The Colonel was taking a break, I guess, from frying chicken, to see how the fishing was. His presence was a reminder of how urbanization is galloping through parts of the state, crowding creeks and squeezing the sport of angling. The stream I was fishing was the well-known Falling Spring Branch, at Chambersburg, Franklin County. Falling Spring Branch is fabled among anglers for its limestone spring-fed water and its wild trout, particularly streambred rainbows. This wild rainbow trout was caught and released in Falling Spring Branch.
Greenways are important to anglers.
Greenways can help improve water quality and streamside habitat, and they can help preserve access. Interstate 81 crosses Falling Spring Branch on the east side of town, with an exit that drops thousands of motorists onto busy Route 30. Strip malls, including quick-chicken restaurants, are just one symptom of increasing development, in addition to more hotels, houses and businesses. It also has a lot of new residences, as people move into the attractive neighborhood. The answer at Falling Spring Branch is that the fishing has been preserved, as well as most of the public access.