News – Little Juniata River Association -a 501 c3 non-profit organization

Annual LJRA Banquet June 7th

LITTLE JUNIATA RIVER ASSOCIATION SUMMER BANQUET

LJRA members and a guest are invited to attend

At the River’s Edge LodgeSaturday, June 7^th 2025 4-8pm

Social gathering from 4-6, dinner served from 6-7:30 pm

Cash bar available

Pig roast provided by Holland Brothers

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW! (40.00 per person)

DEADLINE TO PURCHASE TICKETS BY CHECK OR PAYPAL: MAY 30^TH

To purchase tickets visit:

Banquet payment

Please enter payment amount in the “banquet field”

Send checks to: Little Juniata Rver Assoc. 326 Hobbit Hollow Road Altoona, PA 16601 checks must be received by May 30^th.

River’s Edge Lodge is located directly on the Little Juniata River. This is an excellent opportunity to fish the ‘j’ after dinner and connect with other members. Please note: Parking on site is very limited. Guests should park at the Spruce Creek Church and walk or use the shuttle.

River’s Edge Lodge

5359 Blue Hill Lane Spruce Creek, PA

Click here for directions: (https://tinyurl.com/2x6h7th6)

We will present the annual ‘friend of the river’ award to an exemplary steward of the river. The recipient will be determined by the LJRA directors and awarded to the individual who has substantially represented the mission of the association.

BANQUET MENU

Veggie Tray
Roast beef wrapped asparagus

Pig Roast
BBQ Chicken
Potato Salad
Tortellini Ceasar Salad

Mixed Veggies
Baked Beans

Rolls with butter

Cheesecake
Coffee/tea

No May meeting

Since we are into the sulphur hatch and many members will be out fishing, we will not have a monthly meeting ion May.

The next event is the yearly banquet to be held Saturday June 7th. More details to follow.

No April Meeting

Next activity is the clean up. Hope to see you there!

January Meeting- minutes

The minutes for the January meeting can be downloaded here

New Platinum members

The LJRA welcomes are recognized new platinum members.

Tom Roberson

George Fallon

Heather Seidenberg

Mike Wethorn

Matt Newlin

Penny Willgerodt

Evan Krugar

Geoff Grier

Bert Altmans

No December Meeting

Due to a speaker’s cancellation, there will be no December Meeting.

Eric Oliver selected for 2024 Friend of the River Award

Eric Oliver received the 2024 Friend of the River Award at the LJRA banquet held on June 8th. Eric has been involved in and led many water monitoring projects in the watershed, including at Bells Gap Run and at the Rutter’s construction site. His monitoring efforts at the Rutter’s site are particularly noteworthy and have led to fines and corrections during its construction. He was instrumental in writing grants to fund the monitoring effort. Congratulations, Eric, and we are lucky to have such a dedicated friend of the river.

Rest In Peace John Bennis

We are sad to announce that former Director of the LJRA John Bennis, formally of Hollidaysburg, has passed away after a courageous battle against cancer at the age of 69. John was a dedicated member of the board and a strong supporter of the LJRA. He was an early Director who gave willingly of his time and energy to improve the river. We will miss him.

You can read his obituary here https://www.richardsonfs.com/obituary/John-Bennis

Stream work on the upper river contributes sediment into the system

Yesterday during a river tour with a new LJRA member, Bill witnessed 2 large excavators at the Old 6th Avenue Road bridge in Pinecroft, crossing over Sandy Run, a Class A wild Trout stream and High Quality Cold Water listed stream. They had built a road through Sandy Run using soil from the streambank. They have 2 small culvert pipes that are barely keeping up with the flow and creating a muddy pool behind the improvised road. We spoke with the engineer in charge and learned that they will be digging up a large section of sewer main from the stream bed, today. Then installing a replacement section which will take 3 or 4 days. The makeshift culvert will surely wash out with a heavy rain, delivering sediment into the upper river. This main is not leaking it is, in their words, sagging and requires frequent cleaning. We are challenging their permit terms and will seek to minimize the impact on this major cold water resource for the upper river.

If you see something unusual in the river or its tributaries, please contact Bill or if its a serious immediate threat to the river contact local authorities

Director Angie Spagnoli recognized for her conservation efforts

Director Angie Spagnoli was recently awarded the 2024 Junta Valley Audubon Society Conservation Award for her work with wetlands conservation, education and advocacy. We are very lucky to have her on the board. Congratulations Angie!