The Kiski–Conemaugh Stream Team was formed in 1998 to address concerns raised in the Kiski–Conemaugh River Basin Conservation Plan. The plan identified the need for a water-monitoring program to collect baseline data on over 100 abandoned mine discharges in the Kiski–Conemaugh River Basin, which encompasses portions of Armstrong, Cambria, Indiana, Somerset, and Westmoreland Counties. The […]
Restoring Life in the West Branch Susquehanna River
With the help of significant Environmental Stewardship Fund investments, 20 years of coordinated efforts to restore life to the West Branch Susquehanna River in northcentral Pennsylvania have resulted in improved water quality and an increase in fish populations and biodiversity, according to a Trout Unlimited study. The study was coordinated by Trout Unlimited in cooperation […]
Citizens Cleanup Aultman Watershed In Indiana County
The Aultman Watershed Association for Restoring the Environment (AWARE) was started in February 2000 by concerned citizens from Indiana County who felt compelled to clean up the Aultmans Run Watershed. This area, nearly 30 square miles in total, empties into the Conemaugh River behind the Army Corps of Engineers dam, and it has abundant potential […]
Babb Creek Watershed Restoration
The Babb Creek watershed was once heavily polluted by acid mine drainage from the abandoned Antrim Mine. Underground mining for bituminous coal began the headwaters of Babb Creek before the Civil War and continued through World War II. Several coal seams underlay the watershed and at least six major mine complexes were dug within the […]
Ahead of the Curve: An Example of Foresight During the Early Years of Growing Greener
Three years before Governor Rendell signed Executive Order 2004-1, which created the Pennsylvania Invasive Species Council, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recognized the devastating impacts of invasive plants in riparian areas. In 2001, DEP awarded Natural Biodiversity, then termed the Invasive Species Control Program, an Environmental Stewardship Fund grant to inspect invasive plants within […]