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.

The Butler County Conservation District (BCCD) has been helping farmers make wise economic and environmental decisions when determining side dressing nitrogen (N) rates for their corn.

The program started 11 years ago when the BCCD purchased a SPADs chlorophyll meter and started their Early-Season Corn Chlorophyll Test Program. The BCCD felt a need for a test that allowed farmers to adjust their fields, unlike the Late Season Cornstalk Nitrate Test.

Click here to read the entire article. 

 

Delaware County Conservation District planted 2.352-acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer in Haverford Township, Delaware County. The project cost $9,188.86 and was paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program. For more information on the program click here. 

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.

Butler County Conservation District planted 0.36-acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer along a tributary to Big Run in Butler County. The buffer was located on a pasture field. The project cost $2,068.00 and was paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program. For more information on the program click here. 

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.

Westmoreland Conservation District recently announced its 2022 awards. Ramsey Excavating LLC was named the J. Roy Houston Conservation Partnership Award. The Lash Family Farm was named Conservation Farmer of the Year.

For articles on the awards program, click here and here. 

Forty-eight individuals attended a legislative tour hosted by Susquehanna County Conservation District on September 8, 2022. Participating dignitaries included: Agricultural Secretary Russell Redding, Tom Williams with Senator Lisa Baker’s office, Susquehanna County Commissioner Elizabeth Arnold, Susquehanna County Commissioner Judith Herschel, and Representative Jonathan Fritz. PACD North East Region Director Chuck Gould (Monroe County Conservation District) represented PACD at the event.

Tour stops included Aldrich Homestead, a seventh-generation innovative dairy farm; Harford Farm and Flower Market, a Certified organic vegetable farm with 49 acres of farmland specializing in organic produce and flowers; and a dirt and gravel road project site.

On August 22, 2022, the Indiana County Conservation District (ICCD) held a legislative bus tour. The thirty attendees visited a Community Garden Project, two Low Volume Road Projects, and an acid mine drainage project site. PACD Second Vice President Emil Bove (Westmoreland) represented PACD at the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Oven Run Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Project Re-Dedication Ceremony was held on September 1, 2022. The tour highlighted the complete reconstruction of five AMD passive treatment systems on the Stonycreek River that will continue to be responsible for the historic improvement in water quality in the watershed. PACD 2^nd Vice President Emil Bove (Westmoreland) represented PACD at Somerset Conservation District’s recent ceremony.

U.S. Senator Robert Casey, State Senator Patrick Stefano, PA Fish and Boat Commission Executive Director Tim Schaeffer, former Congressman John Murtha’s Chief of Staff John Hugya, representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection, and local conservation groups spoke during the event.

Click here and here to read articles about the event.