The Coldwater Heritage Partnership Tuesday announced over $58,000 in grants have been awarded to local organizations to protect and conserve Pennsylvania’s coldwater streams.

The purpose of the program is to provide leadership, coordination, technical assistance, and funding support for the conservation and protection of Pennsylvania’s coldwater streams. The program awards planning and implementation grants to conservation organizations in an effort to protect and conserve Pennsylvania’s coldwater resources.

The planning grant is awarded to organizations to create a coldwater conservation plan that evaluates the biological, physical, and chemical features of the stream or watershed to identify potential threats, impacts, and opportunities and compile recommendations for future protection.

The implementation grant is awarded to organizations to complete projects listed as recommendations in Coldwater Conservation Plans or similar documents. Potential projects must conserve, protect, or enhance the resources.

Grants have been awarded to the following organizations:

-- Natural Lands Trust, Inc.: $5000 to create a collaborative and comprehensive plan in an effort to understand and protect Shade Creek, Luzerne County.

-- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy: $4,300 to develop a Coldwater Conservation Plan for the East Branch Tionesta Creek, McKean County to aid regulatory agencies, local residents, and conservation groups in a more informed manner in the management of the resource.

-- Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited: $5,000 to develop a comprehensive Coldwater Conservation Plan for the Rock Run watershed, Lycoming County that may be used to secure additional funding for the restoration projects to enhance the native brook trout fishery.

-- Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition of Abandoned Mine Reclamation: $5,000 to complete an assessment of natural trout populations and potential AMD and AML impacts to the Laurel Run, Luzerne County, a tributary in the Mill Creek watershed.

-- Heritage Conservancy: $6,923 to improve the habitat quality and stream buffer along the Cooks Creek, Bucks County.

-- Trout Unlimited, Eastern Abandoned Mine Program: $4,000 to stabilize 500-600ft of eroding streambank and enhance habitat through the placement of multiple PFBC-approved habitat structures on the Chase Estate property in the Potts Run Watershed, Clearfield County.

-- Wildlands Conservancy: $7,000 to implement stream restoration recommendations along high priority reaches in Coplay Creek, Lehigh County.

-- Monocacy Chapter of Trout Unlimited: $7,000 to restore the Monocacy Creek, Northampton County through dam removal as recommended in the Monocacy Creek Management Plan.

-- Lackawanna Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited: $7,000 to complete instream habitat, shade tree plantings, bank stabilization, riparian buffer improvement and knotweed eradication on the Lackawanna River, Lackawanna County.

-- Penns Valley Conservation Association: $7,000 to complete 20 fish habitat and streambank stabilization structures, and establish a 2.5 acre forested buffer of 400 native trees and shrubs in Muddy Creek, Centre County, a tributary to Penns Creek.

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership is a collaborative effort between the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, Fish and Boat Commission and PA Council of Trout Unlimited.

For more information, visit the Coldwater Heritage Partnership website.

2/16/2015