The Monroe County Conservation District recently held a workshop on streamside buffers. Nineteen Monroe County landowners learned about nonpoint source pollution and actions they can take at home to reduce and prevent it. After the classroom portion of the workshop, the participants planted 53 trees and 160 live stakes on the banks of Cherry Creek. The newly planted forested riparian buffer replaces grass along approximately 750 feet of streambank that frequently floods. Once the buffer becomes established, it will significantly reduce the risk of sediment pollution from runoff and streambank failure.

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 April 1, 2022, Chester County Conservation District gathered with Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery County Conservation Districts to host a regional Stormwater Management Maintenance Workshop for Landscaping Professionals in Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, PA. Recognizing that maintenance is one of the most critical and often neglected aspects of post-construction stormwater management, the workshop focused on how to maintain stormwater management practices and landscapes. The workshop targeted businesses contracted by homeowner’s associations (HOAs) and property management companies.

Although many registrants were design professionals and HOA board members, the workshop was well attended. Participants learned about the importance of routine stormwater management maintenance and beneficial and attractive native plants that work well in stormwater basins. They also toured a bioswale and rain garden at the Perkiomen Township Park, while the designers and public works director discussed design, construction, and maintenance. Registrants also left with some maintenance-related educational materials, including a new bilingual rain garden maintenance brochure.

Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding was joined on April 13, 2022, by conservation partners at Welsh Vista Farms in Salisbury Township, Lancaster County, to highlight Wolf Administration investments facilitating on-farm and community conservation management. The Conservation Excellence Grant (CEG) program has invested more than $4 million in 68 conservation projects since 2019, strengthening community-based conservation efforts across six counties in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Click here to read the entire article. 

First Lady Frances Wolf and Pennsylvania agencies held the annual Governor’s Residence Earth Day celebration virtually again this year.

Conservation District Video Award finalists were featured in the Virtual Exhibit Hall! 

For more information, click here.

Secretary Russell Redding held a press conference at the Indiana Conservation District office on April 7, 2022, to discuss spotted lanternfly prevention in the southwestern part of Pennsylvania. Emil Bove (Westmoreland), PACD Second Vice President, represented PACD at the event.

Secretary Redding recognized the work conservation districts are contributing to the control efforts.

Click here to read the press release and here to watch the video. 

 

Snyder County Conservation District hosted an informal training to educate landowners, watershed associations, and conservation groups on the proper techniques for harvesting and planting live stakes. On March 8, 2022, this hands-on training was held at Faylor Lake in Beaver Springs. Participants learned how to identify live stake species, proper harvesting and planting methods, and how cost-effective live stakes are at reducing streambank erosion along local waterways.

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 Saturday, March 26, 2022, the Berks County Conservation District held a “Barrels and Beer” rain barrel workshop at Saucony Creek Brewery in Kutztown. Participants learned about the benefits of installing a rain barrel on their property, along with engaging in clean water trivia throughout the afternoon. The rain barrels were painted and designed by each participating group, while the 20 registered individuals enjoyed a local brew provided by Saucony Creek Brewery.

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.

Submitted by Stephanie Harmon, Watershed Specialist

On March 22, 2022, an unseasonably pleasant day with hints of spring, nearly one hundred energetic middle and high school Envirothon students from Lebanon County school districts, including ELCO, Northern Lebanon, and Palmyra, got their hands dirty at an Envirothon Soils Training held at the Lebanon Expo Center. 

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Bucks County Conservation District (BCCD) recently created a brochure on rain garden maintenance. The district included information in English and Spanish. The brochure is part of their Residential Stormwater Management project that includes stormwater workshops. The project is funded through PACD’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Program.

BCCD Erosion and Sediment Control Technician Chris Cook decided to include both languages in one brochure to make it more convenient to carry around in the field and hand out while he is performing fieldwork. “My thinking was that if one version covered both languages, it would allow the material to be passed around and referenced by landscape crew members with varied English/Spanish reading, writing, and comprehension skills,” said Cook.

The brochure can be viewed 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 Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In Selinsgrove, the Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) held its annual Farmers Winter Meeting on February 18, 2022. Seventy-five people attended the event. Topics included nutrient stewardship and management and the importance of farm recordkeeping.

Click here to read more. 

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.