Coldwater Heritage Partnership Announces 2005 Grant Awards

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership today announced that over $44,000 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 Unlimited, 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 worthy organizations for the conservation and protection of their local streams,” stated Lester McNutt , 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.

“Our world-class coldwater streams, many of them flowing through state forest and park lands, are dependent on this partnership and its much-needed funding to continue their stewardship,” said DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis . “This effort has a pronounced conservation value, while helping ensure the success of an important segment of the outdoor recreation industry."

$5,000 will be awarded to the Bucks County Chapter of Trout Unlimited for assessing existing watershed health and identifying area for improvement in the Aquetong Creek, Bucks County .
$5,000 to the Lawrence County Conservation District to develop conservation plan for Hell Run, Lawrence County .
$4,180 to the Bucktail Watershed Association, Cameron County, to collect water quality data for the development of a conservation plan on Hunts Run.
$5,000 to the Moshannon Creek Watershed Coalition to develop a protection plan to preserve and protect the headwaters of Moshannon Creek, Clearfield County.
$5,000 to the Western PA Conservancy to identify problem areas and develop restoration and protections recommendations for the Northern Branch of Bear Run in Indiana County.
$5,000 to the Clearfield County Conservation District to develop a protection plan for the conservation of Rogues Harbor Run, an exceptional value wild trout stream in Clearfield / Cambria County .
$5,000 to the Mifflin County Conservation District to conduct macroinvertebrate sampling and develop a conservation plan for the Tea Creek Watershed in Mifflin County
$4,968 to the Ken Sink Chapter of Trout Unlimited to create a restoration and conservation plan for the Two Lick Creek in Indiana County .
$4,220 to the Clearwater Conservancy of Central PA to create a conservation plan for the upper section of Spring Creek to maintain and protect wild trout populations on this high quality coldwater fishery.

"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 provide technical and educational assistance to organization interested in protecting coldwater ecosystems. Over the past three years, the Coldwater Heritage Partnership has awarded over $120,000 to protect our coldwater streams.

For additional information, contact the Partnership’s Coldwater Resource Specialist Deborah Nardone at (814) 359-5233 , or visit the Coldwater Heritage website at www.coldwaterheritage.org.