Mirror photo by Cati Keith / A tour of the lake at Prince Gallitzin State Park on Friday morning showed off shoreline improvements.

PATTON — A pair of bald eagles, one of which snagged a fish Friday morning, is an example of how conservation and habitat improvement projects are helping Glendale Lake.

Officials and members of the community were given a boat tour at Prince Gallitzin State Park to see the improvements made to the lake.

“When you think about what Glendale Lake is, this is just a few miles from the headwaters of the West Branch of the Susquehanna — you have to start there for clean water,” Department of Conservation and Natural Resources secretary Cindy Dunn said.

Because of the work that has been done to improve the West Branch, the fish are now back.

The shoreline projects happened at the Killbuck Cove, Muskrat Beach, Turtle Cove, Deer Inlet, Hughes Trail, Troxel Point, Glendale Dam, McKee’s Run Boat Launch, Pickerel Pond areas and Wyerough Shoreline.

The work was to eliminate shoreline erosion, reduce sedimentation, decrease the hydrilla problem in the lake, improve aesthetics, provide fish habitats, maintain and improve fisherman access and improve water quality.

John Dryzal, director of the Cambria County Conservation District, said Friday’s tour was to showcase the collaborative projects done over the last 13 years with the DCNR, the Prince Gallitzin State Park staff and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Starting in 2009, officials came up with a plan to address severe shoreline erosion. The costs for many of these projects were in the hundred thousands and the funds were provided by several grants.

“We believe that the stewardship of natural resources enhances people’s quality of life,” Dryzal said.

Numerous projects were completed, many benefiting the lake’s fishery and reducing sediment pollution entering the lake.

Just in the projects involving the conservation district, Dryzal estimated they reduced 459,431 pounds of sediment, 3,999 pounds of nitrogen and 745 pounds of phosphorus.

These nutrient reductions also reduce the amount flowing downstream to the Chesapeake Bay.

Jess Lavelva, park manager, said the park is about 7,000 acres and the lake is 1,600 acres.

“The gorgeous rolling mountains in Cambria County — you get the pretty views of the lake throughout the park,” she said.

It is far prettier now, Lavelva said, after all the work that has been done.

She came to the park in 2016, when the partnership and the projects were already many years in the works.

“They had already done some shorelines, but I have been in awe of the amount of work that has happened since then and the way it has changed the landscape of the park and lake,” Lavelva said.

It has changed where recreational fishermen do their fishing and how they fish.

There were shorelines that were never opened for that type of activity, but now they are some of the park’s more popular places, she said.

Tim Yeager, the assistant manager, has been the lead for shoreline habitat work that has been done in the park.

Ben Page, the lake habitat section chief for the Fish and Boat Commission, said a barge was used to haul some of the rocks that weigh about 20 tons for some of the remote shoreline projects.

“People see us out on the boat, it looks like a lot of fun, but it is something that takes years of planning,” he said.

Dunn said projects like these are important because of the power of the outdoor economy.

“We are at heart an outdoor state — we fish, hunt, kayak, bike, hike,” she said, adding that about $14 billion of the state’s economy comes from outdoor recreation.

Dunn said people are heading to water more than ever, especially since the pandemic.

“Access to better water is important, but doing it in a way that does not ruin the resources is also important,” she said.

Because of the work done at Glendale Lake, the shorelines have been stabilized, the habitat has improved for fish and the sediment loading has been reduced.

Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith 814-946-7535.