The Coldwater Heritage Partnership this week announced over $44,000 in grants to local organizations to protect and conserve Pennsylvania’s coldwater stream habitats.

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.

The grant awards included:

· $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.

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership is a cooperative partnership between Pennsylvania Trout Unlimited, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Fish and Boat Commission, and the Western Pennsylvania Watershed Program.

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.

CHP anticipates opening the next application period in the Fall of 2005.

For more information, contact Deborah Nardone at 814-359-5233, or visit the Coldwater Heritage website.

5/6/2005