Linn Run trout study results to be unveiled
A study of the overall health of the 7-mile-long Linn Run and its watershed across parts of Linn Run State Park, Forbes State Forest and the Rector area will be unveiled this week.
The Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited initiated the Coldwater Conservation Plan three years ago for the mountain stream and its 10-mile watershed. The areas were severely damaged by acid rain in the mid- to late 1900s and the wild trout population was nearly destroyed, said Larry Myers, president of the Trout Unlimited chapter.
The stream flows into Loyalhanna Creek, which meets with the Conemaugh River across the river from Saltsburg.
“Despite the adverse historical impacts, Linn Run today is a healthy, albeit somewhat fragile, stream supporting both stocked and wild trout,” Myers said.
Eighteen years ago, volunteers with the Forbes Trail Chapter placed mounds of lime next to a main Linn Run tributary, Rock Run. That demonstrated that the acidic characteristic of the headwaters can be remediated, Myers said.
In addition to the impact of acid rain, the hardwood forest was ravaged by gypsy moths and is now threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid, Myers said. Because the stream and watershed flow down Laurel Mountain, Linn Run is prone to flooding and severe erosion from summer storms, Myers said.
The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, a grant-making foundation that invests in efforts to protect healthy, natural streams statewide, helped provide the money for the study, Myers said. It was the result of a partnership involving several state and local agencies, scientists and nonprofit organizations.
More than 40 Trout Unlimited members, local professionals and volunteers assisted with habitat assessments, water quality testing and collection of macroinvertebrates — trout bugs — over a two-year period.
Those interested in attending the meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 30, at the Powdermill Nature Reserve center along Route 381 near Rector should RSVP at info@forbestrailtu.org. Space is limited, and registration is required.
For directions to the center, visit carnegiemnh.org/visit-powdermill.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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