On Wednesday, September 13th, 2017, the Columbia County Conservation District held its 3rd annual Water Education Day “Good Water = Good Life”, for 491 eighth grade students from Columbia County schools and homeschooling groups.

Students rotated through stations on groundwater, streams, water quality, fish ecology, and art to better understand our water resources, how to keep them clean and the connection between land and water. There was also an original music and drama performance by a group of local high school students that reinforces all the station topics.

The Columbia County Conservation District received the 2017 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for this annual event. Presenters and volunteers came from the PA DEP, Bloomsburg University, PA American Water, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Children’s Museum, PA Rural Water and local watershed groups.

Click here to read more and here to view photos from the event. 

Submitted by Alana Roberts, Regional Affairs Director, PPL Electric Utilities

PPL Electric Utilities’ investments in the communities it serves have always gone beyond poles and wires. Now, we’re putting down roots. The company recently unveiled Community Roots, a new program that will provide free trees to deliver environmental benefits, including cleaner air and habitat and food for birds and animals.

The goal of the program is to give trees to county and municipal parks, environmentally focused groups and schools.

Trees will be available in three types: bare-root seedlings, container seedlings and gallon container seedlings. They will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested groups or schools can order trees online at www.pplcommunityroots.com. The ordering site also can be reached through PPL Electric Utilities’ environment web page, www.pplelectric.com/environment.

Trees can be ordered now for planting in spring and fall next year. Trees for spring 2018 need to be ordered by October 25, 2017.

Click here to read the entire article. 

Submitted by Jason Childs, Manager, Potter County Conservation District

Beginning in mid-July of this year the Potter County Conservation District teamed up with the Potter County Planning/GIS department to host a series of one-on-one meetings with each of the municipalities within Potter County.

The meetings were successful in opening lines of communication between municipalities and the Potter County Conservation District. The district met with a total of 20 Townships/Boroughs over the course of the five meeting dates.

Click here to read the entire article.

 

PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh traveled to Armstrong County on August 17, 2017 for the dedication of the Armstrong Conservation District’s (ACD) new Mobile Environmental Display (MED).

The MED made it’s debut August 14 at the Great Dayton Fair. The mobile display was made possible through partnership with the Colcom Foundation, the Carnegie Science Center, and EQT Corporation. Together, they built an educational interactive traveling exhibit to promote the importance of conserving of our natural resources.

Click here to read a news article on the display. 

Submitted by Jennifer Bratthauar, Ag Conservation Technician, Franklin County Conservation District

The Franklin County Conservation District (FCCD) held its second annual Summer Conservation Farm Tour on August 1, 2017, which was made possible through a PACD Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-Grant. In addition to recognizing the FCCD’s Conservation Farmer of the Year, this tour also provides attendees with a first-hand look at best management practices that reduce soil and nutrient runoff leaving the farm.

Click here to read more.

 

Submitted by Kent Himelright, Watershed Coordinator, Berks County Conservation District

In 2016, the Berks County Water & Sewer Association and the Berks County Planning Commission were interested in developing a county-wide program to combine source water protection and stormwater management activities. By working with a number of local water systems, they helped develop a program that would implement management strategies that crossed both watershed and municipality boundaries.

Community water systems use a variety of surface waterways and groundwater wells and springs to provide safe, clean, drinking water to about 70% of Berks County residents. To help protect the drinking water, water systems representatives and volunteers from other local agencies, organizations, and businesses, worked with the Department of Environmental Protection and other partners to develop a source water protection program. This voluntary program will help ensure the quality of the watershed, and will benefit not only the people served by these systems, but also the people living and working in the county. Some management strategies include public education, partnering with the Berks County Department of Emergency Services, and working with local businesses to reduce pollutants entering the watershed.

Along with source water protection, the program will assist participants with some stormwater management solutions required by Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) requirements. Staff from the Berks County Conservation District will provide ongoing leadership for the program, which will be funded through donations and fundraisers from the Berks County Water and Sewer Association.

For more information, please contact Kent Himelright at Kent.Himelright@berkscd.com.

On August 22, 2017, the Cumberland County Conservation District held their annual conservation district picnic. During the picnic, the district presented several awards.

By Jason Childs, Potter County Conservation District Manager

On Wednesday July 26, 2017, a volunteer crew cleaned up the Allegheny River from Burtville to Port Allegany. Lots of junk and litter was collected making our river a better place to paddle.

Many thanks to our partners: McKean County Conservation District, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, Pennsoil RC & D, Liberty Township, Potter County Conservation District, Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, and PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

On July 26, 2017 Tioga County Conservation District held a Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) Bridge Demo Day at Salt Spring Road in Liberty to educate local Municipalities on how to construct a GRS Bridge.

The Salt Spring Road project includes the replacement of two double pipe structures in close proximity to one another. Both structures created complete barriers to aquatic organism passage (AOP), including native brook trout. By removing the two structures and constructing GRS Bridges, approximately 11 miles of stream will be open to AOP, connecting the entire main stem of Salt Spring Run.

Funding for this project was provided through the Penn State Dirt and Gravel/Low Volume Road Program, Liberty Township, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

 

 

On July 17th, the Montgomery County Conservation District, in conjunction with Penn State Extension, held a cover crop interseeding demonstration field day. The demonstration was held on the Frankenfield farm in Franconia.

This event showcased a new no-till drill that the Montgomery County Conservation District purchased through an NRCS Conservation Innovation grant.

Click here to read more.