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LIGONIER, Pa. (AP) — Brown trout thrive in the upper reaches of Loyalhanna Creek, providing a feast for belted kingfishers. Thanks to two local couples, that's how things likely will remain for years to come at the wooded spot in Cook where the waterway tumbles out of the Laurel Ridge and begins its 41-mile journey to merge with the Conemaugh River at Saltsburg. Neighbors Todd Simonds and Henry Armstrong, former board members of the Loyalhanna Watershed Association, and their respective wives, Molly and Nancy, have agreed to donate to the nonprofit association 24 acres they jointly own in order to preserve 1,000 feet of pristine Loyalhanna headwaters that run through it. The property is near the couples' homes and between Hauger Hood and Stony Lonesome roads near Stahlstown. Simonds noted that the land had been timbered before they purchased it about a decade ago. Although it was subject to a conservation easement, he said residential development would have been possible. "We felt this posed a particular risk to the stream," Simonds said. "I don't think it could bear any density of housing at all on this property. The stream would have become polluted and would have lost its natural tranquility. "Ten years ago, the watershed was not in the position where they could have purchased it. We took care of the land for a decade, and now we can turn it over to the watershed on really solid footing." Simonds said he enjoys outdoor activities on the scenic property — hiking along the stream with family members and searching for arrowheads along the banks. "It supports a tremendous amount of wildlife," he added. The donation will help advance the watershed association's mission to protect the creek, said Josh Penatzer, project manager for the group. "It's the driving force of what's flowing in the rest of the watershed," he said. A deed to transfer the property could be signed by the end of the year, said Susan Huba, the association's executive director. Huba said the association and the watershed it protects have come a long way in the past decade. She said the creek now is classified as a "Keystone Select" waterway, with portions stocked with large, trophy trout by the state Fish and Boat Commission. "We found the hellbender salamander this summer," she added. "It hasn't been found in the upper reaches for 20 years." Also this year, the association moved its headquarters into a renovated farmhouse outside Ligonier and attracted 116 paddlers for its third annual sojourn along the creek. ___ Online: http://bit.ly/2hdmYRl ___ Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pghtrib.com

Neighbors donate acres with headwaters to preservation group