The Todd Nature Reserve in Butler County has the ability to filter undrinkable water coming from upstream into clean water. The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is looking at areas of the watershed where Marcellus Shale fuel extraction is occurring. Submitted surveys will be used to update the original plan from 2008.

The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania wants local residents to help identify places in the Buffalo Creek watershed that would benefit from the state's $54,000 preservation grant.

“We are identifying threats to the watershed and we want to be informed by a variety of perspectives,” said Sarah Koenig, the conservation director of the region's society.

Residents can fill out a survey — found under “Buffalo Creek Valley IBA” on the society's website — about the watershed, which straddles Armstrong and Butler counties.

“So, we want to hear from people who live, work and play in the watershed,” Koenig said.

She also noted that this part of the initiative was funded with $10,000 from the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

The state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced the funding on Dec. 10 as part of a statewide $1 million grant investment.

The county's portion will go to the Butler-Freeport Community Trail Council to plant trees to serve as a buffer zone along about 6 acres in the Ohio River watershed. Koenig said that the goal is to plant 200 trees per acre.

The Audubon Society will work with the council since the watershed, which covers about 171 square miles, is also a bird sanctuary designated as an Important Bird Area. Among its most pristine areas is the Todd Nature Reserve, which has the ability to filter undrinkable water coming from upstream into clean water.

But Koenig said there are many parts within the watershed that have been subject to major development, often by companies extracting natural fuel from the Marcellus Shale. And that is where the Audubon Society wants public input.

The window for people to complete the survey is open until Jan. 31, 2019, Koenig said.

After that, the society will go through the completed forms and use the information to update and overhaul the original plan from 2008 with a focus on “changes to the watershed, incorporating additional public input and identifying restoration and partnership opportunities,” Koenig wrote.

By the end of March, Koenig said she aims to have the updated plan published as well as a clear set of goals and strategies.

And throughout this process, Koenig envisions a coalition being created by groups that will act on the conservation plan.

“We're hoping there will be a variety of stewardship projects, turning planning to action,” Koenig said.

The planting of the trees is an effort to keep runoff from entering streams and waterways, which compromise those water systems.

And the trees will create several other added benefits. As an Important Bird Area, the watershed, which feeds into the Allegheny River, serves as a winter roost site and prime breeding areas for songbirds, wading birds and other species, and functions as a waypoint for migratory birds, according to the Audubon Society.

Additionally, the trees will provide shade for the ground, allowing streams to keep a cooler temperature, which helps promote a healthy water system, Koenig said.

Pennsylvania developed the first statewide Important Bird Area program to promote the conservation of bird habitat in the western hemisphere.