Mini-Grant Success Story: Yellow Breeches Stream Stabilization and Habitat Project

Cumberland Valley Trout Unlimited (CVTU) and its primary mission partners South Mountain Partnership and Trout Unlimited (TU) completed the Yellow Breeches Stream Stabilization and Habitat Project at Barnitz Church outside of Mount Holly Springs in 2023. The Yellow Breeches In-Stream portion of the project was completed in June 2023 and the riparian buffer along the Yellow Breeches at the construction site was completed in December 2023. The cost of the project, including the value of the many volunteer hours to accomplish the project, was $41,693.

CVTU is a partner with the South Mountain Partnership; an alliance of organizations working to preserve and enhance the cultural and natural assets of the South Mountain landscape in central Pennsylvania. Specific funding for the Barnitz Church project was awarded through the South Mountain Partnership with management oversight of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. CVTU would like to acknowledge that this project could not have been done without the financial support provided by a $12,000 grant from the Environmental Stewardship Fund under the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

Another key financial contributor to this project was the grant awarded to CVTU from Trout Unlimited (TU) Embrace-A-Stream program and an accompanying matching donation program. Trout Unlimited is committed to cold water conservation throughout the country and this project stands as a tribute to the goals of TU.

In Stream Structures

Several of the in-stream structures that were designed by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PA Fish and Boat) are shown above. In all, the PA Fish and Boat installed 10 structures during the last week of June 2023.  A number of One-Section and Two-Section Log Framed Stone Deflectors, J-Hook Devices, and random boulders were placed at strategic points in the Yellow Breeches to reduce bank erosion, increase the flow of water, and provide cover for fish and other aquatic life in the stream.  The John W. Gleim Jr. construction company provided the heavy equipment expertise for the in-stream construction effort.  CVTU volunteers and the PA Fish and Boat crew anchored the logs to the streambed with rebar and good old fashion sledgehammer work. Each structure was backfilled with stone and then topsoil was added to further stabilize the structure and provide a foundation for the growth of grasses and bushes on each structure.

Riparian Buffer

The riparian buffer was planted during October and November 2023.  The buffer covers roughly a 100 foot wide by 1,000 foot length of the Yellow Breeches that meanders behind the church.  The buffer has been planted with a diverse native mix of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous grasses that will spread and become established in the area.  Trees like redbuds, hop hornbeam, nad river birch will provide a canopy of leaves to shade the Yellow Breeches and cool the stream during the summer.  Scrubs such as red osier dogwood, winterberry, grey dogwood, and witch hazel will provide cover for insects and other streamside wildlife.  Lastly, native grasses such as barnyard grass, deer tongue, ferns, purple coneflower and milkweed will provide a diverse understory that will protect the streambank and greatly reduce any runoff of soil into the Yellow Breeches.

CVTU attracted a diverse group of volunteers committed to the environment and the health and well-being of the Yellow Breeches at Barntiz Church. Volunteers worked hard to prepare the riparian buffer to plant the native trees, shrubs, and grasses that will protect the streambank from invasive plant species and significantly contribute to the overall health of the watershed.

The work done on the Yellow Breeches Creek at Barnitz Church was designed to reduce stream bank erosion and the flow of sediment into this tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, and improve the habitat for fish and the great diversity of other living things that reside in and around this watershed. CVTU is proud to have collaborated on this project with the many local and national conservation organizations to improve the stream and provide many outdoor opportunities for a wide audience of the community who have a central concern for the environment of the Cumberland Valley.

Folks are welcome to visit Barnitz Church outside of Mount Holly Springs. The sign below will be erected at the church and provides a detailed description of the project and identifies the various partners in making this project such a success.