good news for SEPA Anglers

[geebee]

The State is tying up its new 1,500 acre purchase of land between Strickersville and the MD line, which will protect 3.5 miles of the upper Big Elk Creek and several small tribs.

Elk is a PFBC stocked trout water. The Preserve will be a massive 7,000 acres when joined to two smaller reserves and the MD Fairhill Preserve :

https://mychesco.com/a/communities/dinniman-secures-key-funding-for-historic-open-space-preserve-in-southern-chester-county/

added to the 5,500 acres along the White Clay Creek, that's a lot of protected water in Chester County.

 

[hunter1]

THis sounds great.

 

[JasonC]

This is awesome news! Now the question, are the waters situated within these boundaries able to support natural reproduction of trout? If so, this is a game changer. Hopefully it will ease the pressure off Valley allowing for somewhere else close by for the city folk to go to for wild trout.

 

[Mike]

The stretch from Stricklersville Rd to the MD line is outside of the presently stocked section.

 

[HopBack]

This is awesome news! Now the question, are the waters situated within these boundaries able to support natural reproduction of trout? If so, this is a game changer. Hopefully it will ease the pressure off Valley allowing for somewhere else close by for the city folk to go to for wild trout

There are no wild trout present in the upper stocked limit that I am aware of. It’s a nice enough stream but already received a ton of pressure in the spring/summer season.

I personally hope that it is indeed managed by white clay preserve as they are less restrictive then many other conservancies in Chester county.

 

[afishinado]

Here is a thread started a month a listing more conservation projects funded in Chester County > Chester County Conservation Projects

 

[sarce]

If that small stream pictured in the article is within the preserve, it looks at a glance like it could hold brookies. Very similar size and appearance to the few remaining trickles in chesco that hold them. Hard to tell without a map of the properties, but it looks like a few tributaries in the area to be protected have some modest potential for wild trout. Would bet money they could support browns as is, but maybe a good area to try increasing the forest buffers and then get some brookies going, since development is slowly gonna wipe out the ones farther north in the Brandywine drainage.

 

[geebee]

Mike wrote:
The stretch from Stricklersville Rd to the MD line is outside of the presently stocked section.

given the change in ownership from private to public (state ownership) could that change ?

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I think regardless if it even has trout or not, big kudos to all involved for this. In-tact natural public land is at a premium. Preserve and protect.

Good job!

"Probably the single largest privately-owned tract in Chester County, the Strawbridge property represents a critical resource in a rapidly developing area in southeastern Pennsylvania and the tri-state region. Nearly 700 separate plant species have been identified on the property, 15 of which are endangered, rare, threatened or vulnerable in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition, the Strawbridge property supports 3.5 miles of the Big Elk Creek – a tributary of the Elk River and the Chesapeake Bay."

 

[Mike]

Possibly, and while public ownership is one aspect of evaluations conducted that determine whether or nor a stream may be suitable for trout stocking, it is just one factor of importance. Other access factors include available, legal parking spaces/pull-offs, and stream distance from public roads, as well as access for hatchery trucks.

Closely tied to the program is also whether stream sections now being considered for additional stocking are surrounded by urban, metro, suburban, or rural population densities. Urban and metro now get priority in anticipation of need and a higher angler usage.

You can read about the many factors considered in the statewide trout plan, which is available on the PFBC web page.

Some factors may not be in the plan...One additional factor of importance for over a decade that had not been a big question in the now more distant past when waters suitable for trout stocking were found or became available is the availability of fish. There are no extra fish in the hatchery system, so adding waters depends on losses of others. A second additional factior that is strongly considered is whether more stocked trout water is needed in a given area (or has a saturation point been reached).

 

[Dave_W]

Good news indeed. Thanks.

 

[Tups]

I spend a fair amount of time using the Strawbridge property, so I will pass along what I know or have observed over the past 20 years.

The property has been open to the public, on a limited basis, for at least 20 years for the purposes of walking and horseback riding. It gets quite a bit of use for these purposes. It is also open to controlled deer hunting.

The Springlawn Trail follows the course of Big Elk Creek as it passes through the property. The trail-head is located at Rt 841 and the trail ends DS at Strickersville Road. It's an old gravel road, gated at both ends.

The upstream end of the property is located about 2 miles downstream of the lowest stocking point of Big Elk Creek. Access for stocking is as good as any other currently stocked reach of the creek. The stream could certainly support a stocked fishery. I'm not advocating for stocking, just making an observation. Legal parking can accomodate maybe a dozen vehicles.

The landscape surrounding the stream is a mix of farmland and woodlots, having an intact but generally narrow forested riparian zone. The owners previously used the land for fox hunting with hounds and horses. Horseback riding is very popular in this area, and its likely that use would continue.

The stream has a moderate level of quality physical trout habitat, but is also incised in a number of places. Some stream improvements using a light touch would be beneficial. The Maryland DNR stocks Big Elk Creek immediately below the Strawbridge property. Occasionally a few of these fish make their way upstream.