he group, along with many community partnerships, including the Columbia County Conservation District, is developing an educational nature park at the site of a stream bank stabilization project that was recently funded through the Growing Greener program.

	Chuck Chapman - President, Fishing Creek Watershed Association Video Clip 1 Video Clip 2

everal years ago a flood rushed through the Fishing Creek impacting many areas of the stream. The project site where we met was left with 12 ft high stream banks, 7 feet of silt that washed downstream, and 1800 feet of stream in need of repair.

he U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with the Larsen Design Group will be completing the stream repair work using Fluvial Geomorphology design practices (or, natural stream design). After that, the watershed group can get busy creating what they hope to be a living memorial park to a community member, Matt Kisner, who was a heart transplant recipient. Sadly, Matt passed away. And so, the group thought this would be the perfect way to memorialize his life. They will be installing a teaching pavilion; handicapped access to all trails and even to the creek for fishing, along with special attention for blind community members. The group is not only planting native trees and shrubs along the banks, but they will install education plaques on each, including brail, to describe what the plant is.

aving formed only three years ago, you might think that this is the first large project they've tackled. Not so. In fact, the group has already installed a diversion well the help purify the water which is also impacted by acid rain, possibly coming from nearby industrial plants or auto exhaust.

e sure to watch the video clips to learn more about the history of the stream, the specifics of the park, and more about the educational efforts that will be undertaken by the Conservation District office.