Allegheny Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited

Officers and Directors Report

The officers and directors met on August 1, 2017 to discuss chapter activities and projects. No actions were taken at the August meeting.

The next AMCTU board meeting is the board reorganization meeting at 6 pm on November 7, 2017 at the Hoss’s in DuBois.

New Meeting Location
Beginning with our October meeting we will be meeting at the Penn State DuBois Campus in the Mary Smeal Building.  Please use parking lot 006 just off of College Place. 

We have the conference room, which should be large enough for most of our meetings.  This will be the permanent location for all chapter meetings.  Plan to attend the October meeting to hear and learn more about the Rivers Conservation and Youth Camp.  We are inviting the 4 students that went this year to come and give a review of their experiences.  The date is October 17th the time is 7PM bring a friend and join us.

Projects Update

West Branch Susquehanna Benchmark Sampling
As reported in the previous newsletter, the National TU Office has been working on the West Branch Susquehanna Benchmark to chart improvements in the river since the last study in 2009. In May high flow river samples were collected by Trout Unlimited, Conservation District Employees, Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Western PA Conservancy, and numerous volunteers. Despite heavy downpours the week before, the West Branch and all its tributaries returned to normal flow conditions in time for volunteers and staff to collect the low flow samples the week of July 17. With that completed all that remains for data collection for this project is fishery sampling to be completed by the PA Fish and Boat Commission in the near future. Once that is done, all the data will be compiled and published in a comprehensive report likely in 2018. Feel free to reach out to Kelly at kwilliamsccd@atlanticbbn.net or 814-591-1299 if you want to learn more. Along with this benchmark study, several new members have joined the chapter with hopes of more efforts in bringing the West Branch to its full potential.

Camp Run/Cooks Run
The efforts of the PA Department of Environmental Protection to restore Cooks Run in Clinton County by reclaiming the Fran Contracting No. 2 site, which impacts Rock and Camp Runs, is ongoing. The bid for this work has been awarded and the ground breaking ceremony was held on August 1. We should see some results by this time next year.

Montgomery Run Riparian Planting
We held a public meeting on August 28 during the DuBois City Council meeting to kick off the Coldwater Heritage Partnership grant to plant trees along Montgomery Run in Clearfield County. Kelly Williams provided an overview project and pictures of the area.

Potts Run Work Day
A work day was held on August 25, 2017 to remove a log jam on Potts Run which was threating a landowner’s property. We were assisted by John Bentley of Tree Wox in Punxsutawney and the project was completed in one afternoon. Potts Run is a tributary of Clearfield Creek and has had several projects done by National TU with our chapter signing on as a partner.

Callen Run Dam Removal
Allegheny Mountain and Iron Furnace chapters have been talking about the removal of all the dams in the Callen Run drainage. George Kutskel attended a meeting on August 30, 2017 about this project at the Heath Township Nursery. The Western PA Conservancy hosted the meeting, which was also attended by Heath Township Sportsman, National Fuel Gas, PA DCNR, PA Fish and Boat and the media. Watch our website for updates. The Western PA Conservancy has a Coldwater Heritage Partnership grant to assess water and habitat quality on the tributaries to the Clarion River that flow through Clear Creek State Park and State Forest, which includes Callen Run and Clear Creek, to identify areas of concern and improvement.

Meetings and Events Held

We once again had our joint picnic with Iron Furnace at the Walter Dick Memorial Park in Brookville.  Two of the students going to the Rivers Camp were on hand and spent some time meeting all of us, plus had the chance to catch a few trout.  We will do this again next May so watch for the date and details.

The chapter hosted a Family Fishing Day at the Tannery Dam in DuBois on June 16, 2017 from 5:30-8 pm. 

The chapter hosted a Veteran’s Fishing Program at the Tannery Dam in DuBois on July 8, 2017 from 9 am until 1 pm. This was a free event open to any veteran

Several chapter members attended the PFBC Wild Trout Summit on August 26, 2017.

The Conservation District’s Conservation Celebration at Curwensville Lake was held on September 9, 2017.

The AMCTU annual fall picnic was held on September 19, 2017 at the Tannery Dam in DuBois with fun for all.

Thanks to all the AMCTU members who provide help and support at these events, especially Kelly Williams!

Welcome to New Members!
Since April we have added 23 new members.  We wish to welcome the following: Theodore Adams, Tomas Baca, Don Bouch, Brian Burkett, Bryan Buterbaug, Joe Buterbaug, Kris Carlini, Andrew Crosley, La Monica Deyamin, Edward Gray, Steve Griebel, Gabrielle Henrichs, Tom Hockman, Robert Kroell, Bryce Micknis, Bruce Miller, Matthew Pregmon, John Raybuck, Lawrence Semanick, Dane Soltys, Ronald Statler, James Teats, Greg Travis.  We hope to see you at one of the many events and meetings over the next months.

Upcoming Events

Please mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

• PATU annual meeting Saturday September 23, 2017
• AMCTU membership meeting and annual election of officers October 17, 2017 – President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and three directors will be elected
• AMCTU board reorganizational meeting November 7, 2017
• AMCTU membership meeting November 21, 2017
• Keystone Coldwater Conference February 24, 2018

Check the website amctu.org for latest meeting and events details.