“In wildness is the preservation of the world.”
Trout in the classroom
The Perkiomen Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited (PVTU), is an organization dedicated to the conservation, protection and restoration of coldwater fisheries and their watersheds and supports local schools with Trout in the Classroom (TIC), an interdisciplinary program in partnership with the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and sanctioned by the PA Department of Education. The program introduces conservation education in the classrooms by raising brook trout, native coldwater fish, from eggs received in November from PFBC, to fingerlings during the school year which are then released by the students in the spring in the local watershed. Brook trout are used since they are “indicator” species, fish requiring the same clean water conditions that people need to survive.
PVTU directly supports the schools through chapter members, with one designated as the TIC Coordinator, who oversees the program, a position recently assumed by Jim Coffey. The TIC Coordinator works with our partner institutions, from assisting in equipment set-up in the fall, meeting with the classes throughout the school year to observe the students and their teachers as they feed the fish, and assists in maintaining clean aquariums, testing the water to assure safe levels of nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, etc., and even amending the water with additives to correct unsafe conditions. We have, on occasion helped partners even secure funding grants to support the program. The TIC Coordinator, along with other chapter members, assist with fish releases in the spring during which they provide an overview of fly fishing, in addition to teaching and giving the teachers and students an opportunity to cast a line with a fly rod on “release day”.
PVTU presently supports six schools in the Souderton, Spring-Ford and Upper Perkiomen School Districts with TIC – Evans Elementary School, Hereford Elementary School, Boyertown Area High School, The Souderton Charter School Collaborative, Upper Perkiomen Middle School, and Upper Providence Elementary School.
Conservation/Stream enhancement
West Branch Perkiomen/Keystone Ten Million Tree Partnership
The Perkiomen Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited teamed up with multiple organizations to plant 100 trees in the Riparian Area along the West Branch of the Perkiomen Creek in October 2020.
The trees were obtained from a grant that PVTU received from the Keystone Ten Million Tree Partnership. Volunteers from the chapter worked with volunteers from Aqua PA, Merck and the Montgomery County Conservation District to plant the trees. Riparian Forests promote groundwater recharge, stabilize stream flow, filter storm water runoff, help to prevent flooding, lower stream temperatures, improve water quality and provide habitat for wildlife.
Main Branch Perkiomen Creek/Tree Vitalize Partnership
In the Fall of 2019, Perkiomen Valley Trout Unlimited teamed up with the Environmental Science Classes at Upper Perkiomen High School to plant a stream bank area on the Main Branch of the Perkiomen Creek at the Fly Fishing Area by Church Road in Green Lane Park. Most of this section of the Upper Perkiomen has ideal riparian habitat with significant Stream side vegetation and trees except in this area and a few other locations. The Trees will help prevent soil erosion, filter storm water runoff, promote groundwater infiltration, and provide wildlife habitat.
Funding was obtained by PVTU from the Tree Vitalize Program of PA. The project also received assistance from Aqua PA and the Montgomery County Conservation District.
Stream Restoration Project on the Hosensack Creek within the Mill Hill Preservation Area
Our local Perkiomen Valley Trout Unlimited Chapter #332 (PVTU, www.pvtu332.org), and the Upper Hanover Township partnered to sponsor the rebuilding of an eroding stream bank along the Hosensack Creek within the Mill Hill Preservation Area. PVTU is dedicated to the conservation, protection, and restoration of streams within our Perkiomen Valley. The restoration work on the Hosensack Creek was funded by the Coldwater Heritage Partnership (www.coldwaterheritage.org), the PVTU Chapter, and PVTU Board members. The project was approved by the Montgomery County Conservation District, PA Fish and Boat Commission, PA Game Commission, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the PA Department of Environmental Protection. PVTU Board members and two local logging firms performed the field work.
The Hosensack Creek is a tributary to the Perkiomen Creek. It joins the Perkiomen Creek at the Rt 29 bridge in Palm, near the American Legion building. The Perkiomen Creek and it’s many tributaries make up the Green Lane Reservoir, which ultimately flows into the Schuylkill River. The Hosensack Creek is a beautiful stream and approximately a mile of it flows through our Township’s Mill Hill Preservation Area.
The stream banks along the Hosensack Creek, the Perkiomen Creek and many other streams within our township and across our country are increasingly eroding soil into the streams during significant rain events. This erosion is a consequence of land management practices where trees and shrubs along the streams, called the riparian zone, are removed for agricultural purposes, housing, the installation of dams, etc. Without an adequate amount of roots from trees and other plants, the riparian zones cannot hold the stream banks in place during rain events. Consequently, soil erodes into the stream and this ongoing erosion causes the streams to become wider and more shallow over time and the eroded soil covers the natural rocky stream beds. In such conditions, in-stream rocks and woody debris, which are natural habitats for fish and other organisms, are more easily swept out of the streams during rain events, which lessens the number of organisms that live within the stream. Additionally, these conditions reduce the quality and clarity of the stream water, called turbidity. Because the streams within our Township and the Green Lane Reservoir are sources of drinking water it is important that we maintain the water quality of our streams. Additionally, ensuring that our streams remain beautiful and have an abundance of aquatic and terrestrial creatures in and around them enhances the recreational pleasures that we can experience along these streams.
The Hosensack Creek project team used log structures to rebuild the stream bank. Logs, anchored into the bedrock and covered by rocks and soil, were used to extend the stream bank back to its proper location. Natural root wad brace logs were also installed into the bank. Both structures will significantly reduce erosion potential and create habitat for aquatic and terrestrial organisms that live within and along the creek. In November, trees will be planted on top of these structures to further stabilize the stream bank and provide proper shade over the creek which is necessary to main ideal water temperatures during the summer months.
The project site is easily seen just upstream of the Mill Hill Preservation Area’s White Trail. A map of the hiking trails is available on the Township’s website and a map is posted at Zeigler Road parking lot. Similar conditions exist elsewhere along the Hosensack Creek and the Perkiomen Creek. OurTownship and PVTU are developing plans to expand this work along both creeks in 2021 and beyond. For additional information on this project and the future initiatives, you are encouraged to contact PVTU via their website. At their monthly meetings they will be discussing these initiatives and the other activities that the chapter manages. With additional members and volunteers, the work that the chapter does within our community can be greatly expanded.
For over 40 years, the PVTU has lead and participated in numerous environmental initiatives that include stream restoration, dam removal, reforestation, invasive plant species removal, stream bank fencing and installation of cattle crossings within farm fields, pond management, trash removal, fly tying and casting instruction, and trout stocking. PVTU also works with six schools across the Perkiomen Valley (elementary through high school), facilitating the Trout in the Classroom program. In this program the students raise trout from eggs until they are released into local streams, a hands-on training on the importance of our water resources.
Tributaries of the Perkiomen Creek/Berks County Conservation District
In 2020, Perkiomen Valley Trout Unlimited teamed up with Kent Himelright of the Berks County Conservation District to work on a stream bank stabilization project on the Cox Farm/Valley Run near Rt. 100 in Berks County. PVTU volunteers planted 100 tree stakes along the banks of a Perkiomen Creek tributary to help prevent soil erosion and improve water quality.
In March 2021, PVTU will again partner with Kent and BCCD to work on another stream bank stabilization project on the Frontier Pastures/Ehst Farm. Three hundred feet of Core Logs will be installed and 175 live stakes will be planted.
Perkiomen Trout Unlimited Works Hard to Clean Up the Perkiomen Creek
The Perkiomen Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited teamed up with the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy to clean up the Perkiomen Creek at the Fly Fishing Area by Church Road, in Green Lane Park. TU Volunteers, including a few non-members, removed trash, tires and scrap metal from the stream and adjacent riparian area on Saturday, October 31st, 2020. PVTU participates in the Stream Cleanup at the Fly Fishing Area on an annual basis.
Perkiomen Trout Unlimited participates in Citizen Science Water Quality Monitoring
Perkiomen Valley Trout Unlimited has partnered with the Stroud Water Research Center on a Citizen Science Program known as Enviro DIY/Mayfly Logger. PVTU is the owner/operator of the Mayfly Logger Water Quality Monitoring Station on the Hosensack Creek. The purpose of the program is to establish citizen-based water quality monitoring on local waterways. Citizen Science is needed to help protect future water quality by constantly recording stream conditions. The Mayfly Logger continuously monitors water conditions and transmits data to the web. See the attached link for a description of the program on the Stroud Website. Also, see the attached link for real-time water quality data for the Hosensack Creek.
https://eos.org/science-updates/a-digital-mayfly-swarm-is-emerging