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The objective of this project is to create additional aquatic habitat at Black Moshannon Lake through artificial habitat structures. We will be using the funding to purchase the building materials for 16 Turtle Basking Platforms and 20 Pennsylvania Porcupine Cribs. The building materials specifically would be lumber, dock floats, concrete weights to anchor the structures, and hardware needed to construct them. The turtle basking platform habitat will create basking areas for multiple species of turtles which helps them to regulate their temperature. This promotes individual growth, aids in digestion, reduces susceptibility to disease, and improves turtles overall health. These Turtle basking platforms also create overhead cover for fish and resting habitat for small mammals and bird species. The porcupine cribs will provide the lake with more refuge type habitat. This will provide juvenile protection and improve recruitment of panfish and gamefish.

The artificial habitat structures will be constructed throughout the school year by the Bald Eagle Area High Schools Fishing Club under the guidance of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC). They will then be picked up by PFBC and taken to Black Moshannon Lake where they will be placed with help of the fishing club. These structures would be placed using specialized habitat boats. They will be constructed out of rough-cut hemlock, screws, dock floats, cable, and concrete weights. Technical assistance and placement will be completed by the PFBC.

PA Fish and Boat Commission is directly involved in all three areas of planning, site selection and installation.

Painted Turtles, Spotted Turtle, Largemouth Bass, Bowfin, Pike, and panfish populations

Bald Eagle High School and PFBC will share photos and other content with their social media pages to highlight the project.