Warrior’s Mark Run is a stream in Huntingdon County (classified as a high-quality coldwater fishery) that has been polluted by grazing cows from nearby farms; cow manure overloads the water with nutrients, disrupting aquatic ecosystems and killing fish and other animals. Funding from the Environmental Stewardship Fund enabled the Huntingdon County Conservation District (HCCD) […]
Improving Farms in McKean County
From 2012 to 2018, the McKean County Conservation District used grants from the Environmental Stewardship Fund to implement best management practices (BMPs) on 11 family farms in the area. The BMPs have helped reduce pollution and sedimentation in nearby tributaries to the Allegheny River by as much as 50%. These projects included: Stream crossings […]
Protecting 1,600 Acres Along Blue Mountain
In 2018, a grant from the Environmental Stewardship Fund helped The Nature Conservancy (TNC) permanently conserve 1,600 acres in Perry County that was in danger of being turned into a housing development. The property is located along Blue Mountain, which stretches across Pennsylvania from the Maryland border to New Jersey. The iconic ridgeline is […]
Better Farming Practices, Cleaner Water
Funding from the Environmental Stewardship Fund enabled the Lycoming County Conservation District (LCCD) to implement a number of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) that drastically reduced the amount of polluted water flowing from a local farm into nearby waterways. The heaviest-used area of the farm—a steep hillside where the herd of cows congregated—caused most […]
Restoring Mill Run
The Mill Cove Environmental Area and Education Center is a popular spot for outdoor recreation and nature education in Tioga County. The area features hiking trails, a camping area, picnic pavilions, wildlife habitat, and fishing spots, including Mill Run, which flows into Mill Cove. However, erosion along Mill Run had become a major problem. […]