The Washington County Conservation District and the Greene County Conservation District used Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant funds (administered by PACD) to produce a video of a municipal streambank tour and restoration event.

The video highlights the event and provides basic information about stream banks and restoration. So far, the Washington County Conservation District has received two calls from residents who saw the video and want to conduct restoration projects on their property.

The video can be accessed at the following URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W52sKqAI_AQ

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.

 

 

Eighteen projects in 17 counties were selected for funding, totaling more than $34,000 for the 2018 round of the Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Mini-grant Program for Conservation Districts. The program is administered by PACD and funding is provided through the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“PACD is thrilled to work with DEP to fund projects across the Commonwealth. This funding will allow districts to educate citizens about their part in reducing nonpoint source pollution,” said PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh. “The result will be cleaner water and healthier soil for future generations.”

The projects funded are:

Allegheny	Equine Environmental Stewardship Short Course
Beaver	Stormwater Help for Homeowners
Bedford	Homeowner Practices to Minimize Stormwater/NPS Pollution Impacts
Berks	Preventing Nonpoint Source Pollution through Adult Education in Berks County
Bradford	Interseeder and BMP Demonstration Days
Chester	Chester County “Day on the Bay”
Dauphin	Rain Barrel Workshops
Elk	Non-Point Source Pollution Educational Series
Erie	We All Live Downstream: A Residential Stormwater Workshop
Greene	Stormwater Workshops
Lackawanna	Stormwater Management In Your Back Yard
Lawrence	Pilot Teacher’s Watershed and Stormwater Workshop
McKean	McKean County Streamside Stewardship
Perry	SCOPE = Scientific Citizens Observing Pollution (in the) Environment.
Potter	Ag-Stravaganza
Wayne	A Precipitation Education: Rain Barrel Workshop
Wayne	Stream Maintenance and Flood Intervention Workshop
Westmoreland	Green Infrastructure Tour in the Turtle Creek, Sewickley Creek, and Jacobs Creek Watersheds

 

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 Cover-Crop Workshop held on February 8, 2018, at the Jefferson County Conservation District (JCCD) educated 48 farmers on the benefits of cover crops, including reducing excess sediment, nutrient, and pesticide runoff through their use. Presentations addressed nonpoint source pollution reduction by use of cover crops, pest control, and soil health, as well as weed control in relation to cover crop use. The workshop was funded by PACD’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Program.

As part of the workshop, JCCD produced a presentation titled, “Prevention of Nonpoint Source Pollution Using Cover Crops.” The presentation is available on PACD’s Educational Events Sample Materials webpage.  Conservation districts are encouraged to use the materials on this page for their educational events.

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.

PACD is now accepting mini-grant applications for up to $3,000 to implement educational and outreach activities that support and extend the work of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Projects should focus on CREP enrollment, re-enrollment and/or CREP maintenance.

The guidelines and application for the new CREP mini-grant program for conservation districts are posted here. Questions should be directed to Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

 

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.