Any Good news??

[Paul6.5]

With all the gloom and doom about trout streams lately, I spent my lunch break looking for some positive news. I came across a few projects focused on cleaning up streams impacted by old coal mining, but this article really stood out to me (sorry if it’s been shared before): West Branch Susquehanna Now Has Wild Trout.


Reading that over 200 miles of tributaries — and even parts of the main stem — now support wild trout again was pretty encouraging, especially considering those waters were once thought to be beyond recovery. It’s a great example of what long-term restoration and volunteer effort can actually accomplish.


It got me wondering — what other good news is out there? Anyone have local success stories or recent improvements they’ve seen on their home waters?

 

[troutbert]

Bennet Branch Sinnemahoning Creek was orange and dead from mine drainage not many years ago. Now its color is normal and it has smallmouth bass and is stocked with trout.

 

[Bamboozle]

Bennet Branch Sinnemahoning Creek was orange and dead from mine drainage not many years ago. Now its color is normal and it has smallmouth bass and is stocked with trout.

I have never seen the Bennett Branch so I can't comment, but even places like Section 06 of the Little Schuylkill (Delayed Harvest) still have that "orange" look to me and they have been "reclaimed" for a long time.

Regardless, it is good news!!

 

[salmo]

I note that the article refers to "wild trout." I which town does the West Brach of the Mighty Sus arise?

 

[Paul6.5]

Bennet Branch Sinnemahoning Creek was orange and dead from mine drainage not many years ago. Now its color is normal and it has smallmouth bass and is stocked with trout.

I just read about this, very promising

 

[sarce]

With all the gloom and doom about trout streams lately, I spent my lunch break looking for some positive news. I came across a few projects focused on cleaning up streams impacted by old coal mining, but this article really stood out to me (sorry if it’s been shared before): West Branch Susquehanna Now Has Wild Trout.


Reading that over 200 miles of tributaries — and even parts of the main stem — now support wild trout again was pretty encouraging, especially considering those waters were once thought to be beyond recovery. It’s a great example of what long-term restoration and volunteer effort can actually accomplish.


It got me wondering — what other good news is out there? Anyone have local success stories or recent improvements they’ve seen on their home waters?

I don't have a link to share but I read recently that MD DNR has been working on a pilot program to reintroduce brook trout to currently uninhabited streams. They tested it on 3 streams and have already documented successful reproduction and hatching of young trout in all 3 streams!

 

[Tups]

West Branch Susquehanna River arises near Bakerton, Cambria County.

 

[troutbert]

When I was a kid, bald eagles were almost totally absent from PA. I think the only place they were present were on some islands in the Susquehanna River between Lancaster and York Counties. Now they are pretty common in mid-state and northcentral PA.

 

[salmo]

In a similar vein I don’t remember seeing any ospreys as a kid and now there must be several hundred between Cape May and Atlantic Counties. Magnificent birds to watch fishing.

 

[tomgamber]

I dispute your doom and gloom. I've seen so many positive changes over the last 30 to 40 years.

 

[wildtrout2]

I dispute your doom and gloom. I've seen so many positive changes over the last 30 to 40 years.

Could you share them with us? I did hear we're supposed to get some rain Friday though.

 

[tomgamber]

You started your second paragraph with some. Just wasn't sure what the "doom and gloom" was that you were referring to.

Here it ill be snow on Friday but precip is precip.

 

[Paul6.5]

I dispute your doom and gloom. I've seen so many positive changes over the last 30 to 40 years.

maybe Doom and Gloom was to heavy, but reading many of the posts in the Conservation forum here like the Rockville Property, The Spring Creek Warehouse development and the proceeding posts in many other posts made me feel a bit "doom and Gloom". I agree I have also seen some improvements I just wanted to read about some I hadn't known about about or considered.

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

Beaver populations have really gone up in my lifetime. Wetlands are good.

 

[Bamboozle]

Here's some good news:

261 Acres on the Kittatinny Ridge Now Preserved - Central Pennsylvania Conservancy

Carlisle PA, December 18, 2025 —Since fall 2023, Central Pennsylvania Conservancy (CPC) has worked with landowners Jim, Jay, Joseph, and James Mowery to permanently protect their family’s 261-acre forested property […]

centralpaconservancy.org

 

[Mike]

I could write a “laundry list” of water quality and fisheries improvements that have occurred in SE Pa in the past 40 yrs and any list I prepared would be incomplete.

 

[CRB]

Here's some good news:

261 Acres on the Kittatinny Ridge Now Preserved - Central Pennsylvania Conservancy

Carlisle PA, December 18, 2025 —Since fall 2023, Central Pennsylvania Conservancy (CPC) has worked with landowners Jim, Jay, Joseph, and James Mowery to permanently protect their family’s 261-acre forested property […]

centralpaconservancy.org

Land conservancies are an excellent way to protect natural resources for the future. Most townships and counties hate when this activity happens because it takes the land off the tax rolls. But, it important to conserve and protect these areas from development.
I know that these conservancies are part of my yearly charitable gifts:

The Lake Erie Region Conservancy (LERC)
"The Lake Erie Region Conservancy (LERC) is a land trust that was formed in 2000 to identify, conserve, and enhance the natural resources in Pennsylvania's Lake Erie watershed. It was initially formed to preserve the Coho site on the shoreline of Lake Erie, which in 2004 successfully became the 540-acre Erie Bluffs State Park, the first new state park in 25 years. The Elk Creek Access Area, formerly owned by Girard Township, was incorporated into Erie Bluffs in 2009 making the park 587 acres. The park has nearly two miles of frontage on Lake Erie and two-thirds of a mile on Elk Creek."

Home | Lake Erie Region Conservancy (LERC)

www.lakeerieregionconservancy.org

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
"The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has protected more than 255,000 acres of natural lands in Pennsylvania, helped to establish 10 state parks, and protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams."

Protecting and restoring natural areas - Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Homepage - Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

The WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA CONSERVANCY protects and restores exceptional places to provide our region with CLEAN WATERS and healthy forests, wildlife and NATURAL AREAS for the benefit of present and future generations.

waterlandlife.org

 

[Bamboozle]

Land conservancies are an excellent way to protect natural resources for the future...

Without getting into a lot of details, many years ago when I got pi$$ed off at a SCPA "fly fishing" organization and dropped my membership, I pointed those annual monies at the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Even though the region is almost 100 miles away, the streams and area is close to my heart. It is money well spent because they have done some great stuff including buying the old cress farm property at the Letort headwaters.

In addition, they (I guess I should say we) built the wonderful Letort Spring Garden Preserve on the property which is well worth a visit to kick back and relax if you are in the area.

 

[troutbert]

Beaver populations have really gone up in my lifetime. Wetlands are good.

In what areas of PA have you seen beaver populations go up?

I've seen beaver populations go up along Spring Creek, Centre County, which is sort of a suburban area.

But in the public forestlands of central and NC PA, I'm not sure if beaver population have gone up or not. I've done a lot of fishing on small streams in these areas, and while I have seen some beaver activity, it also seems like there is a very large mileage of these streams with little to no beaver activity.

I'm not sure of the reason for that. Maybe they are overharvested. Or maybe they don't have enough of the right type of vegetation to thrive.

 

[Mike]

Land conservancies are an excellent way to protect natural resources for the future. Most townships and counties hate when this activity happens because it takes the land off the tax rolls. But, it important to conserve and protect these areas from development.
I know that these conservancies are part of my yearly charitable gifts.

Likewise, the Wildlands Conservancy, located on the Ltl Lehigh, which is active in the Lehigh R basin, Poconos, and had been active in the Little Schuylkill Basin in completing a land purchase with the PGC years ago that included a good swath of Ltl Schuylkill R riparian land. That Ltl Schuylkill action is what first got me interested. I just put “ land preservation fund” in the memo section of the check per their instructions to me.