North Huntingdon man recognized for helping keep Linn Run park trout stream clean

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 shoveled pure limestone into the water to neutralize acid rain in the water so the insects that 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 keep Rock Run viable for trout for eight years, more so the past five since he retired.

“I like to give back, to do something,” he said.

For his efforts in minimizing pollution along Rock Run, a tributary of 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,” 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 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 macroinvertebrates in the stream that develop into the insects trout eat. Hess will retrieve the bag, count the macroinvertebrates trapped among the leaves, then return them to the water.

“If you have a bad pH (too much acid), you will have a bad life cycle” of the macroinvertebrates, 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,” Hess said. 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,” he said. “It’s how you go about it, and give back if you can.”