On May 4, 2020, Indiana County Conservation District Manager Douglas Beri, Jr., posted a video introducing followers to the district’s activities and Conservation District Week in their county.
Click here to view the video.
Check out the great outreach by Cameron County Conservation District on their Facebook page. Administrative Assistant Jenn Dixon posted a video on how to build a terrarium (with help from her kids) and one where she reads a children’s book on recycling.
Other posts include make your own recycled bird feeder, a do it yourself rain gauge, and salt dough earth necklaces.
Click here to view the district’s Facebook page.
Bradford County Conservation District (BCCD) posted a series of videos on its Facebook page. They are calling it the Adventure Trail Series. BCCD Education Coordinator Dan Rhodes hosts the videos, which offer nature-based activities that can be done in your backyard. The goal is to get people outside and having fun.
Click here to view the videos.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly declared May 3-9, 2020, as “Conservation District Week.” Please take advantage of the resources PACD created for conservation districts to use to promote conservation districts this week. Click here to access the materials.
Pike County Conservation District’s Communications Coordinator/Open Records Officer Devan George hosted Facebook Live education events in April. She aimed to offer a replacement for activities that were scheduled around Earth Day that had to be canceled.
Her videos focus on activities kids can do along with her for hands-on learning. Activities include making an at-home watershed model, a groundwater model, and learning about erosion. During the live sessions, Devan was able to answer questions that come up in the comments and interact with her audience.
The videos are recorded and posted on the district’s Facebook page so they can be viewed at any time. Click here to check out all the videos and consider sharing them on your social media channels or creating your own! Follow the district’s social media to be notified when new videos are posted.
To continue providing environmental education and outreach, the Potter County Conservation District is working on a YouTube channel. Click here to view the channel.
The third and most recent video is “Trout Habitat and Parts of a Stream.” In the video, Watershed Specialist Jared Dickerson fly-fishes up Dingman Run in Coudersport, PA. Along the way, he shows parts of a stream, vital trout habitat, and proper fish handling. Click here to view the video.
More resources for teaching environmental education from home are now available. Huntingdon County Conservation District (HCCD) and the PA Envirothon have new things to share.
HCCD is creating some virtual field trips in the form of short videos and photo albums, including:
Click here to view the videos and consider sharing them on your social media! (You must be logged in to Facebook to view.)
Pennsylvania Envirothon is hosting an online challenge week (“Pennsylvania Envirothon Week”) from May 18-22, 2020, to give this year’s students a chance to test their knowledge and stay engaged in the program. This challenge will only be available for high school students who were already participating in this year’s Envirothon. Click here to learn more.
On April 18, 2020, the Columbia County Conservation District converted their DIY Rain Barrel Workshop to a webinar! The webinar ran 1.25 hours on the Zoom platform. The district had 49 people attend the webinar and have all 50 rain barrels reserved for pick up at a later date.
Watershed Specialist Brittney Hartzell said, “I was pleasantly surprised to see the enthusiasm for the webinar and that almost everyone attended. Offering it via webinar allowed for more participants because it could be open to the public. We were not limited on space like we would have been in the original plan for an in-person workshop.”
Click here to view the PowerPoint and here for the recorded webinar.
This project was funded through a 2019-2020 PA Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Education grant.
Agricultural Best Management Practice (BMP) Implementation in the Chesapeake Bay
The Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) is excited to announce good news is on the way for Berks County farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Last week, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) awarded more than $200 million for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), including $2,232,143.00 toward Berks County agricultural operations within the Chesapeake Bay to implement agricultural best management practices (BMP’s.) RCPP is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. By leveraging collective resources and collaborating on common goals, RCPP demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in delivering results for agriculture and conservation.
BCCD will be the lead partner for the Chesapeake Bay RCPP project. Collectively, RCPP partners have also committed an additional $2,294,875.00 in contributions, totaling over $4.5 million toward the implementation of agricultural BMP’s to improve and protect local water quality. In collaboration with the USDA-NRCS, BCCD and project partners will implement Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs) or a “Whole Farm Approach.” This includes implementing manure handling systems, animal heavy use area protection, and near-stream conservation practices such as riparian buffers, filter strips, and animal exclusion fencing, all while providing much needed technical assistance and conservation planning.
The Monroe County Conservation District’s Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center is engaging the community using short videos on their Facebook page (@KettleCreekEnvironmentalEducationCenter). The Center’s videos have included backyard birding, salamanders, and what is blooming in your backyard. Share the Center’s posts on your Facebook page or create your own! Monroe County’s posts are informative and encourage engagement, such as posting photos from the reader’s backyards.
Click here to view the page.