The public is invited to a meeting of the Trout Unlimited Susquehanna Chapter featuring Matthew Wilson, Director of the Freshwater Institute at Susquehanna University.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 9 at 7 p.m. at the Covenant Central Presbyterian Church, 807 W. Fourth Street, in Williamsport.

Prior to modern settlement, the Appalachian lowlands of the Susquehanna watershed were wet and swampy. Beavers were very abundant, creating a complex network of ponds and braided channels, keeping cool groundwater at the surface and stream temperatures low.

This was the perfect habitat for the equally abundant brook trout. As the land was settled, unregulated fur trapping virtually eliminated the beavers and clearcut logging created simplified, straightened streams with a reduced capacity to hold water during storms and supplement stream flows during droughts.

Using 15 years of data from Loyalsock, Pine and Kettle Creeks, Wilson will discuss ways that we can identify conservation priorities for native brook trout and how beavers can potentially be part of the solution to enhance watershed connectivity and mitigate the challenges of warming streams, acidic rainfall, more frequent flooding events and periods of drought.

For more information, please visit https://susquehannatu.com.