information, contact the Partnership’s
Coldwater Resource Specialist
Deborah Nardone
at
(814) 359-5233
, or visit the PATU website at www.patrout.org.
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