MONACA, Pa. — The Wagoner family of Tall Pines Farms in Darlington Township knew it was time to institute innovative sustainability practices to revitalize the water quality of Dilworth Run.
As the third and fourth generations to manage the land, they felt a deep responsibility to modernize the stewardship of their cattle and sheep farm, which has been a family legacy for over 75 years.
Historically, the Wagoners had never taken advantage of government funding programs, but Glenn L. Wagoner, patriarch of the operation, came to see the role it could play in improving the farm for future generations.
There was just one big problem — the cows in the creek. Dilworth Run winds its way 2,700 feet through the farm. While it has long been a spot for their cattle and sheep to drink and cool off, allowing livestock unfettered access to the stream is bad for water quality.
As such, it was made clear to the Wagoners that the stream would have to be made off-limits to the livestock to become eligible for government conservation programs.
Building a buffer
The best way to keep livestock out of the run would be to create a riparian buffer with streambank fencing.
Riparian buffers are trees, shrubs and grasses planted along streams that play an important role in maintaining the health of our waterways, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources.
The Wagoners wanted the project done correctly — the buffer is built based on the USDA’s best management practices with funding and technical assistance from Pasa Sustainable Agriculture — and Rachel Wagoner, who runs the farm with her father-in-law and husband, wanted data to prove the buffer is improving the quality of Dilworth Run.
The quality of Dilworth Run is important in a larger context.
The run drains into the North Fork of the Little Beaver, which then drains into the Little Beaver in Ohio. The Little Beaver is a national wild and scenic river, which is also home to endangered hellbenders, North America’s largest salamander.
“It is pretty cool when I think about the big picture of what we're doing on our farm and the downstream impacts of improving our water quality that might make life better for [endangered] salamanders,” Rachel said.
The family also knew it was going to be important to have data to show their efforts were making an improvement.
That’s where Penn State Beaver students and Penn State Extension educators were able to help.
Help from higher ed
Rachel reached out to Craig Conforti, client services specialist with the Penn State Extension–Beaver County located on Penn State Beaver’s campus, for guidance.
A farmer himself, Conforti realized the biology program at Penn State Beaver could be a good resource for the Wagoners, and there could be a valuable hands-on learning experience for the students.
After a series of discussions between the campus and the Wagoners, the biology program created an independent study course taught by Instructor April Claus. The course began in the fall 2025 semester when a group of students assessed the stream’s water quality as well as the presence of aquatic life and native plants and trees around the stream.
Jordan Dilley, a third-year biology major, is studying the macroinvertebrates in the stream. She described the small organisms as “water bugs of sorts,” and their presences, or lack thereof, can indicate water quality.
Dilley began her work during the spring semester by determining the baseline water quality of the stream. She said the equations and methods she used can be repeated over time for years to come to monitor changes.
The students learned about the baseline water testing from Susan Boser, a water resources extension educator who focuses on renewable natural resources in her work.
“I went early in the fall to talk to the class and introduce them to FISH (First Investigation of Stream Health) protocol,” Boser said. “It’s a community science protocol, so it’s easy for anybody to do.”
The FISH protocol looks at the physical and biological parameters of the stream including water clarity, vegetative cover on the banks, animal influences and rocks and sedimentation in the water, Boser said.
Boser also worked with the fall class on sampling the macroinvertebrates.
Boser said the students can do the protocol a couple of times in the year and then in subsequent years after the buffer improvement takes place to document how water quality and vegetation along the stream bank improves over time.
Over the past few months, Dilley said she made connections with other professionals in the water quality field learning how to sample and how to best quantify the populations of macroinvertebrates in the stream to get the most meaningful data possible.
“It’s an excellent opportunity,” Jordan said. “I think going to Penn State Beaver was one of the best decisions ever because of all these opportunities.
During the spring semester, Claus' students have been conducting their own research projects to collect more baseline biological data on additional native species, including birds, amphibians and mammals.
"In any longevity study, establishing baseline data is critical for accurately tracking environmental shifts over time. While chemical parameters of a stream, like pH and dissolved oxygen, provide a snapshot of water quality, they often fail to capture the full story,” Claus said.
Claus explained that by examining aquatic life — especially fish and macroinvertebrates — researchers can gain a much more comprehensive view of the stream's health across the seasons.
"The highlight of this project for me was seeing my students bridge the gap between the classroom and the workforce,” Claus said. “By requiring them to collaborate with real-world resource professionals, they’ve moved beyond textbooks to develop their own unique research. This semester alone, our students have been mentored in the field by biologists and experts from the Pennsylvania State Game Commission, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, environmental consultants from the Mannik & Smith Group, Creek Connections and Penn State Cooperative Extension."
Rachel is excited about how the project developed and involved Penn State Beaver students.
“I still can’t believe that it’s a whole thing based on our farm just because I was curious,” she said. “Really cool things can happen when you open up and build relationships.”