The Lower Paint Creek Watershed Association (LPCWA), a community led environmental restoration group, initiated this stream restoration project on Ash Branch in the mid 1990s. Ash Branch is a tributary stream of Paint Creek and passes near the Morton Fishing Pier.

Using stones and trees from the surrounding woods the group built a habitat enhancement area for introducing fingerlings to the stream. Efforts to construct these K-dams have also reduced the severity of flooding at the confluence of Ash Branch with Paint Creek. The West Virginia Watershed Network recognized LPCWA with its 2001 Habitat Award for the association’s efforts to restore stream habitat along Ash Branch and other stretches of Paint Creek.

LPCWA also developed a mile-long hiking trail to a scenic waterfall. Bird watching and fossil hunting opportunities augment the recreational experience on and near Paint Creek