Photo provided by Berks County Conservation District.
Berks County Conservation District sponsors Owatin Creek Elementary School’s Trout in The Classroom program. The district hosted a trout release on Antietam Creek earlier this month.
Photo of Pine Creek project provided by Berks County Conservation District.
Berks County Conservation District completed streambank restoration projects in Pine Creek and Blue Marsh Lake.
Click here to see before and after photos of the Pine Creek streambank rehabilitation project.
Click here to see before and after photos of the Blue Marsh Lake Shoreline Rehabilitation project.
Photo provided by Clarion Conservation District.
The Clarion Conservation District and other partners provided three educational tours of the newly overhauled acid mine drainage (AMD) passive treatment system at the Clarion County Park in Shippenville, PA.
The tours educated agency employees, local educators/teachers, and community members of all ages about acid mine drainage and the work being done in Clarion County to improve water quality and treat this form of nonpoint source pollution.
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.
McKean County Conservation District Watershed Specialist Adam Causer helps participants construct their Rain Barrels during the Rain Barrel Workshop. Photo provided by McKean County Conservation District.
The McKean County Conservation District partnered with the Bradford Sanitary Authority and Penn State Extension’s Master Watershed Stewards to host a rain barrel workshop on April 15, 2023.
The Rain Barrel Workshop reached 29 participants. Topics included learning about rain barrels and rain gardens, watershed basics, stormwater impacts, and steps to take to reduce nonpoint source pollution. Participants of the workshop constructed a rain barrel to take home with them.
The workshop was part of the district’s “Promoting Healthy Watersheds” project, which also included a Winter Farmer’s Meeting and a No-Till Demo Day.
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.
Photo provided by Elk County Conservation District.
Elk and Potter County Conservation Districts held workshops geared toward local realtors in January and February.
Project leader Victoria Challingsworth said, “Our goal was to reach new entities that play a role in some of the environmental impacts we see commonly and hoped to prevent issues before they arise. Real Estate Agents play a unique role and have the potential to provide a great deal of information about a property to interested buyers. We hope that educating realtors about environmental regulations will help them convey correct information to new owners about allowable activities near streams or wetlands.”
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.
Photo provided by Juniata County Conservation District.
Juniata County Conservation District joined the Chesapeake Conservancy, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Milford Township Supervisors, and community volunteers to install 680 live stakes on East Licking Creek. The field day provided instruction in identifying, cutting, storing, and installing live stakes on streambanks for water quality protection.
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.
Photo provided by Fulton County Conservation District.
On March 21, 2023, Fulton County Conservation District held an Ag Winter Meeting in Big Cove Tannery, PA. This was an educational event for local farmers to discuss how to properly use pesticides, manure nutrients, and apply nitrogen fertilizer to reduce the chance of field run-off during a high rainfall event. A presentation was also included on using cover crops to deter pests as an alternative to pesticide applications.
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.
Photo of Western PA Grazing Conference provided by Clarion Conservation District.
Clarion and Jefferson Conservation Districts held the 25th Annual Western PA Grazing Conference on March 16, 2023, in Clarion, PA. There was also an evening session on March 15. This conference promotes sustainable grazing practices for Pennsylvania farmers. Troy Bishopp, “The Grass Whisperer,” was the keynote speaker. There were 149 registrants, including producers, grass farmers, agency personnel, vendors, and consultants.
The Clarion and Jefferson Conservation Districts help coordinate this annual conference as Western PA Grazing Conference Committee members. Committee members also include USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Penn State Extension, Northwest and Southwest Project Grass, and local farmers.
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.
Lehigh County Conservation District planted 1.6 acres of multifunctional riparian forest buffer along Fireline Creek at a farm in Lehigh County. The project cost $6,400 and was paid for through PACD’s Multifunctional Riparian Buffer Sub-grant program: https://pacd.org/?page_id=17536
Funding is still available. Click here to learn more about the program.
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 Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.
Submitted by: Katie Hollen, Watershed Specialist
Students getting their hands dirty at the Envirothon Soils Training! Photo provided by Lebanon County Conservation District.
On March 21, 2023, approximately eighty eager students attended the Lebanon County Envirothon Soils Training. Middle and high school students from ELCO, Northern Lebanon, and Palmyra school districts participated.
The training took place at the Lebanon Expo Center and was hosted by the Lebanon County Conservation District. Special guest instructors were Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff – Soil Scientist John Chibirka (Berks) and Technical Resource Conservationist Hana Blumenfeld (Lebanon).
The morning started with John delivering a presentation on soil forming factors, soil color, soil texture, soil horizons, and more. Students viewed a soil map of Pennsylvania and learned about the importance of understanding soils for land use decisions. They were also introduced to our state soil, Hazleton.
After the presentation, students got their hands dirty using the soil textural triangle to classify two different soil samples. John and Hana assisted the students as they practiced making ribbons with soil and estimating the amounts of sand, silt, and clay in each sample. Students also used Munsell Soil Color Books to determine the color of each soil sample.