How a group is helping native trout populations rebound in Linn Run
Linn Run is a pristine mountain stream that runs for several miles from Forbes State Forest and Linn Run State Park down into the Loyalhanna Creek in Ligonier Township. And while there are trout in this stream, the Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited says there could be more.
"Flyfishing is our passion, but protecting the streams is our mission," said Larry Myers, a volunteer with the Forbes Trail Chapter and the former president.
He says Linn Run is stocked with trout each year by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, but right now, his organization isn't worried about those trout. He says they're worried about the conservation of the native brook trout in the stream and getting their numbers up.
"There are a lot of problems in the watershed right now," Myers explained. "In the headwaters, because of acid rain, it's reduced the buffering capacity. Aluminum is leaching out of the soil, and aluminum is toxic to trout. So, we are trying to put limestone into the stream to raise the pH, raise the alkalinity and eliminate the dissolved aluminum in the water."
Myers says that while stocked trout can live in water that is less pure, brook trout need very clean and cold water to survive. That's why he says his group is constantly monitoring the water temperature in the creek, as well as checking on the health of the local bug population, which feeds the fish. More bugs in the creek bed mean the water is healthy, and thus the brook trout cannot just survive, but thrive.
But it's not just problems in the water. There are also problems with insects eating away at the canopy of the hemlock trees over the stream. Myers says they're taking away the shade, which raises the water temperatures and thus kills off trout.
On top of that, there's a problem with the banks of Linn Run wearing away near its headwaters in Forbes State Forest, which Myers says has now prompted an action project from his group.
"We've got a $25,000 grant from the Cold-Water Heritage Partnership, and half of that money is to go to repair a bank on Fish Run Trail," he said. "That trail has been eroded, so it creates a problem for the hikers alone, not being able to do an emergency extraction, but the other thing is the erosion puts silt into the stream that covers up the stream bed that kills the macroinvertebrates, the trout food."
Above all, Myers says the health of the stream is stable but fragile, and they need all the help they can get to preserve waterways like this and the fish that call it home.
If you would like more information on this project or you want to get in touch with the Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited, visit the Laurel Highlands Trout Trail's website.
