We Wanted to Do More
The idea of having the trout nursery and stocking a
segment of Blacklegs Creek was great, but we soon realized that there was much
more work to be done. We were not satisfied with only being able to stock the
stream upstream of the confluence of Big Run. Big Run's entrance into Blacklegs
was our stopping point due to the terribly polluted water due to abandoned mine
drainage (AMD). We knew that something had to be done to improve the water
quality of all streams in the Blacklegs watershed in order to make a difference
in Blacklegs Creek itself.
A Slow Start
Our efforts got off to a slow
start due to numerous factors. The biggest factors were the fact that we didn't
know what we were getting into and the amount of available funding to complete
projects was minimal. After a lot of headaches and receiving little assistance
from outside the group, we decided to form the Blackleggs Creek Watershed
Association in conjunction with the Blackleggs Trout Nursery. Additionally, we
started to receive assistance from the Western PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine
Reclamation (WPCAMR) and the Environmental
Alliance for Senior Involvement (EASI). Through WPCAMR's small grant
program, we were able to produce a colorful brochure/membership form and even
complete a small project on the Kolb site. At
the time, the $5,000 grant we received seemed like a million! EASI was also
instrumental in moving our efforts forward by providing assistance with water
quality monitoring throughout the watershed. This effort was also assisted by
the Stream Team and the Indiana County Conservation District. During our
original growing pains, we learned that in order to receive money to complete a
project, it is necessary to have comprehensive water quality data. Without the
help of the above mentioned groups, we would still be at ground zero.
Proud of Our
Accomplishments...But Never Satisfied
We were very excited about
where we were going as an organization, be we still were unable to put a
legitimate project in the ground. That's when Skelly
and Loy, Inc. and the Growing
Greener program came around. Skelly and Loy was able to assist us by
preparing our funding proposals as well as providing the technical expertise
that we were lacking. When Growing
Greener came along, we were prepared to apply for projects that we
had only dreamed of completing in the past. Along with
Skelly and Loy, Mark Killar from WPCAMR as well as Rita Coleman and Karen
Crowley from DEP were also valuable resources.
After only two rounds of Growing
Greener grants, our organization has received almost $271,000 in grant funds
to complete three projects. This was a tremendous
turnaround to say the least. Although we are excited about our success so far,
we realize that there is still much work to be done. We pledge to never be
satisfied until our overall goal of watershed remediation is accomplished.