The Little Juniata River Association is making an effort to promote the waterway\u2019s importance and value at a time when the river has received substantial coverage by the media due to flooding late last summer.
\nThe Daily Herald recently completed a series noting the six-month anniversary of heavy rains which led to the Little Juniata overflowing its banks. The series detailed the effects and costs of the flood and what has and can be done in terms of control and prevention.
\nThe river, as a Class \u201cA\u201d trout fishery, also presents economical and recreational opportunities for the area.
\n The association recently offered a slide presentation about the \u201criver of opportunity\u201d during a Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce Breakfast and meeting, earlier this month.
\nThe presentation was offered by Bill Anderson and Eric Stroup of the Little Juniata River Association.
\nThey began their presentation with a brief history about the waterway.
\nThe area\u2019s railroad history and industrial development was highlighted. It was noted other industries rapidly developed once the railroad was completed. Coal, timber, papermaking and manufacturing enterprises flourished along the river and its tributaries for 100 years.
\n In its presentation, the association said, \u201cPollution followed, and the Little J was rendered an industrial sewer by the 1890s and remained so until the early 1970s.\u201d
\nAfter the brief history, Anderson and Stoup detailed the river as it is today and what it could become to the area for recreational and tourism purposes.
\nThe association presentation offered this: \u201cThe Little Juniata watershed holds tremendous promise as a world-class trout fishery. Emanating from coldwater springs and tributaries in the Logan Valley and enhanced by limestone geology from Tyrone to its mouth, the \u2018J\u2019 has shown a remarkable recovery from its formerly, polluted condition just 30 years ago.\u201d
\nAccording to the association\u2019s information, insects and trout have responded extremely well to the cleansing of the \u201cJ\u201d.
\nThe Little Juniata River Association was formed in 1998 to monitor the return of flies to the \u201cJ\u201d after a mysterious pollution event wiped out virtually all the aquatic insect life, leaving the trout to starve.
\nDuring the presentation, it was noted the river had made a fast recovery. Stoup noted the importance of the \u201cbugs\u201d in fly fishing during his portion of the presentation.
\nThe economic opportunities of the river were also discussed, noting Spruce Creek businesses which benefit from the river and its tributaries\u2019 recreational uses including bed and breakfast locations such as Cedar Ridge, Marshall House and Rivers Edge; fly shops such as Spruce Creek Fly Company and Spruce Creek Outfitters; fishing clubs such as Spruce Creek Rod & Gun Club, Spring Ridge Club, Harpster\u2019s Club and Nelson Constantine\u2019s and restaurants such as Spruce Creek Tavern, Main Street Cafe and C & Cs Wings and Things.
\nThe presentation also detailed other towns which are benefiting from the fishing industry in areas in the northeast. Essentially, the group\u2019s speakers tried to show those attending the Chamber event how much more could be done to tie the river to the community economically.
\nThe association\u2019s presentation noted the following trout fishing economic statistics and demographics: \u201cThe consumer for this industry is, indeed, impressive: The average (visiting) fly fisher is married (83 percent); nearly 90 percent attended college, the average income is $140,000 and 90 percent own their own home. In direct support of this industry\u2019s tourism product \u2013 fly-fishing – some 95 percent traveled an average of 900 miles in the past year, spending an average of $2,800 per trip.\u201d
\nReflecting these demographics, The American Sportfishing Association and Trout Unlimited, in a jointly sponsored 1996 study said, \u201cThe Economic Impact of Trout Fishing On the Delaware River Tailwaters in New York found that angling for the Delaware\u2019s wild trout resulted in some $17.69 million in local revenues and generated some $30 million in local economic activity.\u201d
\nThe local river association noted the study was done only for Delaware County in New York, however it provided a window into the region.
\nIn Tyrone, the association noted Burley\u2019s Restaurant already benefits from the Little Juniata. It also pointed to a number of other businesses, either existing or those which could be created, which might benefit from the development of the river for recreation and tourism. Some examples were hotels, gifts and specialties, antiques, coffee shop, outdoor clothing, and canoes and kayaks.
\nThe presentation also touched on the next steps which could be taken to develop the river.
\nThe importance of getting \u201ccatch and release\u201d regulations instituted on the river was detailed at the recent Chamber breakfast.
\nAnderson said he attended a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission hearing, and as a result of a proposal adopted at the hearing he said, \u201cIt\u2019s very promising we will get catch and release on the river.\u201d
\nAnderson said if the plan were to go into effect it would not be until next season at the soonest.
\nThe Little Juniata River Association is a non-profit conservation group formed to: monitor, preserve and improve the Little \u201cJ\u201d as a cold water resource.
\nAnderson is the former owner and operator, along with his wife Carol, of Joybeans. A retired CEO of a New York state-based electronics company, Anderson is now the owner of the Spruce Creek Fly Company, LLC.
\nStroup, a Tyrone native, is a veteran full-time fly-fishing guide, outdoor writer and fly-fishing editor of Pa. Outdoor Times Magazine. He is also an owner of Spruce Creek Fly Company, LLC of Franklinville and Spruce Creek.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Little Juniata River Association is making an effort to promote the waterway\u2019s importance and value at a time when the river has received substantial coverage by the media due to flooding late last summer. The Daily Herald recently completed a series noting the six-month anniversary of heavy rains which led to the Little Juniata […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43233\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}