Western Pennsylvania Conservancy planted three riparian sites within Indiana County spring of 2019. One in each of these townships: Center, East Mahoning, and Banks. Across the three sites, Indiana County volunteers planted a mixture of 1,500 native tree and shrub stems. Among the species planted were Redbuds, Swamp White Oaks, Black Willow, American Elderberry and Silky Dogwood, all of which thrive in riparian areas. Each planting event was coordinated and funded by the Indiana County Conservation District and the Ken Sink Trout Unlimited chapter.
“The plantings were also possible because landowners made a choice to manage the land in their riparian areas in a conservation minded manner. They choose to stop mowing close to a stream and added fence to limit livestock access. All of these choices were voluntary, and I appreciate the steps taken by landowners to make improvements for water quality. I have made some of these choices for my own farm in Indiana County, and I realize that making changes that are new and different than what you are used to are not always easy, and sometimes lack support from those that don’t understand why trees are being planted. I love talking to people about riparian areas and helping them learn about their importance. Riparian protection and restoration is not only something that should be done by landowners that have streams on their property, but by all citizens. Just because you don’t have a stream doesn’t mean that you can’t make good choices about what happens to your water as it travels to a stream. When all people understand why and how riparian areas are improved and protected, it makes it easier for the people that own the land to make better management choices.”
– Alysha B. Trexler, Watershed Project Manager of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
If you would like to get involved, contact the Evergreen Conservancy, the Indiana County Conservation District, or the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy office.
Evergreen Conservancy
(724) 471-6020
evergreenconservancy@gmail.com
Indiana County Conservation District
(724) 471-4751
https://www.iccdpa.org/
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
