Nearly 200 Acres Along Rasler Run Acquired by Mountain Watershed Association

Mountain Watershed Association (MWA) announced that they are now the sole owners of 186.17 acres of property in the Indian Creek Valley Gorge. The property is located in Springfield Township of Fayette County and borders both Indian Creek and Rasler Run. Rasler Run is a tributary to Indian Creek designated as a high quality coldwater fishery and Class A Wild Trout Stream. 12.8% of the property is designated as a Natural Heritage Area by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy for its exceptional ecological diversity and is directly across from the Indian Creek Valley Trail.

Rasler Run.

MWA’s vision for the property is to conserve areas with high ecological diversity while also welcoming the community for recreational activities such as fishing, hiking and primitive camping. In order to bring this vision to life, MWA first has to conduct biological surveys, develop a management plan for the property and prepare accessible recreational areas.

When completed, the project will not only benefit the local community but also Pennsylvania at large since it will preserve the water quality of Rasler Run, which serves as one of the few Class A Wild Rainbow Trout Fisheries in the state. Currently, there is restricted access to fishing in Rasler Run since the majority of the land bordering the creek is privately owned. Once MWA designates recreational areas on the property, the community will finally be able to access Rasler Run on newly public property.

Increasing the number of local and accessible recreation areas also allows those living in the nearby community to spend more time outside which reduces stress and improves both mental and physical health.

See the MWA website for more project updates as they work to conserve watershed and create more accessible recreational areas for their community.

This post adapted with permission from an original post by Taylor Robbins of Mountain Watershed Association.