Beaver Run (Catawissa Creek tributary)

Beaver Run looking downstream near Shumans, Pennsylvania, not far from its mouth

Beaver Run begins in a valley in Beaver Township, a few hundred feet from the border between Columbia County and Luzerne County. The stream flows north for a short distance before turning west, flows west and slightly south for several miles between McCauley Mountain and Buck Mountain, eventually turns northwest and then southwest less than a mile later. A short distance downstream, it turns west and crosses Pennsylvania Route 339, then reaches its confluence with Catawissa Creek.[1]

Beaver Run joins Catawissa Creek 13.02 miles (20.95 km) upstream of its mouth.[2]

The elevation near the mouth of Beaver Run is 649 feet (198 m) above sea level.[4] The elevation of the stream's source is just over 1,040 feet (320 m) above sea level.[1]

Beaver Run is a fairly slow-moving stream. It is also relatively wide in some places.[5]

The watershed of Beaver Run is mostly or entirely on rock of the Mauch Chunk Formation. The soil in the watershed is Leck Kill soil.[3]

The watershed of Beaver Run has an area of 9.60 miles (15.45 km).[2] Most of the watershed is in Beaver Township, Columbia County, but a small portion extends into Luzerne County.[3] The wetlands on the creek's upper reaches[5] are the largest and most biologically diverse wetlands in Columbia County.[3]

Much of the watershed of Beaver Run is in agricultural land.[3] The stream's valley is fairly narrow and situated between Buck Mountain and McCauley Mountain.[6]

The community of Shumans is near the stream's mouth. Main roads in its watershed are Pennsylvania Route 339, Beaver Valley Road and Mountain Shadow Lane.[3]

Scotch Run was most likely named by Alexander McCauley in 1774. A legend says that he named the stream so after watching a group of beavers construct a dam on it.[7] Beaver Township is in turn named after the stream.[6]

In the late 1800s the Beaver Valley Post Office was near the mouth of Beaver Run.[8]

Two bridges longer than 20 feet (6.1 m) have been built over Beaver Run. The first, a concrete slab bridge built in 1930, is 21.0 feet (6.4 m) long. The second, a steel stringer bridge built in 1934, is 29.9 feet (9.1 m) long.[9]

The wetlands of Beaver Run are listed as a "locally significant site" in the Columbia County Natural Areas Inventory. They rank in the inventory at 4 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the most important.[5]

The wetlands of Beaver Run are a highbush blueberry / meadowsweet shrub swamp which includes trees and shrubs such as red elderberry, black ash, poison sumac, speckled alder, buttonbush, steeple-bush, and mountain holly. Other plants inhabiting these wetlands include various ferns and sedges and skunk cabbage, cattails, yellow pond lilies, smooth goldenrod, swamp candles, woolgrass, and several other plants.[5]

A red maple / yellow birch / eastern hemlock palustrine forest is also found in the vicinity of Beaver Run, as is a buttonbush / highbush blueberry shrub swamp. Both of these habitats contain several plants not found in the highbush blueberry / meadowsweet shrub swamp.[5]

A number of bird species have been observed in the Beaver Run wetlands. These include common yellowthroat, gray catbird, house wren, ovenbird, swamp sparrow, and yellow warbler. A dragonfly species known as the spangled skimmer also occurs in the wetlands.[5] Beaver Run is considered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to be a coldwater fishery.[3]

• Long Hollow (Catawissa Creek), next tributary of Catawissa Creek going upstream
• Mine Gap Run, next tributary of Catawissa Creek going downstream
• List of tributaries of Catawissa Creek

• Map of the Catawissa Creek watershed