$1.17 million conservation grant to help Buffalo Creek watershed landowners and farmers

A $1.17 million USDA grant with matching funds will pay for farmers and residents in the Buffalo Creek watershed area, roughly from Freeport to Chicora, to plant buffers along streams and cover crops and more.

The Buffalo Creek watershed covers 170 square miles in Butler, Armstrong and Allegheny counties. It is home to a variety of plants and wildlife, including the eastern hellbender and state-endangered eastern massasauga rattlesnake.

The USDA awarded the grant to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, which owns land and facilities in the watershed including the new Todd Nature Reserve, the Babcock Nature Center and the Buffalo Creek Nature Park, on Feb. 5 in Buffalo Township.

The watershed is a unique habitat compared to its neighboring watershed, being one of the only high-quality streams in Butler County and an Audubon-designated Important Bird Area, said Danielle Rihel, Buffalo Creek watershed coordinator for Audubon.

“We need to realize the unique gem we have and preserve it,” she said.

Since about 99% of the watershed is privately owned, the grant money helps private owners manage their land better, protecting it against erosion and increasing the water quality in the watershed, Audubon officials said.

About five sites in the watershed already have received funds since the program was rolled out to landowners last year.

Farmers and forested landowners can get free conservation plans developed for their properties, said Sarah Koenig, Audubon’s conservation director.

“That conservation plan then is a tool that they can use to apply for funding to cover a portion of the cost of the recommended conservation practices such as tree planting, invasive species management, planting cover crops and more,” she said.

Farmers and landowners in the watershed with at least an acre of forest can apply for funds for conservation projects on their land.

Audubon leveraged the $1.17 million grant for a total of $2.24 million. Matching funds and services came from the Armstrong Conservation District, Butler County Conservation District, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Duquesne University and PA/NJ Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation.

For more information, contact the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania’s project coordinator at drihel@aswp.org, Armstrong Conservation District at conservation@co.armstrong.pa.us or Butler County Conservation District at bccd@bccdonline.org.