The Armstrong Conservation District held a workshop for municipal officials on December 15, 2020. Thirty-nine municipal officials representing fifteen municipalities attended the workshop. Topics included stormwater management ordinances; dirt, gravel, and low volume road program (DGLVR) updates; MS4 permit requirements; and meeting MS4 compliance using environmentally sensitive maintenance practices on DGLVR and watershed restoration efforts.

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 Mercer County Conservation District has an ongoing feature on their Facebook page called “Name that Nature.” The district posts beautiful photos and videos of local nature and asks its followers to guess what it is.

Pictured here, on Day 156 of Name that Nature is “American Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana); it is one of the only species that bloom in the winter, hence the little greenish/yellow flower bracts that have been left behind from the petals falling off.”

Kudos to Mercer County Conservation District for finding an interactive, online way to showcase nature in their county!

This past summer, the Susquehanna County Conservation District held an online rain barrel workshop to educate participants on managing stormwater in their community. Ten participants virtually explored the Chesapeake Bay watershed, acquired knowledge on water quality problems associated with the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and learned how individuals could reduce their stormwater footprint. Following the workshop, each participant was able to pick up a rain barrel to install on their property.

The grant also provided funding for two additional rain barrels to be purchased for environmental education purposes. One rain barrel has been donated to the borough of Susquehanna, where it will be installed at the newly opened Ira Reynolds Riverfront Park. The second rain barrel will be on display at the Susquehanna County Conservation District. Once installed, the public is encouraged to visit both locations to learn more about stormwater and see how a rain barrel functions.

Click here to read the entire press release. 

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.

Pike County Conservation District produced a bi-fold brochure titled “A Homeowner’s Checklist for a Watershed Friendly Home.” The brochure presents information about reducing nonpoint source pollution from private property in the form of a checklist homeowners can use to evaluate their own homes. These brochures have been distributed to the Pike County municipalities and will be handed out at future district events and other locations upon post-pandemic reopening.

To distribute the information more effectively in the current climate, the checklist was also made into an interactive, illustrated webpage (which can be viewed here: https://pikeconservation.org/checklist/, allowing people to access the checklist while remaining socially distanced.

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.

On November 28, 1945, the Potter County Conservation District became the first district established in Pennsylvania.

Our roots began in the farming community, with the primary goal of helping agriculture thrive while protecting natural resources. From the late 1930s until 1945, three influential local figures spearheaded the establishment of the District – Henry Staiger, an agriculture teacher and involved community member, and Ed Fisher and Roselle Lette, both progressive farmers.

The district’s initial goal was to prevent soil erosion for future farming and to conserve water quality. As Mr. Staiger explained to a then skeptical public, “would you allow a hole to remain in your pocket if you were only losing a dime at a time?” the example being that soil erosion, although often slow, is a steady loss with long term negative effects.

Click here to read the press release and view more photos. 

On November 5, 2020, Kevin Brown, agricultural resource specialist at the Bradford County Conservation District, shared his experiences with no-till gardens for every size property.

Participants learned how you can spend less time weeding, have a productive garden, and improve water quality and soil health in your backyard!

Click here to view the Better Gardens, Better Soil webinar. 

The week of October 12-16, 2020, the Beaver County Conservation District (BCCD) held a virtual workshop for homeowners on stormwater management. Susan Boser from Penn State Extension presented a program focusing on watersheds, nonpoint source pollution, and stormwater best management practices. The presentation is available here. BCCD Watershed Specialist Hannah Ward demonstrated how to build a rain barrel via video. Click here to view the video. Participants received a rain barrel kit after completing the online workshop.

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.

On October 22, 2020, Cumberland County Conservation District (CCCD) held a two-hour E&S/NPDES engineer workshop via webinar. Eighty-two engineers and consultants signed on to learn about the 2019 PAG-02 Permit, the new Notice of Intent and Individual Permit application, completing the Post Construction Stormwater Management spreadsheets, and other key program components. Click here to view videos of the presentations.

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.

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!