Nearly $100K in grants to benefit Buffalo Creek and sweet-singing bird that flocks there in spring

Nearly $100,000 in grant money has been awarded to support the Louisiana waterthrush and Buffalo Creek, which the migratory bird calls home for part of the year.

The Louisiana waterthrush is known for being an indicator species for healthy streams and large forest tracks. The Pennsylvania Game Commission classifies the bird as a “species of greatest conservation need.”

The Louisiana waterthrush is found along some streams in the Pittsburgh area, but their presence is limited, said Mike Fialkovich, bird reports editor for the Three Rivers Birding Club.

The Buffalo Creek Valley, covering about 170 square miles from Freeport to Butler, is “heavily forested and the streams have populations of aquatic invertebrates that the birds feed on.” The birds return to the valley from their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America as early as mid-March.

“One of the most enjoyable spring experiences is walking among early-spring wildflowers near a stream and hearing the birds singing,” Fialkovich said.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania a $31,800 grant to support Louisiana waterthrush conservation in Buffalo Creek.

The Audubon Society will monitor waterthrush populations in the watershed and conduct water sampling, said Sarah Koenig, Audubon’s conservation director.

The state Department of Environmental Protection also awarded the Audubon Society $65,400 to support the use of advanced modeling tools to help pinpoint where pollution is coming into Buffalo Creek, Koenig said.

An Audubon report found a 10% spike in water-quality decline in just a decade in the Buffalo Creek watershed.

“We want to work with landowners (in the watershed) to preserve the high-quality habitat that is there and then work on restoration projects there,” she said.

The Buffalo Creek watershed has attracted grants totaling more than $2 million over the past four years. The money has paid for restoration projects, trees, shrubbery, environmental testing, public programs and the construction of the Audubon Buffalo Creek Nature Center along the Butler-Freeport Community Trail in Buffalo Township.