Grants up to $2,000 are awarded to conservation districts for adult educational projects that offer strategies for reducing and preventing Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution. Projects should stimulate a local awareness of water quality issues, promote the theme “We All Live Downstream,” and encourage citizen participation in activities to improve water quality in local watersheds.

The deadline for NPS mini-grant applications is March 2, 2018. Click here for the online application and more information.  Please note that a Google Account is required to submit an application. Questions should be directed to Shannon Wehinger.

Financial and other support for the NPS Mini-grant Program 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.

 

 

$99,000 in Mini-grant Funds Available for Conservation Districts

Through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), each Pennsylvania conservation district is eligible for a mini-grant (up to $1,500 initially per district) to hold local Manure Management Manual and/or Agricultural Erosion & Sedimentation Plan workshops. These sessions would assist farmers in understanding compliance requirements and lead to development of a complete manure management plan and/or agricultural erosion & sedimentation plan.

Applications will be approved on an ongoing basis. Applicants should hear back within a week if their project is okay or if it needs fine tuning. These are non-competitive grants — we have $1,500 earmarked for each district. Grants pay for eligible expenses on a reimbursement basis.

The mini-grant application and guidelines are available here. The deadline to apply is January 26, 2018. Mini-grant activities must be completed, and final reports must be submitted, by May 25, 2018. No extensions will be granted. Contact Shannon Wehinger with questions.

Three free trainings on the Manure Management Manual will be held this winter. These “train the trainer” events are for new conservation district staff or those who attended this training in previous years and want a refresher. Click here or see the article below for more information. 

Financial support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant, the Clean Water Fund, and the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program (CBRAP).

 

 

 

Submitted by York County Conservation District

The York County Conservation District received a grant to educate the residents of York County about stormwater. They collaborated with the York County Planning Commission (YCPC) and developed two stormwater tours.

Stormwater management is hot topic. When many think of stormwater management, the typical large retention pond comes to mind. But there are so many other options available!

The first tour was for the elected and appointed officials and staff of our municipalities.This was a bus tour and included seven different sites with speakers at each location. The second tour, intended for the general public, can be either a virtual tour or a self-guided tour of many different types of Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs). Tour participants use an online story map created by the YCPC, which includes pictures, descriptions, and directions to various BMP sites in York County.

Click here to view the story map. Many of these projects have been completed by municipalities who are participating in a regional group effort to comply with MS4 requirements and to clean up the waters of York County. As more projects are completed, they will be added to the story map.

To learn more about the projects, or the regional effort, contact Lindsay Gerner at the YCPC. To learn more about the use of the self-guided story map, contact Jacob Trimmer, also at the YCPC.

Financial and other support for this project was 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.

 

The Monroe County Conservation District recently completed a Nonpoint Source Pollution Educational Mini-grant project. The district purchased a three-pan rain simulator to use during their outreach events. They educated the community on how nonpoint source pollution occurs and how vegetated soils can help prevent the pollution from making its way into our water.

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.

 

The 2016-17 round of Pennsylvania Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) mini-grants for conservation districts concluded in June.

Some of the outcomes include:

• 8 projects were conducted
• 2,000 farmers and landowners were reached
• 3 field days/walkabouts were held
• 6 workshops were held
• 31 one-on-one visits were held
• 29 participants indicated they plan to enroll in CREP In the future
• 31 participants indicated they plan to re-enroll in CREP when their contract expires

PACD has applied for grant funding to continue this program. If funding is granted, a new grant round will be opened. Questions about the mini-grant program should be directed to swehinger@pacd.org.

 

In the 2016-17 Nonpoint Source Pollution mini-grant round, 30 projects were completed by 25 conservation districts, reaching over 3,305 adults.

The projects included stormwater management, agricultural workshops, a safe disposal of medications campaign, municipal workshops, golf course outreach, and more! Ninety-three workshops and 23 field days were conducted during this mini-grant round.

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.

Click here for project outcomes and a map of completed projects. 

Columbia County Conservation District led an outreach campaign to promote local take-back centers for unused medications. The campaign reached, the specific target audience of those over 50, who are more likely to be in possession of unused medications in the home, as well as the general public. The campaign included making two large signs at local parks (pictured), informational fliers, posters for pharmacies, and radio public service announcements.

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.

Click here to read more. 

On April 20, 2017, the Elk County Conservation District (ECCD) held a forestry workshop. The event was one of three workshops, which ECCD held as part of their “Non-Point Source Pollution Prevention Workshop Series” mini-grant project through the Non-point Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Program.

Thirty people attended the workshop in Byrnedale, PA, which included a field session in Force, PA. The workshop was a cooperative effort between Elk, Cameron, McKean, Warren, Potter, and Tioga County Conservation Districts.

The event covered forestry principals, best management practice options, and erosion and sediment control plans.

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.

 

 

For their 2016-17 Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant project, Crawford County Conservation District reached out to residents of Canadohta Lake. Through the project, the district provided 21 technical assistance meetings, authorized 14 permits, and saw an increase in interest in best management practice installation.

The district will use this project as a prototype to implement at other lakes in the county.

 

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.

 

 

Through the 2016-17 Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant program, the Mifflin County Conservation District held a public watershed meeting on March 28, 2017. The meeting raised public awareness about watershed issues and received public comments on an update to the Watershed Implementation Plan for the impaired Upper Kish Watershed. Collaborating organizations, local residents, municipalities, farmers, and agricultural industry professionals attended this meeting.

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.