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Matthew Opdyke, PhD, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Point Park was awarded a $6,000 grant by the Coldwater Heritage Partnership in collaboration with the Fishing Creek Sportsman Association and Columbia County Trout Unlimited chapter. Coldwater Heritage is an organization that funds the support for evaluation, conservation and protection of Pennsylvania's coldwater streams.

Opdyke will be supervising the study, "Conservation of Coldwater Fishes in Fishing Creek Watershed, Columbia and Sullivan Counties." The study has been developed to examine the concerns regarding the restriction of native brook trout to the headwaters of the Fishing Creek watershed and the disappearance of stocked trout. The two-year project will assess the aquatic health and habitat quality of native brook trout to the headwaters of Fishing Creek. The goal is to educate the surrounding community on fish conservation and develop a conservation plan to improve habitat and water quality for the aquatic life.