Volunteers from Forbes Trail Trout Unlimited assisted the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) on Wednesday, July 27, installing new fish habitat structures in Donegal Lake near Stahlstown. The lake is a 90-acre impoundment owned by the Commonwealth and managed by the PFBC. Formally known as the Fourmile Run Dam, it is located in the headwaters of the stream and was originally constructed in 1967. For safety reasons, the breast of the dam had to be replaced requiring the lake to be drained in 2016. In 2019, the new $5.5 million dam was in place and the lake began to refill. It is now at its normal summer level. Restocking of the lake began in early 2020 with fingerling size warmwater gamefish, including largemouth bass. And this past spring it was stocked with trout.

Four PFBC staff from Bellefonte arrived at 10 AM with a trailered boat, fork lift and a pickup truck load of tools and equipment. Within three hours, twenty-five condos, technically referred to as short, vertical plank structures, had been installed throughout the lower half of the lake. PFBC took GPS readings of each location and will eventually post them on their web site to help fishers locate them.

Most of the structures were assembled by Latrobe Senior High School students as part of their wood shop course. Three were built on site with leftover materials. Nine concrete blocks totaling 270 pounds, were placed in each basket to serve as ballast to anchor them to the bottom of the lake. The baskets were carefully loaded with a forklift onto a specially equipped boat with a stainless steel platform in the bow. Once the location was selected, the baskets were pushed into the water to serve as habitat. Only two baskets could be transported at a time.

First, algae and other plant life begins to cover the structures which attract macroinvertebrates, which in turn attract small fish. The structures protect the bait fish from predators as they grow. But they frequently venture out, or game fish raid the structures knowing they are a major sanctuary for food. Anglers, knowing where the structures are located, focus their fishing around these food sources. It’s the beginning, and sometimes the end, of an entire food chain.

The project was funded by a Cooperative Habitat Improvement Project (CHIP) grant through the PFBC. Josh Penatzer, Project Manager for the Loyalhanna Watershed Association, coordinated the project and sent a request for volunteers to Forbes Trail several weeks in advance. FTTU members are always anxious to assist with boots-on-the-ground projects such as this. Seven volunteers showed up and worked closely with Josh and the PFBC staff to complete the project. This was obviously not the first rodeo for the PFBC crew or Josh. Within thirty minutes of arrival, they were handing out safety gear to the volunteers and loading the baskets onto the boat. It was one of the smoothest and most efficient operations we’ve ever assisted with. Forbes Trail appreciates the opportunity to be part of this project. As expressed in one of the photos, a project like this requires an inspector, supervisor and visionary!