Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat Unlimited: Stewards rebuilding in the PA Wilds
- by Guest Contributor
- November 13, 2024
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By Ray Hunt
The Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat Unlimited (PWHU) is an amazing group dedicated to protecting, enhancing, restoring and maintaining wildlife habitat in north central PA, established almost 40 years ago. It was started by a small group that recognized vast natural habitat treasures that lie in the region, and each year PWHU hosts many events that support local wildlife and habitats that I’ve been grateful to participate in.
One of our marquee events is the annual Adopt-A-Stream restoration project on Medix Run in Elk County. Medix Run is an incredibly picturesque stream in north central PA, located in Medix Run, within the Township of Benezette. The Adopt-A-Stream cleanup project usually draws two dozen or so members of our group who meet at the Medix Hotel the 2nd or 3rd weekend in August.
Image: Trees, rocks and sand on Medix Run after the storm and flooding
Our Adopt-A-Stream team spends the day removing debris that is caused mainly by Winter rain that moves rock and puts limbs and other vegetation in the stream that needs to be cleared. This debris can deteriorate the habitat that supports fish, animals and insects that call this space home, and repairing jack dams and deflectors is critical to maintaining their neighborhood.
Jack dams are deflection devices that help ensure efficient flows of Medix Run, and deflector wings made of timber and reinforced rocks add stability to these structures as well. Defectors also help to ensure efficient stream flows and the jack dams help to create pools for trout habitation. There were 25 jack dam and deflector devices originally installed by PWHU beginning over 30 years ago, and today they number 21, but they have always served an essential purpose and are monitored regularly.
Image: Uprooted and snapped trees along Medix Run after the storm and flooding
But sadly, this year’s Adopt-A-Stream will be dramatically different.
In the early afternoon hours of Friday, August 9th, Medix Run was deluged with almost 7 inches of flooding rain in a 2-hour period which produced an everlasting and devastating effect on the ecosystem here. These microbursts were the tailings of Hurricane Debby which originated off the coast of Cuba and traveled up the east coast, eventually bringing intense rain to parts of Pennsylvania. The effects of the massive downpour, and the immediate impact of the stream surge have forever changed the footprint of Medix Run. Of the 21 jack dams and deflector devices, 20 have either been destroyed or damaged.
On Saturday, August 24th I meet with PWHU members Don Schmidt and Nate Benton at the Medix Hotel at 8:00 AM. Don and Nate have come up since the microburst and have done a preliminary assessment of the stream a week earlier. We drive up to the stream and visit more than a half dozen sites and the visuals are shocking. Our first stop is jack dam 1, just 200 yards up the gravel roadway that parallels the stream, and this picturesque spot has been majorly impacted.
Image: Jack Dam 3 on during the August assessment visit
A large oak tree on the bank has been uprooted and there’s no sign of it as we look downstream. The dam’s spillway timber is intact, but the wings have been stripped of the thousands of pounds of rock installed on its decks to stabilize this structure. The 10-foot pool beyond the spillway has been filled with thousands of pounds of rock and sand, and the 3-ton boulder on the north side of the pool is barely discernable because of the rock debris that has been deposited, essentially filling the pool.
We move upstream surveying the structures and the stream. The amount of rock, and even boulders, some of which are several hundred pounds, is staggering. Stream surge has uprooted, snapped, and downed innumerable trees and has wiped stream vegetation along the two-plus miles we scout. Countless tons of boulders, rocks and sand have been moved by Mother Nature changing the path of the stream along the many spots we survey. I wonder what the torrent sounded like in the hours following the downpour. It’s impossible to imagine.
Image: Rocks, many which were several hundred pounds, were sent downstream by the surge.
Before we leave we’re already having conversation about where to begin restoration efforts. Jack dam 3 is one of the largest and has some historical significance, and was reconstructed by PWHU volunteers in 1994. The damage to the wing on the eastern side of the stream is significant. The timbers and the thousands of pounds of rock that anchored it were swept away like sand in the stream surge. A date is picked for late September, and Don will round up additional members to begin the repairs.
On an overcast Saturday morning a group of 10 meet on the gravel road alongside jack dam 3 at Medix Run. Nate, Don and some others have come here earlier in the week to repair the damaged timber structure of the east dam wing. A huge inner tube with a round plywood deck has been fashioned and brought to the stream so the team can load downstream rocks onto the deck and float it upstream with rocks and boulders to rebuild and stabilize both the east and west side wings that converge on the spillway. There’s also some tree debris that needs to be cut with a chainsaw and moved off the streamside on the west side of the stream.
Image: Layering in rock for jack dam 3
Don points out the large timber that serves as the spillway in this jack dam. When PWHU reconstructed the jack dam 30 years ago, the spillway timber, a hemlock trunk, stretched 65 feet across the stream. This area was part of the Goodyear Mill which operated in the early 1900’s, and Don tells me the spillway hemlock was part of an original jack dam built for lumbering when logs were being transported from Parker Dam down this stream for train portage to Pittsburgh and other destinations on the east coast.
When PWHU began reconstructing this dam, a sample of the trunk was evaluated, and Don recalls that the disposition of the hemlock trunk was pristine. Meaning that, because of the continuous immersion in the stream, the trunk was intact and suffered no defects or erosion. It appeared as if the hemlock spillway was brand new.
Image: As mentioned earlier in the story, the 10-foot pool beyond the spillway was been filled with thousands of pounds of rock and sand.
After several hours of toil, the group has likely moved close to 10 tons of rock onto both the east and west wings of this important stream device and historic marker of Medix Run. The chaos and disruption of Hurricane Debby’s flooding rains have definitely put a damper on Medix Run, but not on PWHU’s stewarding efforts to protect this beautiful gift. Project 1 is complete and plans for reparations are underway for the other structures on Medix Run.
Stay tuned for more updates on our restoration efforts. If you’re interested in learning more about the Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat Unlimited (PWHU) visit our Facebook page at PWHU (PA Wildlife Habitat Unlimited). Or email Ray Hunt at raygwhunt@gmail.com for more information.
Image: The PWHU team proudly stands at jack dam 3 on Medix Run, accomplishing their mission of repairing it after terrible flooding damage.
About the author, Ray Hunt:
Ray Hunt is a freelance writer and avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys fly fishing, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking and outdoor activities in the PA Wilds. He is a member of the Diablo Valley Fly Fishing Club (DVFF), the PA Outdoor Writers Association (POWA), Trout Unlimited (TU), and lives in Clearfield County and works in the media industry. He can be reached at raygwhunt@gmail.com.
