ALMANAC OF THE RIVER

Sendiment buildup in Panther Camp Creek

From: Frank Gifford
To: Leslee McCarty
Re: Sendiment buildup in Panther Camp Creek
Date: 6/17/08

      My Conclusion: Panther Camp Creek, home to native Brook Trout, is choking on sediment. We need to find a way to temporarily halt planned logging in the watershed in order to allow the creek to clear itself of sediment. This depends to some degree on allowing time for logging disturbed areas to re-generate ground cover. There is by far too much bare ground in the watershed.

6/12/08 entry
      By way of background, I live on Panther Camp Creek, about ¾ mile north of Leonard Cordova Road. We've had this property since 2001. We lived here for about six months in 2003, before moving off site to caretake another property. Since August, 2007, we have lived here fulltime. I walk our dogs each morning and afternoon, and often take a route that follows the creek for its 1/3 mile path through our property. I might add that back in the early years of our stewardship of this property, I explored the entire watershed of Panther Camp Creek, as well as the surrounding mountains. I have even taken a backpack on walks in order to spend the night so as to explore some of the further reaches of the area. Even though the watershed is privately owned, it is wild and beautiful. In 2001, much of the forest was undisturbed and maturing. Panther Camp Creek is a beautiful perennial stream with native brook trout. Its headwaters are above the Cherry Low Place. It empties into Spring Creek, and is a part of the Greenbrier River Watershed.

      My concern for Panther Camp Creek escalated in April this year as I noticed a significant algae outbreak. Neighbors confirmed this to be an unusual or first of its kind occurrence. This is when I first spoke with Leslee McCarty about a possible course of action to mitigate undesireable environmental conditions in Panther Camp Creek. Leslee suggested I contact Susan Kirshner at WVEPA. I made a phone call and sent an email inquiry, but did not receive a return on either. I spent the next several weeks exploring the watershed. I discovered a significant amount of road building in the watershed (most logging related); on a neighbor's property ajoining ours, on top of Short Mountain, along the south side of Beard Lick Creek, and large sites near the creek's headwaters at Cherry Low Place. I concluded the algae outbreak was a result of multipoint sediment erosion. Anecdotally, I noticed Panther Camp Creek had been scoured clean by the March 4, 2008 flooding. Subsequent rains that generated a rising creek level tended to fill the creek with sediment and upon the creek returning to lower levels, the sediment settled out and left a mud residue on many rock surfaces.

      In my research, I discovered the West Virginia Logging Sediment Contol Act. I read through the act, and reviewed the associated Best Management Principles. I would add that about twelve years ago, I took the Ohio Woodland Steward program, a three day course sponsored by the Water and Soil Conservation and the University Extension offices in Ohio. I was pleasantly surprised to discover West Virginia has in place law to theoretically attenuate the kind of problem I am seeing in Panther Camp Creek.

      I have contacted Ray Kraynok of Coastal Timberlands in Buchanon (304-460-7000). I offered to walk to their site at Cherry Low Place to point out erosion concerns. He said he would have one of their foresters contact me. This has not happened as of this writing. I also contacted Anthony Kesterson (647-7425), the WVForestry LSCA forester. Anthony seemed agreeable and agreed to call me on Monday, 6/16/08 to tentatively make arrangements to meet on Tuesday, 6/17/08 and look at the Coastal Timberlands site.

      I also received a return phone call from Dennis Burns of the Soil and Water Conservation office in Lewisburg. I reviewed the situation with Dennis, and invited him to come on our tour Tuesday. I will call him Monday.

6/17/08 entry
      I met with Anthony Kestersone this morning. We walked together to the Cherry Low Place logging job. I pointed out areas of erosion concern to me. Anthony was agreeable and I was impressed that he is concientious in his job, if maybe somewhat biased in favor of going easy on the loggers from a Best Management Practices perspective.

      After talking with Anthony and getting his perspective on logging in the watershed, my concern for Panther Camp Creek is heightened. It seems in the past few years there have been too many logging jobs in the watershed, and the creek is choking. It needs some time to recover from the added sedimentation. The logged areas need some time to regenerate vegetation before more areas are cut. Unfortunately, significantly more logging is planned for the watershed this summer and fall.

      This morning is contacted WVDEP citizens advocate office (1-800-654-5227). I spoke with a very pleasant lady named Cindy. She is trying to get me in contact with Jeremy Bandy at the Oak Hill office. I will also call Dennis Burns (645-6172) again at the Greenbrier Soil and Water Conservation District office.

Bonnie & Frank Gifford
Entropypawsed, West Virginia
www.entropypawsed.org
Seeking a sustainable future
For all the children of future generations