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!

Every year a partnership of northcentral PA conservation districts holds a cooperative workshop for forest industry professionals. The popular full-day workshop includes best management practices for timber operations; regulatory information and updates, permitting needs; other current environmental considerations; and a field portion to look at real-life BMP scenarios and challenges.

This year’s four-hour “Erosion Control in Our Forests” webinar on October 1, 2020, had 119 participants, well exceeding normal attendance for the in-person event. Cameron, Elk, McKean, and Potter County Conservation Districts coordinated the event.

Click here to read the entire article. 

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 Blair County Conservation District hosted a ribbon-cutting for NatureWorks Park on October 8, 2020. About 40 invited guests participated in the event to “open” Blair County’s first environmental-specific outdoor recreation area. The property is owned by the Blair County Conservation District and managed by the district staff with many volunteers’ assistance! A PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Program Grant was received to cover a portion of the cost of construction. Keller Engineers, Inc. of Hollidaysburg provided the design and permitting of the site. For more information on the park, visit our website at https://natureworkspark.org or check out the park on Facebook. 

Warren County Conservation District created an educational invasive species walk at the Hatch Run Conservation Demonstration Area for the month of October. Visitors will learn about common invasive species that may be found in the area through informational signs posted along the Simmons Run Trail. Not all of the species can necessarily be found on the Hatch Run property, but visitors are encouraged to come any time during daylight hours and learn about invasive species that threaten native habitat.