Early Bird Registration Discount for the 2013 Joint Annual Conference Ends This Friday!

The early bird deadline for the 2013 Joint Annual Conference is this Friday, June 13. Be an early bird and take advantage of the reduced registration rate! All registrations made online through June 14 will qualify for the $30 registration fee, which is a $15 discount. Sending your registration through the regular mail? All forms postmarked by June 14 will still qualify.

This year, conference attendees can learn how to avoid and recognize the symptoms of Lyme Disease, get the inside track on Public Participation and Legislative Effectiveness from former PANO Executive Director Joe Geiger, and tour the Marlboro Mushrooms farm and solar power system. In addition, this is a great opportunity to network with other conservation district professionals in between sessions, over dinner or breakfast, or during our movie-themed hospitality suite on Monday night. Click here to register now and get all of this for less!

Register for 2013 Educator Conference Today!

Want to join a day of networking and resource sharing in the field of environmental education? Then the one-day Environmental Educator Conference is the place you want to be on June 19! The conference is taking place at the Benjamin Olewine III Nature Center, Wildwood Park, 100 Wildwood Way, Harrisburg, PA 17110.

There is $25 fee which covers program materials, lunch and refreshments. The first 35 conservation district staff to register will be reimbursed for mileage (up to $50).

For more information and to register, visit http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=ojcxsrkab&oeidk=a07e76lzfjdc6860ff4. Registration closes this Wednesday, June 12. Questions can be directed to Brandi Hunter-Davenport at brandi-davenport@pacd.org or 717-238-7223.

Before (left) and after photos show a piece of the district’s work to create a demonstration site to educate residents on native plants and why they help improve water quality. Photos provided by Wayne Conservation District.

The Wayne Conservation District along with many valued partners has been working on a Japanese Knotweed Demonstration Site along the West Branch Lackawaxen River running through the town of Honesdale since 2008. This year, with funding from a PACD mini-grant, the district was able to plant more than 40 native trees and shrubs along a 450’ stretch of the river. They were also able to lay new soil, seed and mulch areas that were in need. The goal of the site is to teach landowners about various methods available for treatment of this highly invasive species.

Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Pennsylvania’s County Conservation Districts today received more than $47,000 for 27 projects in 24 counties that promote water pollution prevention strategies through the Non-point Source (NPS) Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-Grant Program.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with Pennsylvania’s conservation districts to implement projects throughout the Commonwealth that improve the quality of life for our families,” said Robert Maiden, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD). “The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has generously provided this funding which is an investment in clean water for our communities.”

Funding for the grants, up to $2,000 each, is provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency. A description of current and previously funded projects is available at www.pacd.org under the Education tab.

2013 – 2014 NPS Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grants were awarded to the following:

Participants listen as Jeff Ainslie, Red Barn Inc., explains the process of manure composting. Photo provided by BCCD.

The Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) hosted an educational tour and discussion at the Tim and Deborah Kurtz Farm in Caernarvon Township on May 23, 2013.  The event, which was attended by over 60 people, showed local legislators, the farming community and others what can be accomplished when local, state and federal partners come together. 

In 2012, the Berks County Conservation District was awarded $1.8 million from PENNVEST (Pennsylvania Infrastructure and Investment Authority). The funding allowed BCCD to implement Agricultural Best Management Practices on four farms to help prevent polluted runoff from reaching waterways.

The project on the Kurtz Farm included construction of a new dairy barn with a solids separator, compost drum, lagoon and other best management practices.  Terry Fisher, from the PA Association of Conservation Districts said, “the work done at the Kurtz Farm not only increases production at the farm but also protects the water quality of streams in Berks County.”

The project was made possible through a collaborative effort between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), PENNVEST and other partners.