There are some who question the value of streambank stabilization projects like the one taking place along Brokenstraw Creek.

Diane Brant of Warren isn’t one of them.

Two members of Brant’s family were walking along a trail near Brokenstraw Creek in late May when a family member walked up to the bank, unaware it had been undercut about 18 inches by high water. The bank gave way and the woman fell 8-10 feet, breaking five vertebrae and five ribs. She wrote in a letter run in the Times Observer on Saturday that a nurse told her of similar streambank mishaps, including one on Brokenstraw Creek.

Luke Bodnar, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy projects manager, said work on Brokenstraw Creek has included log and stone structures that deflect flow from eroding stream banks, stabilize the toe, and provide overhead cover for fish as well as planting native and live cutting of riparian shrubs to enhance the structures’ stability.

Projects like the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Brokenstraw Creek work are often discussed in terms of beautification. Making sure our natural assets are attractive is important. But it’s more important that our natural assets are safe for those who use them whether they’re visiting or if they are county residents walking the trails for exercise or relaxation.