Audubon To Host Tours Of Kinzua Dam, Allegheny National Fish Hatchery
Trending
The Audubon Community Nature Center is presenting a behind-the-scenes tour of the Kinzua Dam and the Allegheny National Fish Hatchery on June 2.
Audubon Exclusives are distinctive opportunities and unusual experiences created to help fund programs at Audubon Community Nature Center. Nate Welker, Audubon Community Nature Center board member and U.S. Forest Service fisheries biologist, has organized the tour.
After meeting at 9 a.m. in the upper parking lot, guests will begin the day with a guided tour inside the heart of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Kinzua Dam. Located on the Allegheny River in Warren County, Pa., it is one of the largest dams in the United States east of the Mississippi River. Its 26,541-acre Allegheny Reservoir is up to 135 feet deep and extends 25 miles to the north, nearly to Salamanca.
Following the dam tour, the group will have a picnic box lunch at the USACE Visitor Center.
For the afternoon guided tour, there will be a rare, scenic drive across the top of Kinzua Dam and into the back gate of the Allegheny National Fish Hatchery.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's hatchery, located at the base of the dam, produces lake trout for restoration in Lakes Erie and Ontario. The hatchery is one of 11 National Fish Hatcheries throughout the Northeast Region working to restore, enhance and maintain heritage fisheries for the American people.
At the 3 p.m. completion of the hatchery tour, participants are welcome to explore more on their own. They can take a short walk to the base of the dam to enjoy a cooling mist or fish for walleye, then take a scenic, seven-mile drive along the river on Hemlock Road into Warren.
Those attending should dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. Water and a box lunch will be provided. Children aged nine and up are welcome when accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is required. The cost is $45, and space is limited. Reservations are required by Friday, May 18, and can be made online through the Programs page at auduboncnc.org.
The Kinzua Dam is a secure federal facility. Adult visitors 18 and over must be U.S. citizens and must receive clearance from USACE before being permitted to enter the dam. To obtain clearance, each adult guest must provide Nate Welker with the following information by Friday, May 18:
¯ full name,
¯ date-of-birth,
¯ home address, and
¯ driver's license number.
Children under 18 need only provide their full names. Welker can be reached at 814-726-0164.