The Potter County Conservation District (PCCD) recently teamed up with the County Planning Commission to complete 26 individual municipal meetings over two months. Elected officials from each of the municipalities, representatives from Erb Inspections, Inc., and local sewage enforcement officers were invited to these one-on-one meetings. This was the second round of meetings held since the effort was launched in 2017.

PCCD Manager Jason Childs, PCCD Resource Conservationist Glenn Dunn II, and Potter County Planning Commission GIS/Planning Director Will Hunt scheduled a total of nine sessions at outdoor venues throughout the county due to COVID-19. Popular topics of discussion during the sessions included the County Subdivision and Land Development Ordinances (SALDO), stormwater management, 911 addressing, permitting, district programs and assistance, and county planning, GIS programs, and assistance.

In addition, the conservation district and planning commission plan to update the “Municipal Resource Booklet” that was developed in 2017 and add a checklist for municipal officials and residents to use. Both offices felt that this was a great opportunity to open up lines of communication and strengthen partnerships. The district and planning commission would like to thank everyone who took the time to meet. This effort will be ongoing as it is a goal to host this series of meetings after every election year.

PACD created a public service announcement (PSA) to encourage citizens to dispose of their leaf waste responsibly.

Materials include:

• 60-second Script
• 30-second Script
• 15-second Script
• 60-second animated version

Click here to view the webpage of materials. Please share the PSA scripts with your local radio stations. Conservation districts and partners are encouraged to share the animated version on their social media channels.

The Columbia County Conservation District held a “Haunted Trails” event at their district-owned Kocher Nature Park on Saturday, October 24, 2020. Approximately 150 adults and children came through the trails, which the district carefully designed with social distancing protocols and lots of environmental education opportunities!

The Blair County Conservation District hosted a ribbon-cutting for NatureWorks Park on October 8, 2020. About 40 invited guests participated in the event to “open” Blair County’s first environmental-specific outdoor recreation area. The property is owned by the Blair County Conservation District and managed by the district staff with many volunteers’ assistance! A PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Program Grant was received to cover a portion of the cost of construction. Keller Engineers, Inc. of Hollidaysburg provided the design and permitting of the site. For more information on the park, visit our website at https://natureworkspark.org or check out the park on Facebook. 

The popular ‘My Growing Tree’ program, traditionally delivered to all McKean County elementary school first graders in April for Arbor Day, took a hiatus during the pandemic. This fall, the McKean County Conservation District, with the Potter County Conservation District and PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry, re-worked the program into a remote kit that could be delivered to schools without visiting classes.

The remote kits loaned to teachers include a lesson plan, videos, activities, and additional resources.

Click here to read the entire article. 

This program was made possible by a DEP Environmental Education Grant.

During the PACD Education & Outreach Committee meeting on July 13, 2020, the committee discussed the continuing need to create educational content that can be accessed virtually. As a result, PACD Software Specialist Nick Yeagy will host a webinar for conservation districts on creating educational videos. Nick’s full-time job is to create instructional videos for the Clean Water Academy. During the webinar, Nick will share his knowledge and experience to help districts create a video, including providing suggestions for hardware and software and sharing general tips for producing higher quality videos.

The Zoom webinar will take place using Zoom Friday, July 31, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. and is open to all PA conservation district staff, directors, and associate directors. Please send any topics you would like covered or questions you would like answered to Nick at nyeagy@pacd.org by July 28, 2020. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions during the Zoom session.

Please RSVP to Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org by July 30 to receive the information to access the webinar.

Thank you to the PA Department of Environmental Protection for supporting PACD in this educational endeavor.

The NACD Stewardship and Education Committee is excited to announce the release of the 2021 Poster Contest and Stewardship Week theme: “Healthy Forests = Healthy Communities.”

Trees and forests are critical in providing clean air and water, healthy soil, abundant wildlife habitat, and valuable resources we use every day. Rules, entry forms, and other resources for the 2021 NACD Poster Contest will be available for download later this summer.

The 66th Annual Stewardship Week will take place April 25-May 2, 2021. For more information, visit the NACD Stewardship Program webpage. 

PACD created a public service announcement (PSA) to encourage citizens to plant native plants.

Materials include:

• Script and audio for 60-second version
  
  
• Script and audio for 30-second version
  
  
• Script for 15-second version
  
  
• 60-second animated version

Click here to view the webpage of materials https://pacd.org/?page_id=20773. Please share the PSA scripts with your local radio stations. Conservation districts and partners are encouraged to share the animated version on their social media channels.

More resources for teaching environmental education from home are now available. Huntingdon County Conservation District (HCCD) and the PA Envirothon have new things to share.

HCCD is creating some virtual field trips in the form of short videos and photo albums, including:

• Learn how we monitor water quality and about what lives in the stream
• Look at invasive species
• Tour a vernal pool
• Sample macroinvertebrates

Click here to view the videos and consider sharing them on your social media! (You must be logged in to Facebook to view.)

Pennsylvania Envirothon is hosting an online challenge week (“Pennsylvania Envirothon Week”) from May 18-22, 2020, to give this year’s students a chance to test their knowledge and stay engaged in the program. This challenge will only be available for high school students who were already participating in this year’s Envirothon. Click here to learn more. 

Events conservation districts planned to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2020, were canceled or modified due to the COVID-19 crisis. So what can we do to mark this momentous occasion? PACD suggests encouraging folks in your county to have a neighborhood trash pick-up while maintaining social distancing guidelines.

Another way to honor Earth Day with kids is to distribute the “We All Live Downstream” otter coloring page and the “Good Neighbors Activity & Coloring Book” through social media.

Please share your Earth Day messages on Facebook and tag @PAConservation.