Courtesy photo Volunteers with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Blair County Conservation District and the John Kennedy Trout Unlimited Chapter #45 work to plant trees to stabilize the Upper Plum Creek bank and act as a buffer from pollutants.

A stream improvement project was initiated Oct. 23 and 24 on Upper Plum Creek by Alysha Trexler, project manager of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) and volunteers from Blair County Conservation District and John Kennedy Trout Unlimited Chapter #45 (Blair County).

The volunteers, who labored hours, planted 500 tree and shrub seedlings of various Pennsylvania native species which included Swamp White Oak, Pin Oak, Red Oak, Shagbark Hickory, Redbud, Willows and Elderberry to name a few.

The location of the planting was on the farms of Bill Cowan and Stanley Smith and within a designated distance of Plum Creek stream. Some of the riparian forest buffers provide terrestrial wildlife habitat, stabilize the stream bank and act as a buffer from pollutants running off the landscape, shade for the stream which will cool water temperatures. Also, the leaves from the trees falling into the stream will provide food for macroinvertebrates.

Cowan said he appreciated the improvement and thanked the crew for their efforts, stating it went very well. Seeing so many volunteers involved, Cowan invited the WPC to do the remaining of the property and to seek out other landowners in establishing stream improvement.

Jennifer Farabaugh, watershed manager of the Juniata and Potomac Region of WPC, stated her appreciation for the volunteers, Trust for Tomorrow, and the Coldwater Heritage Partnership for providing funds to pay for the habitat improvement.

The Volunteers were treated to a spaghetti lunch by JKTU President Jerry Green, at the Trinity United Methodist Church located at Five Points in Roaring Spring.