The Little Juniata River, site of a landmark judicial decision on public access in 2007, became more accessible recently when the owners of a riverside quarry near Tyrone, Huntington County, agreed to lease property to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

The agreement, negotiated by members of the nonprofit Little Juniata River Association, gives anglers and other river users access to the river bank’s high water mark, parking areas and the Limestone Road access off Route 453.

With some notable private property postings, the river bank is accessible to the public from Tyrone to the confluence with the river’s Frankstown Branch.

“Access is the biggest issue facing today's fisherperson, particularly the fly fisher,” said Bruce Cox, a fly tying instructor from Springdale.

The Penn’s Woods West Trout Unlimited member frequently matches hatches on this popular stretch of the Little J.

“Great efforts by huge fishing organizations and companies are being made to protect the water [and] wild fish … and to have nontraditional groups get involved in fly fishing,” Mr. Cox said. “All this effort is a waste of time if there's no place to fish.”

In 2007, Pennsylvania won a legal decision forcing the opening of 1.3 miles of the Little Juniata that had been posted as private property. The court ruled that the river was historically navigable, having been used as a public highway during periods dating back to 1794. As a result of that decision, waterways meeting the navigable definition are open to the public even if both banks and the river bottom are privately owned.

Allegheny eagle news

Bald eagles have begun their reproductive cycle in Allegheny County. Rachel Handel, spokeswoman for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, said nest upgrading, which leads to courtship activities, had begun in three of Allegheny’s known bald eagle nest sites.

“The local eagles have all been seen at their respective nests,” she said. “The Hays and Harmar bald eagles have been actively building upon the nests and I have heard reports from North Park that the eagles there are doing the same.”

Less is known about eagles nesting on private properties near Crescent and Glassport.

First Published: December 19, 2019, 1:00 p.m.