Just like the pink, mechanical bunny, the Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited just “keeps going and going and going.”
Those were the words of SCCTU past president Robert K. Vierck recently when he announced the group is nearing the end of a three-pronged project for water conservation and habitat improvement along Spring Creek that began back in 2017.
“Well, we’re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Vierck told The Centre County Gazette. “It’s been kind of a long road, but everything came together here in the end. We’re ready to finish this up and move on to something else.”
The project stems from money granted through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ($160,700), along with $100,640 in local match money, and involved reducing sedimentation and erosion entering Spring Creek at Rock Road; reducing high erosion and sedimentation infiltration and installation of a riparian buffer between Houserville and Trout roads; and prevention efforts on Slab Cain Run to lessen the impact of erosion and sedimentation introduction into Spring Creek, as well as installing a riparian buffer along the length of the stream.
The first two parts of the projects (Rock Road and Houserville) have been completed, and crews are currently finishing up on Slab Cabin Road.
The Rock Road work was on state Fish and Boat Commission land and employees of that organization conducted most of the work at the site. He said in addition to reducing sedimentation and erosion, the finished work now provides enhanced habitat for trout and associated species.
“This section was lacking diverse cover and substrate within the stream was embedded with silt from the eroding stream banks, preventing the stream from reaching its full potential,” said Vierck. “It’s working its way back now. The project and its components work beautifully.”
U.S. Fish and Wildlife representatives and volunteers from several organizations installed structures such as mudsills, toe logs, rock cross vanes and random boulder clusters and riparian buffer restoration between Houserville and Trout roads.
“High levels of erosion and sedimentation led to embedded stream gravel and the lack of overhead fish cover prevented trout from using the area as a spawning habitat,” Vierck said. “All that has been remedied and the stream is now repairing itself there.”
Work is in the final stages along Slab Cabin Run, a main tributary to Spring Creek that supplies a majority of the drinking water to the State College region. Prevention of sedimentation and nutrient pollution was a vital point of repair for the group, and the installation of a riparian buffer along the stream length is expected to alleviate the issues there.
The projects didn’t go as smoothly as planned, though, he said.
“To say we hit some roadblocks is an understatement,” said Vierck. “We had to deal with a lot of rain the past couple years, and because of that, we couldn’t get the heavy equipment in to the areas we needed to get to. Then, when we did have some good weather, we had that 30-day government shutdown, and with federal agencies involved, we weren’t able to do anything at that time. It sure gave us all headaches.”
But slowly, and as weather permitted, work continued. The Rock Road project was completed during the Spring of 2018 and the work between Houserville and Trout roads was finished earlier this year.
“These were very extensive projects that involved a lot of different agencies,” said Vierck. “It took a little longer than we expected, but it is going to be well worth all the aggravation and the headaches these delays in the projects caused.”
Partnering agencies included the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Centre County Conservation District, ClearWater Conservancy, Chesapeake Bay Conservancy, the University Area Joint Authority and Centre Region Parks and Recreation.
Although the Slab Cabin Run portion of the project is nearing completion, Vierck said the chapter isn’t slowing down. Talks are in the works concerning possible conservation projects along Sparrow Run west of Port Matilda, as well as improvements to area streams containing populations of native brook trout.
“We never really quit working,” said Vierck. “Water is the world’s most important resource, and here in Centre County, we have some incredible waterways. Unfortunately, pollution has creeped into some of them. We want to get it out.”
Since 2012, the group has completed, or is currently in the process of completing, 11 habitat restoration projects throughout Centre County.
“We need to keep the momentum going,” Vierck said. “This chapter has done a lot for the local watershed and has worked hard to keep the headwaters of Spring Creek clean. We’re going to keep doing that, and grants like the ones were have received sure have help out. We’re very fortunate to get them, as well as the support of the local communities and the people that live in them.”
