By Stephanie Harmon, Watershed Specialist

On March 12, 2019, a chilly day with hints of spring, ninety energetic middle and high school Envirothon students from Lebanon County school districts, including Cornwall-Lebanon, Eastern Lebanon County, Lebanon, Myerstown Enrichment, Northern Lebanon, and Palmyra got their hands dirty at Soils Training at the Lebanon Expo Center.

The training was hosted by the Lebanon County Conservation District and coordinated by Watershed Specialist and Lebanon County Envirothon Coordinator, Stephanie Harmon. Special guest instructors included the following USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service staff: Resource Soil Scientist John Chibirka, Assistant State Conservationist Charlie Hanner, and Soil Conservationist Lindsey Bream.

The training began with a presentation on the basics of soils components, understanding maps, surveys and landforms, land use, decision making, protection, and the importance of understanding soils. John used his whimsical personality to charm and excite students about the varied importances of soil characteristics and features.

After the presentation, students rotated through two stations where they (literally) got their hands dirty by practicing the “Soil Texture by Feel” method and reading a soil textural triangle to determine the classification of two different soil samples. Additionally, students reviewed differences in soil colors and practiced how to read the color scientifically, using a “Munsell color book” (a book of color chips that follow the Munsell System of Color Notation) as used by soil scientists. Finally, students were provided an introduction and history of topographical maps and practiced reading and measuring contour lines and understanding the many different features of topographical maps.

Submitted by Berks County Conservation District

Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) partnered with Stroud Water Research Center in January 2015 to administer their Farm Stewardship Program in Berks County. This program is designed to entice farmers to install at least a 35’ wide Forested Riparian Buffer on all streams on their operation. In turn they receive vouchers for $4,000 per acre of installed Forested Riparian Buffer to help cover the cost of approved Best Management Practices (BMPs) on their operation.

Between 2015 and 2018, BCCD enrolled 24 sites in the Farm Stewardship program, of which 22 were farming operations. In three years of the Farm Stewardship Program in Berks County, a total of 105 acres of Forested Riparian Buffers were installed. resulting in over 57,000 feet of streambank protection covering over 33,000 feet of stream, and planting over 8,000 trees and shrubs along streams. Through these cooperators, BCCD had 263 BMPs installed including 44 Plans (Conservation Plans, Manure Management Plans, Nutrient Management Plans), 62 Forested-Riparian-Buffer-related BMPs, and an additional 157 BMPs on farm operations.

Click here to read the entire article.

The Allegheny County Conservation District held its second annual Erosion Control Workshop on February 14 and 15, 2019. The district had over 100 participants, ranging from contractors and consultants to developers. This two-day workshop focused on proper installation and maintenance of erosion and sediment controls. Each participant left with an erosion and sediment field guide designed by the district to take into the field while conducting inspections.

Monroe and Pike County Conservation Districts partnered to hold two day-long workshops on green infrastructure and permit coordination in Tannersville, PA. The districts connected with engineers and other professionals involved in project planning and development.

Click here to read the entire article and to view the video.

Lehigh County Conservation District (LCCD) was awarded an urban agriculture conservation grant through a partnership with the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service to boost technical capacity nationwide.

LCCD will expand its pilot urban agriculture field experience education program in Allentown. Through program implementation, urban, school-aged youth will be provided with training for twenty-first century green-collar jobs, increased access to healthy foods, and STEM education – all of which are to be shared with the broader community. Equipping students with critical thinking skills through participation in this field experience curriculum ensures they will be outfitted with experience to address and predict the area’s current and future conservation needs.P

Click here to read more about the LCCD program and here for the full list of recipients.

Governor Tom Wolf announced the investment of $121 million for 25 drinking water, wastewater, and non-point source projects across 20 counties through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST). Chester County Conservation District will receive over $1.1 million for non-point source water quality improvement projects:

• Project 1 – received a $695,838 loan to pay for a circular concrete manure storage facility, roofed stacking structure, barnyard and curbing with confinement fence, roofed heavy use area, gravel access road, roof cutters, downspouts, and reinforced gravel animal walkway on the Clair Good property. The project is expected to eliminate over 8,000 pounds of nitrogen, 3,529 pounds of phosphorus, and 10,180 pounds of sediment from Cedar Creek, a tributary to the Conestoga and Susquehanna Rivers.
• Project 2 – received a $469,308 grant to cover the costs related to construction of manure storage facilities, heavy use areas, walkways, and storm water controls on the Benuel Stoltzfus property. The project is expected to eliminate 6,612 pounds of nitrogen, 2,789 pounds of phosphorus, and 5,660 pounds of sediment from entering the Little Conestoga Creek, a tributary to the Conestoga and Susquehanna Rivers.

Click here to read the entire press release.

On October 25, 2018, the Clarion County Conservation District hosted a field tour on the impacts of nonpoint source pollution. There were four stops on the tour, including an acid mine drainage passive treatment system, a potato farm, a dirt and gravel road project site, and the construction site of a new office for the Cook Forest State Park.

Attendees included elected officials and district board members. The tour highlighted past and future nonpoint source pollution projects that will improve water quality.

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 Susquehanna County Conservation District has been developing local weekly radio outreach for many years. The “Conservation Corner” radio spot is aired for approximately 10 minutes on Thursdays. The radio spots from October 2018 to the present are now available online.

Recent topics include: riparian buffers, spotted lanternfly, wild turkeys, and Susquehanna County’s recycling efforts.

Click here to listen.

Last month, the Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) in partnership with the Tulpehocken Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU) and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) sponsored 10 new Trout in the Classroom aquarium setups for schools in Berks County. In addition, the BCCD funded two Trout in the Classroom display aquariums, one for the Berks County Agricultural Center Lobby and another for Berks Nature.

Schools that participate in the Trout in the Classroom program received brook trout eggs from the PFBC in early November. Trout eggs have started to hatch in the classroom aquariums, and students will continue to take care of the trout throughout the school year until they are fingerlings (about 2 – 3 inches long). Teachers use the aquarium ecosystem in lesson plans to learn about good water quality, life cycles, and being good stewards of natural resources.

In late April, students get to release the trout fingerlings into a PFBC-approved trout stream. Over 20 Berks County schools, and 16 of 19 Berks schools districts, now have an active Trout in the Classroom program.

Click here for more information. 

Bedford County Conservation District received a Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS) Prevention Educational Mini-grant to conduct a project for homeowners. The “Homeowners Practices to Minimize NPS Pollution” project provided education at a variety of events in the county, such as the county fair, farmers market, and the home and garden club. Rain barrels were also distributed as part of the 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.