Riverkeeper Roundtable series kicks off with talks about Juniata Forward, Spring Creek Atlas efforts

Elyse Johnson, who helped with the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association's West Branch HERYN program this past summer, spoke during the association's first Riverkeeper Roundtable session about the Spring Creek Atlas.

​On Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association hosted its first of three free winter webinars.

The first ‘Riverkeeper Roundtable’ webinar featured Jennifer Farabaugh, Chesapeake Bay Watershed Manager of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC), who spoke about Juniata Forward: Building on 25 Years of Conservation. This document is a comprehensive plan to continue conservation efforts within the Juniata watershed. 

The plan is a collaborative effort between WPC, a robust 28-member steering committee, and stakeholders within the watershed. Three public meetings for feedback were held in 2024, and comments were collected through Oct. 31, 2024.

​“Overall, we interacted with 74 through in-person contacts to get their ideas of what they thought was important in the watershed, what they thought could be improved, and just what their vision was,” Farabaugh said.

Although non-regulatory, having a conservation plan in place can help watershed organizations and other similar groups better obtain grant funding for projects. Farabaugh thus presented the process of generating the Juniata plan, from funding sources to mapping considerations.

Illegal dumpsites, eroding stream banks and development, and impacts from agricultural operations were major concerns for the public as reported by WPC’s outreach events, and solutions are reflected in the Juniata Plan.

Some goals and solutions include “preserving forest land and environmentally sensitive areas, and also preserving agricultural areas. People in rural areas like the area because it is rural and they want to have those farms preserved, as long as those farms are following best conservation practices to keep water from being polluted,” Farabaugh explained. 

​​Maintaining dirt and gravel roads was also a major goal laid out in the plan.

“Another major goal is implementing existing subbasin plans. There are a lot of Cold Water Heritage Plans. Counties also have their County Wide Action Plans to help reduce nutrient and sediment to the Chesapeake Bay,” said Farabaugh.

​Implementing Riparian Forest Buffers and storm water management were also included in the plan’s goals.

Read the full Juniata Forward Plan here.

The Roundtable kick-off also featured Elyse Johnson of the Spring Creek Watershed Commission, who shared information about conveying watershed news, such as the Juniata Plan, to the public through the Spring Creek Atlas website.

​You can check out details for the next set of Riverkeeper Roundtables at this link, including registering for the Zoom-based program. 

You can watch the recorded video from our first Riverkeeper Roundtable with Farabaugh and Johnson here: