Perkiomen Valley Trout Unlimited is undertaking our next stage of our West Branch Perkiomen Creek restoration project, and we NEED YOUR HELP!
Through Trout Unlimited National, we are receiving money through the Embrace A Stream Grant Challenge! Your donation will help us to earn matching funds towards the Longacre to Barto Bridge project on the West Branch.
Donate now through December 8 to help us reach our goal of $2500!
Make an impact on the local waters you fish and we all rely on!
What is the Embrace A Stream Challenge?
Our Trout Unlimited chapter is proud to take part in Embrace A Stream, TU’s premier grant program supporting grassroots conservation projects across the country. Since 1975, Embrace A Stream has helped hundreds of local chapters protect and restore the cold-water fisheries we all care about. This nationwide fundraising challenge gives chapters like ours the opportunity to earn matching funds, compete for bonus prizes, and multiply the impact of every donation from people like you.
What Will Your Donation Support?
PVTU will use these funds for the next phase of our West Branch Perkiomen stream restoration project – Longacre to Barto Bridge. We’ve spent years improving Longacre Farm, and now we’re moving upstream to the next section of stream.
In order to receive grants for stream work, PVTU has to provide a matching percentage of funds. It can be as low as 10%, or as high as 100%. Every dollar you donate is a dollar we can use in our matching funds, allowing us to apply for enough grant funding to complete the stream restoration work required.
West Branch Perkiomen Creek - Longacre to Barto Bridge Project
Stream bank restoration and in-stream habitat enhancement
COMMENCED: 2025
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: September 2027
Location: Barto Bridge, Old Route 100, Barto, PA
Partners: Perkiomen Valley Trout Unlimited, Longacre Farm, Mike Brown and Joanne Miller, Tom Haviland, First Energy (MetEd) Public Utility, Berks County Conservation District, Keller Small Stream Solutions, Trout Unlimited, and the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited.
Project Description: Stream bank stabilization, erosion remediation, and habitat improvements on 1100-foot section of West Branch Perkiomen Creek upstream of the Longacre Farm, along two residential properties and a public utility, to the Barto Bridge. Environmental improvements include stabilization and remediation of multiple eroding and collapsing vertical stream banks, channel flow improvements, fish and macroinvertebrate habitat improvements, and riparian buffer improvement. This effort will include a variety of modified mud sills, multi-log vanes, toe logs, in-stream placement of random boulders, and riparian improvements including live-stakes and native shrub plantings. This project will extend the prior WB restoration work another ¼ mile upstream.
PROJECT TIMELINE
Summer 2025: Obtain initial grant funding for Design and Execution – COMPLETE
Fall 2025: Stream Assessment and Restoration Design Package – COMPLETE
Winter 2025: First Energy approval for access, material laydown, riparian plan
Spring 2026: Issue execution contract bid packages and funding requests for full execution
Fall 2026: Receive grant funding, let execution contract
Summer 2027: Execute restoration and riparian work
Why Your Donation Matters
Healthy trout streams don’t happen by accident—they depend on people who care enough to take action. By donating during the Embrace A Stream Challenge, you help us qualify for matching dollars and bonus funding, stretching each gift further than at any other time of the year. Even small contributions can unlock additional support and accelerate the work our chapter is doing locally.
If you value clean water, thriving trout populations, and the opportunity to pass on these resources to the next generation, please consider supporting our chapter during this year’s Embrace A Stream Challenge. Together, we can make a measurable difference for the waters we all love.