Rhodes Run and Ickes Run

Brief description of watershed and stream  

Bobs Creek and its watershed are located predominantly in Northwestern Bedford County, with small sections in Blair and Cambria Counties.  The watershed is approximately sixty-five (65) square miles and contains approximately 20 miles of streams.  The topography is characterized by long, narrow ridges and valleys oriented northeast-southwest.  Over 45% of the watershed is forested with most of the forested area under the Bureau of State Parks and PA Game Commission ownership.  The remainder of the watershed is agricultural and the small communities of Blue Knob, Pavia, Weyant, and Osterburg. 

Bobs Creek is listed as a High Quality-Cold Water Fishery (HQ-CWF) from its headwaters to Deep Hollow Run, approximately 30% of its length, and as Cold Water Fishery (CWF) for the remaining 70% from Deep Hollow Run to the confluence with Dunning Creek.  Dunning Creek flows southwesterly into the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River which eventually drains to the Chesapeake Bay.  In addition, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission has recently designated a section of the stream, from tributary Rhoades Run upstream to LR 07002, as a Class A, Wild Brook Trout fishery. 

Description of organization.  

In March of 2001, the Bobs Creek Stream Guardians were formed as a sub-committee of the Pavia Sportsmen Club and is co-chaired by Tim Clingerman and Chris Ickes.  The group received a League of Women Voters Water Resource Education grant for community outreach and education.  Through those activities and with the support of the Bedford County Conservation District, Blue Knob State Park, Fort Bedford Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Pennsylvania CleanWays of Bedford County, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Stream Guardians have grown from the original four members to a group consisting of over 85 watershed residents.  The Stream Guardians are in the preliminary stages of incorporating as a 501(c)(3) corporation and have applied for Growing Greener funding for watershed education, a volunteer monitoring program, and illegal dump clean-up costs.

The Bobs Creek Stream Guardians Mission is “To protect and rehabilitate the Bobs Creek watershed on both private and public lands so that future generations can enjoy the high quality watershed.”  

Goals include:

·              Clean up litter, waterways, roads and dumps within the watershed.

·              Identify/resolve sedimentation issues from land use.

·              Develop a newsletter to promote watershed developments.

·              Be a catalyst to secure funding for improvements on both public and private lands.

·              Develop communication links with township, county, state and federal representatives.

·              Educate the public to resolve septic/nutrient issues, solid waste issues and junk vehicles blight.

·              Monitor water quality.  Provide, improve and protect water quality and fishery.

·              Provide watershed education to school districts.

·              Provide landowners with technical information.

This coldwater conservation plan will serve to fully assess the health of two Bobs Creek tributaries, Rhodes Run and Ickes Run, both of which are documented native trout reproduction steams.   The assessment will consist of a visual assessment of the streambank and streambed, benthic macro-invertebrate sampling, chemical water quality monitoring, fish population studies, and land use characterization.  Stream Guardian members will perform the majority of the assessment.  Two public meetings will be conducted to present the project to the public, gather information about the streams and encourage participation in the stream monitoring.   An assessment report will then be developed to document the assessment protocol and data and will include restoration strategies.   

Contact info. 

Tim Clingerman – Co-chairman – Bobs Creek Stream Guardians – 814-733-2394

Chris Ickes – Co-chairman - Bobs Creek Stream Guardians – 814-239-5367