Conservancy works continuously to keep Glade Run Lake healthy
MIDDLESEX TWP — Some of the water in Glade Run Lake flows down an outlet in its southern dam and into a stream below. Once a month, Christina Handley crawls onto a ledge over the stream so she can reach down and fill a vial with water to send off for quality testing.
It’s a difficult process — especially in the winter — but it’s necessary to ensure the water quality remains adequate. The lake already had to be drained once because of poor water quality.
Handley, a member of Glade Run Lake Conservancy’s board of directors, said the water quality has declined a little since the lake was filled in 2017, but it’s still generally good because of how recently the water was added.
“Because the lake was refilled in 2017, the water quality is really good,” Handley said. “We've got a lot of turtles, a lot of fish. The fish populations have repopulated so much that people are now allowed to take the fish with them, depending on their size.”
Handley is just one volunteer member of the conservancy, which was created in 2014 to refill the lake and conserve the area for recreational and environmental use after the lake was drained in 2011. After more than a decade of activity, the conservancy set its sights on keeping the lake’s watershed area healthy by procuring conservation easement agreements with nearby land owners.
One way of procuring easements is through awareness, which the conservancy is now pushing to show people of Middlesex Township and Butler County what the lake offers. The conservancy’s first-ever Celebrate the Lake will take place Aug. 16, and will be a showcase of the activities possible to do at the lake.
“We're trying to let people know in the township and the residents that we do have this piece of property here,” said Siggy Pehel, the conservancy’s president. “You have to work with your township and zoning and ordinances to protect the resources in your township like the lake. We're trying to educate people of what we have here.”
Glade Run Lake is comprised of 52 acres, but its watershed is more than 2,000 acres, Handley said. A watershed is a land area that channels rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams and rivers, and eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays and the ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
It’s important to protect the watershed, Handley said, because it’s made up of water that flows into and out of the lake. The lake provides habitat for hundreds of species, according to Pehel, so it’s important that it stays in good condition.
After years of work, the Glade Run Lake Conservancy has made a dent in gaining easements to help conserve the watershed.
“We've protected 16.5 % of the land. Our goal is to conserve the whole 2,000-acre watershed,” Handley said. “We have added 175 acres of property to the watershed through conservation easements.
While the conservancy says procuring easements for more than 2,000 acres is a tall order, Handley said the lake was built on community action from the start. After it was drained in 2011 because of poor water quality, proponents for the lake and its environmental impact got together to help get the lake refilled.
“State government said they didn't have enough money to refill it, these individuals got together to raise awareness and raise funds to help to restore the lake,” Handley said. “2014 was when all the funding was established, and the Fish and Boat Commission and Pennsylvania government said they would match the funds that the conservancy raised.”
Pehel, too, said conserving the lake will largely come down to the conservancy and people who volunteer to ensure the lake’s health. However, he said the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and even Middlesex Township have been good partners, at least when it comes to promoting the lake.
“I would like to see more walking trails added, because as Middlesex Township grows, there is a need to have more outdoor recreational space,” Pehel said. “There's a balance in every township to have environmental preservation and development, and I think that's what we're working for is to find that balance.”
Glade Run Lake Conservancy has scheduled “Nature Series” events over the past few summers, which invite environmental experts and speakers to present activities and information at the lake a few times each month.
August will have the first Celebrate the Lake event, however, which Handley said is a showcase of all of the lake’s amenities. Fishing for Memories, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and the Butler County Master Gardeners are just a few organizations attending the event to provide activity and insight to attendees.
Handley said there also will be fishing and kayaking opportunities for people to enjoy at the event. Although this is the first event of its kind at the lake, she said it could become an annual occurrence.
“We’re hoping that this event will be the first one and each additional year we can add more to it,” Handley said. “Our goal basically is to familiarize the community with the lake and the national outdoor recreation there.”
Celebrate the Lake has another claim to fame, which Handley said was a surprising get for the conservancy.
“This will be the first time ever we can sell alcohol at a Fish and Boat Commission property in Pennsylvania,” Handley said.
Pehel said that even though there has been an increase in the number of people visiting the lake, it could always use a boost.
“Ever since we got the lake back in 2017, we've seen an increase of people coming to the lake to fish and birdwatching and also hiking,” Pehel said. “We're pretty happy with what we've done and where we're going.”
Handley joined the Glade Run Lake Conservancy board of directors a few years ago, after getting acquainted with the lake and what it offers. She said she hopes Celebrate the Lake attracts even more people to it, because they may not already know about the animal species and miles of trails housed in its area.
“Our thought is that the more people engage in nature, the more they'll want to preserve it,” Handley said. “We can miss so much just walking around. It's nice to be able to open your eyes and see nature.”
Celebrate the Lake takes place from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 16, at Glade Run Lake, which is located on Lake Road in Middlesex Township. The event is free to attend, and food and beverages will be available for purchase.
For more information on Glade Run Lake or the Celebrate the Lake event, visit gladerunlakeconservancy.org.
