Montgomery County Conservation District (MCCD) was awarded a 2017-18 Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant for a “Storm Drains to Streams: Pollution Prevention Education for Businesses” project.

For the project, MCCD and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary’s Schuylkill Action Network partnered with Simon Property Group to host an Earth Week Pollution Prevention Mixer for the King of Prussia restaurant, food service, and hospitality community. The event was held at King of Prussia Mall on April 24, 2018, and was attended by 50 individuals.

Attendees included (but were not limited to) several hotel, restaurant facility, and business managers from the King of Prussia area.

The goal of the event was to educate the target audience about cost-effective, good housekeeping practices/actions that are recommended to prevent water pollution and protect clean water. The event also provided an opportunity for the Montgomery County Office of Public Health to stress the importance of implementing such practices to improve community health and safety.

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.

 

Click here to read the entire article written by Jessica Buck, MCCD Interim District Manager. 

Regional Conservation Partnership Program: “CCCD Partnership for Chesapeake Bay Water Quality”

Submitted by Dan Miloser, Agricultural Team Leader, Chester County Conservation District

The Chester County Conservation District (CCCD) is proud to announce its award for $3.6 million to fund Farm Bill financial assistance applicants in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed by working with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and agricultural consultants to develop plans and install conservation practices.

CCCD proposed that applicants be given a higher ranking score based on willingness to implement or maintain a stream buffer and commitment to work with one or more of the district’s partners to develop plans and/or best management practices (BMPs). As part of a new initiative for this program, CCCD staff will conduct site visits with each landowner after his or her contract is complete to ensure continued operation and maintenance of onsite BMPs.

In response to the nationwide RCPP announcement, CCCD Managing Director Chris Strohmaier said, “As a result of an increased demand for funding to implement BMPs in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the Chester County District is very excited to have been awarded funds through RCPP to supplement our traditional funding allocations to continue our mission of: Conserving Soil for Clean Water.” 

Click here for more information on RCPP.

On April 5, PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh traveled to Northumberland County for the district’s legislative breakfast. During the breakfast, the district thanked state legislators and the commissioners for their continued support.

The Blair Conservation District held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, March 29, 2018, for Blair County’s first environmental-specific park. The park, located at 10 Bedford Street in the Borough of Hollidaysburg, has been named “NatureWorksPark”.

Construction is slated to be completed by late summer 2018 and will include a walkway with instructional signage, a mitigated wetland and boardwalk, a pollinator garden, “soft access” to the Beaverdam Branch of the Juniata River, two pavilions, an amphitheater, demonstration areas for plants/crops, stormwater alternatives, riparian buffer establishment, and wetlands.

The project was partially funded by a $250,000 grant from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,  and $4,000 from the Altoona Sunrise Rotary, . The remainder of the funds will come from the Conservation District Account funded by the Public Utility Commission through the Marcellus Shale program.

Click here to read the entire press release.

Submitted by Heather Almer, Watershed Specialist, Columbia County Conservation District

The Columbia County Conservation District organized its 3rd annual Women in Agriculture Conference at the Bloomsburg VFW Post 804 on March 21, 2018. Attendees learned about sustainable building, the future of agricultural education, credit scores and lending, and sheep farming.They also learned about yoga for stress relief and participated in a hands-on product making workshop to highlight the benefits of making your own cleaners and personal care products.

The Cover-Crop Workshop held on February 8, 2018, at the Jefferson County Conservation District (JCCD) educated 48 farmers on the benefits of cover crops, including reducing excess sediment, nutrient, and pesticide runoff through their use. Presentations addressed nonpoint source pollution reduction by use of cover crops, pest control, and soil health, as well as weed control in relation to cover crop use. The workshop was funded by PACD’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Program.

As part of the workshop, JCCD produced a presentation titled, “Prevention of Nonpoint Source Pollution Using Cover Crops.” The presentation is available on PACD’s Educational Events Sample Materials webpage.  Conservation districts are encouraged to use the materials on this page for their educational events.

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.

From nacdnet.org

By Jessica Buck, Montgomery County Conservation District Agricultural Conservation Specialist

Montgomery County Conservation District (MCCD) recently launched their first outreach and technical assistance program to farms and gardens in urban communities through NACD’s 2017 Urban Agriculture Conservation grant program.

This opportunity helped to establish long-lasting partnerships among community organizations and yielded meaningful outcomes to help two target locations of this project: Norristown and Pottstown.

A highlight of this project was the distribution of composting bins and rain barrels to urban gardens, including several school gardens. These two conservation measures also served as educational tools to teach the garden users about soil and water conservation and stormwater management.

Click here to read more. 

$99,000 in Mini-grant Funds Available for Conservation Districts

Through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), each Pennsylvania conservation district is eligible for a mini-grant (up to $1,500 initially per district) to hold local Manure Management Manual and/or Agricultural Erosion & Sedimentation Plan workshops. These sessions would assist farmers in understanding compliance requirements and lead to development of a complete manure management plan and/or agricultural erosion & sedimentation plan.

Applications will be approved on an ongoing basis. Applicants should hear back within a week if their project is okay or if it needs fine tuning. These are non-competitive grants — we have $1,500 earmarked for each district. Grants pay for eligible expenses on a reimbursement basis.

The mini-grant application and guidelines are available here. The deadline to apply is January 26, 2018. Mini-grant activities must be completed, and final reports must be submitted, by May 25, 2018. No extensions will be granted. Contact Shannon Wehinger with questions.

Three free trainings on the Manure Management Manual will be held this winter. These “train the trainer” events are for new conservation district staff or those who attended this training in previous years and want a refresher. Click here or see the article below for more information. 

Financial support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant, the Clean Water Fund, and the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program (CBRAP).

 

 

 

On Wednesday October 11, 2017 Somerset Conservation District (SCD) held the Barron Project Field Day. The Barron Project consists of many stream corridor improvements and agricultural best management practices.

The Barron Project is located along Mountain View Road in Jefferson Township. Keith Barron is the farm operator. The project extends approximately 2200 linear feet along Laurel Hill Creek and approximately 660 linear feet along an unnamed tributary.

During the field day, J. B. Harrold, Grazing Specialist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, gave a detailed demonstration on several ways to provide water to livestock on rotationally grazed pastures. During the tour, the group was able to view photographs of the project site prior to construction.

The field day also included a riparian buffer tour. During the tour, SCD Watershed Specialist Greg Shustrick discussed the condition of the streambed and banks prior to the project. Large sections of stream bank had exposed soil, sloughing banks, and a mudladen stream bed, all of which were created by tree removal and mismanaged grazing practices. Shustrick talked about the species of trees and shrubs that were planted and how they are suited for the riparian setting, due to being able to withstand wet conditions, and eventually will provide shade for the stream.

Click here to read more about the project.

 

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) recently awarded $1.1 million to regional organizations for a variety of recreational and conservation projects.

The money, from DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program, is part of $44 million awarded for a total of 266 projects throughout the state.

Clearfield County Conservation District received $50,000 for construction of approximately eight acres of riparian forest buffers along waterways in the Upper West Branch Susquehanna Watershed.

Work will include landowner outreach and engagement, buffer plantings, and post-planting establishment and other related site improvements.

Click here to read the entire article.