We selected the native brook trout for our logo because it is our keystone species. To protect it, we need to preserve all of the values of the Savage River watershed.

Savage River Watershed Association

Projects

  • Watershed Assessment and Planning 
    In partnership with SRWA, the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) is leading a two-year Savage River Watershed assessment project that includes the following activities:

    • Biological Monitoring
      SRWA conducted biological monitoring using Save Our Streams (SOS) methodology. SRWA volunteers collected benthic macroinvertebrates with a net; sorted and identified the catch; and used easy calculations to determine the ecological score for water quality.
       
    • Stream Corridor Assessment
      The stream corridor assessment (SCA) was developed by the MD Department of Natural Resources Watershed Restoration Division. Volunteers walked the entire stream network of the watershed to collect information and map environmental disturbances. The results are used to prioritize restoration efforts within the watershed. The Maryland Conservation Corps provided volunteer support for this project.

  • Exotic Invasive Species Management
    • Japanese Spiraea
       SRWA continues control efforts of Japanese Spiraea in the Bear Pen Run area of Savage River State Forest. Bear Pen is designated as a Type 1 Wildland and like other natural areas around the State is threatened by a variety of exotic invasive species. SRWA coordinates two volunteer work days in the Bear Pen Run Wildlands each year to remove Japanese spiraea, garlic mustard and other invasive plants that reduce regional biodiversity.

    • Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
      This exotic invasive insect threatens native hemlocks, an evergreen tree found along many streams in the Savage River watershed.  Hemlocks help shade streams, keeping water temperatures low, a critical factor for native brook trout survival.  In an effort to mitigate impacts from this invasive insect, SRWA volunteers planted 2,000 red spruce in 2009, 1,000 trees in 2010, and 500 trees in 2011.  It is hoped that this native evergreen tree will ultimately fill in gaps where hemlocks are lost, maintaining shaded streams for brook trout.

    • Invasive Species
      General information on invasive species can be found at EDDMaps.org along with reporting tools and suggestions for control.

  • Headwater Brook Trout Barrier Removal
    SRWA partnered with the Canaan Valley Institute (CVI), the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the City of Frostburg to remove an impoundment that is a remnant of a decommissioned Frostburg water source. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the major funder for this project, awarded SRWA $120,000 for this project. An additional $25,000 was granted to SRWA by the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Fish America Foundation. Other partners providing funding are the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Department of the Environment.

    This project: 
    • Restored brook trout and other fish passage
    • Reduced thermal impact in Savage River headwaters
    • Restored 600 ft section of stream channel
    • Replaced the pond with wetland providing habitat and flood protection

  • OSM/VISTA Watershed Coordinator
    SRWA has placed three volunteer watershed coordinators and two interns through the Office of Surface Mining/AmeriCorps*Volunteers in Service to America program since 2006.  OSM VISTA watershed coordinators throughout the region form the Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team (ACCWT) which provides community organizations and watershed-based projects with the training, tools, and volunteer support necessary to help local citizens become effective environmental stewards, community leaders, and accelerators of change in places indelibly marked by the environmental legacy of pre-regulatory coal mining.

  • Education and Outreach
    At SRWA bimonthly meetings guest speakers share information on a variety of topics such as grants for landowners to conserve habitat; techniques for battling invasive species; and impacts to ground and surface waters. Each year SRWA holds workshops to train volunteers interested in learning Save Our Streams biological monitoring techniques.  SRWA also offers conservation landscaping classes such "Harvesting Rain in Gardens & Barrels" and "Wildflower ID for Beginners.”