 The virgin forests cooled the land and streams . Centuries of accumulated organic matter in the forest soil caused slow percolation of rainfall into the creeks and runs , so they flowed more evenly year @-@ round . Pine Creek was home to large numbers of fish , including trout , but dams downstream on the Susquehanna River have eliminated the shad , salmon , and eels once found in the creek . The clearcutting of forests destroyed habitat for animals , but there was also a great deal of hunting , with bounties paid for large predators . 
