Historic train to help undo trout habitat damage - WVVA TV Bluefield Beckley WV News, Weather and Sports

Historic train to help undo trout habitat damage

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CASS, W.Va. (AP) -- The Division of Natural Resources will use a century-old steam locomotive to help improve fish habitat.

The Shay No. 5 engine that used to haul timber will on Monday haul 3 tons of culvert liners up Cheat Mountain to Oats Run. The tributary of Shavers Fork is near the historic logging town of Spruce.

Director Frank Jezioro says the culverts will give native brook trout access to historic upstream spawning areas.

Biologists and West Virginia University scientists have worked for years to restore once-pristine mountain streams.

With grants from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, they've tried to undo damage caused by logging and trains in the early 1900s.

Jezioro says dredging and installation of railroad culverts and bridges damaged many streams.

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