On December 14, 2022, the 11th Annual Corn Planter Clinic was held at the Shippensburg Auction Center. The Clinic is the largest agricultural education event in Cumberland County. Cumberland County Conservation District staff worked with Cumberland Planter to organize this event. The event benefits the farming community by coming together to share ideas and gather valuable information from knowledgeable speakers.

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Huntingdon County Conservation District planted 16 acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer along a tributary to Crooked Creek at a farm in Huntingdon County. The project cost $59,630 and was paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program. 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.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced $33.8 million in grant awards to support the restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The 104 grants will leverage more than $30 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of more than $64 million.

Awards for Pennsylvania’s Conservation Districts:

• Accelerating Agricultural Pollution Reduction in the Mahantango Watershed
  Grantee: Snyder County Conservation District Grant, $414,000. Reduce agricultural runoff in the West and North Branches of Mahantango Creek through farmer outreach, developing agricultural conservation plans, and implementing conservation practices on beef and poultry operations. The project will result in the development of 30 agricultural conservation plans to guide future farm management for improved water quality.
• Advancing Conservation Practice Implementation Through Planning
  Grantee: Lebanon County Conservation District Grant, $61,200. Provide additional technical assistance support to assist with the significant requests for conservation plans within the Little Swatara and Swatara Creek watersheds in Lebanon County. The project will result in the development of more than 50 agricultural conservation plans that will allow the advancement of future implementation of pollutant reduction best management practices on farms in these watersheds.
• Enhancing Resilience of the Cowanesque Watershed through Collaboration
  Grantee: Potter County Conservation District Grant, $500,000. Implement more than 11,000 acres of soil health practices across the headwaters of the Cowanesque River in Potter and Tioga counties, including cover crops, no-till, prescribed grazing, and nutrient management. The project will enhance eastern brook trout populations in a high-priority patch by restoring connectivity to upstream cold-water habitat by replacing an existing stream culvert.
• Helping Farmers Accomplish Conservation Goals in the West Branch Susquehanna River Watershed
  Grantee: Union County Conservation District Grant, $500,000. Implement agricultural conservation practices on four Turtle Creek watershed farms within the Susquehanna River’s broader West Branch. The project will complete whole farm conservation plans by strategically leveraging federal conservation program funding to fulfill farm-level funding needs.
• Middle Creek Strategic Watershed Restoration Plan
  Grantee: Schuylkill Conservation District Grant, $50,000. Conduct an assessment of the Middle Creek watershed and develop a restoration plan that addresses sources of stormwater, flooding, sediment, and habitat fragmentation to build environmental and community resiliency. The project will rank pollution sources and watershed stressors and identify specific restoration solutions with the highest impact and lowest cost and risk.

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On September 15, 2022, the Beaver County Conservation District held a stormwater workshop. Forty-one workshop participants learned about the link between water quality and nonpoint source pollution and how their actions affect the watershed. The district provided participants with information, tools, and a rain barrel kit.

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 28, 2022, the Cambria County Conservation District held a legislative breakfast in Ebensburg, PA. District Chairman Dennis Beck and District Manager John Dryzal spoke at the event.

PACD 2^nd Vice President Emil Bove represented PACD at the event.

Submitted by J.T. Bandzuh, Blair County Conservation District

Blair County Conservation District Educator, J.T. Bandzuh, has been visiting several county schools and public libraries, hosting a “Creepy Critters” show and tell presentation. The program has welcomed children of all ages to join Bandzuh to listen to The Leaf Thief story about the changing seasons.

After storytime, Bandzuh introduced students to bats, owls, and several nocturnal mammals, explaining their roles in their local environments. The lessons were taught through pelts, skeletons, mounts, and the inspection of owl pellets.

 

Submitted by Jolie Coates, Berks County Conservation District

On Friday, October 14, 2022, the Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) held its 4th annual Envirothon Sporting Clay Fundraiser at M&E Sporting Clays in Hamburg, PA. BCCD partnered with the Berks County Water and Sewer Association and the Center for Excellence in Local Government at Albright College. Approximately 70 participants walked through a 14-station course to shoot the most clays out of the 50 provided clays; prizes were awarded to the best marksmen, best markswomen, and overall top team. Proceeds from the event benefit the Berks County Envirothon and Source Water Protection. 

Submitted by J.T. Bandzuh, Blair County Conservation District

Blair County Conservation District staff hosted their second annual “Fall Fest” at NatureWorksPark (NWP) in Hollidaysburg on September 16, 2022. The event featured local vendors selling products such as honey, wool, dried flower artwork, and more. Over two hundred people visited NWP for the afternoon, which also welcomed a food truck and live music. Park visitors and District staff were also joined by partnering organizations for education and outreach, such as DCNR Forestry, Penn State Extension, and PSU Master Gardeners of Blair County.

Westmoreland Conservation District Assistant Manager and Forester Tony Quadro led a Forest Best Management Practices Workshop on September 24, 2022. During the event, participants learned the importance of healthy forests and forest management and how they relate to clean water. Twenty-one people attended the workshop, which included classroom-style presentations, an informal question and answer session, and a tour of a forest restoration project.

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 20th Annual Cumberland County Conservation District golf event was held September 23, 2022, at Rich Valley Golf Couse. There were 106 golf participants on 27 teams, in addition to very generous hole and prize sponsors! This year’s event was hit with lots of wind on the course, but the golfers took that challenge on with gust-o.

Each year the conservation district organizes a golf tournament to raise money for environmental education activities in the county. The money is used for scholarships, the county Envirothon, and other educational efforts. The district’s goal is to raise enough money each year to provide three $500 college scholarships for Cumberland County students. The district has raised over $57,000 since they began the tournament in 2003.