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On a warm September morning atop a wooded ridge where only insects and a small stream break the silence in Linn Run State Park, Dennis “Denny” Hess was shoveling pure limestone into the creek to neutralize acid rain in the water so the insects trout thrive upon can populate the creek.
It’s a far cry from the environment where Hess, 66, of North Huntingdon, worked as a railroad track inspector for 41 years, checking the tracks near steel mills clustered along the Monongahela River and coal mines in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Hess has been helping to keep Rock Run viable for the trout for the past eight years, more so the past five years since he retired from the railroad.
“I like to give back, to do something,” he said.
For his efforts in minimizing the pollution along Rock Run, a tributary of the Linn Run, the Forbes Trail Chapter of Trout Unlimited recently presented Hess, the chapter’s vice president, with its Russ Mowery Memorial Silver Trout Award for his distinguished service.
“I was very surprised. It is the highlight of my work with Trout Unlimited,” Hess said.
Mowery, a great fly fishing teacher and mentor, was a founding member of the Forbes Trail chapter who, after retiring from the former Latrobe Steel Co., owned Mowery’s Fly Box in Latrobe, said Larry Myers, Forbes Trail chapter president.
The Forbes Trail chapter officers wanted to recognize Hess “for many years of dedicated stream sampling and data collection … to help preserve the wild trout fishery in Linn Run State Park in eastern Westmoreland County,” Myers said.
“I am honored that the judges appreciate the work I have done. It meant a lot to me,” Hess said.
Hess said he typically checks the acidity of the water in the spring, summer and fall. He has dealt with challenging weather and driving conditions “to ensure we developed a continual database for Rock Run and Linn Run,” Myers said.
Rock Run was severely damaged by decades of acid rain, Myers said. With grants from the Richard King Mellon Foundation in Pittsburgh, scientists from Penn State University completed studies and recommended a large-scale limestone dosing and acid buffering to make the stream healthy again.
The Forbes Trail chapter conducted a feasibility study using 100 tons of limestone sand in 2005. The treatment is ongoing and has improved both the pH and alkalinity to the point that the stream now supports a healthy population of wild brook trout.
Hess managed the periodic delivery and distribution of the somewhat unique limestone from a quarry in Bellefonte. In early September, he fed the stream with gray-colored limestone he said was baked in a kiln to remove impurities.
Hess also places a “leaf bag” – a ball of leaves inside a nylon net — into Rock Run to catch the microvertebra in the stream that develop into the insects that trout feed upon. Hess will retrieve the soggy leaf bag, count the microvertebra trapped among the leaves, then “very carefully” return them to the water where they will develop into food for the trout.
“If you have a bad ph (too much acid) you will have a bad life cycle,” of the microvertebra, Hess said.
The data that Hess collected will be used in developing a cold water conservation plan for the streams to protect the naturally reproducing trout, Myers added.
“His dedication and hard work has assured the ongoing health of the stream and fishery,” Myers said.
Hess carries a chemistry test kit from Trout Unlimited in the back of his Jeep to test the ph level of the water.
Being active in Trout Unlimited is perfect for the White Oak native.
“I love fly fishing. It’s my favorite thing to do,” and he has more time in retirement to do it. He likes fishing Stony Creek in Johnstown, as well as other local streams and has even traveled to Bristol, Tenn., to fish.
He has a good philosophy about fishing, that can apply to life as well.
“It’s not how many fish you catch. It’s how you go about it and give back if you can.”
Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at 724-836-5252, jnapsha@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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Local | Norwin Star | Outdoors | Westmoreland
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