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. 

On Friday June 30, 2017 the Berks County Conservation District partnered with the Berks County Department of Agriculture, the Berks County Solid Waste Authority, PA Department of Environmental Protection, and the Berks County Probation Office to collect tires to eliminate mosquito habitats and clean up the environment.

The event was free to Berks County residents and was held at the Berks County Agricultural Center. The collection was a huge success with over 60 appointments to collect over 2,500 tires of varying sizes.

Executive Director Dean Druckenmiller stated, “We’re certainly hoping that the federal money we received recently to help eliminate mosquito habitats this year will be replicated again and again, so that we can make this an annual event for county residents to rely on.”

 

On June 27, PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh visited the Luzerne County Conservation District (LCCD). Brenda met with members of the board to discuss PACD and its services to the membership. They also discussed the state budget. LCCD spoke about their great relationship with their elected officials.

On June 12, 2017, the Franklin County Conservation District recognized Sam Worley for 25 years of service on the district board. A citation was presented to Sam during the district’s monthly board meeting. PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh was on hand for the event to thank Sam for his service.

 

 

Seventy-five participants at a local workshop learned that there are untapped treasures in the forest that can bring forest landowners some additional income. On June 16 the PA Bureau of Forestry, Community Partnerships RC&D, and the Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) hosted an Agroforestry Workshop at the Shade Mountain Winery near Middleburg.

Attendees heard presentations on marketing non-timber products such as medicinal plants, edible plants and mushrooms, charcoal making, tapping maple syrup, growing ginseng, planting multi-function buffers, among other topics. Speakers included the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Tracey Coulter and Gary Gilmore, Penn State’s Jim Finley and Dr. Eric Burkhart, Rusty Orner of Quiet Creek Herb Farm, Lauren Barlow from Community Partnerships RC&D, and PASA Director Hannah Smith-Brubaker.

Planning Committee:
Craig Bingman, SCCD District Manager
Gerald Hoy, DCNR Service Forester
Lauren Barlow, Community Partnerships, RC&D

 

In the 2016-17 Nonpoint Source Pollution mini-grant round, 30 projects were completed by 25 conservation districts, reaching over 3,305 adults.

The projects included stormwater management, agricultural workshops, a safe disposal of medications campaign, municipal workshops, golf course outreach, and more! Ninety-three workshops and 23 field days were conducted during this mini-grant round.

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 for project outcomes and a map of completed projects. 

The Berks County Conservation District held its second Paint the Rain School Competition. The Berks Catholic High School‘s Environmental Class took first place. The formal recognition event will be held October 23, 2017, at the Berks County Conservation District/Farm Service Agency Annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet.

The first place team won a $100 gift card and a certificate of recognition from the Berks County Commissioners.

Following the contest, the rain barrels were auctioned off and the proceeds went to the Berks County Conservation District Scholarship Fund, which supports students interested in majoring in environmental education in college.

Click here to read more.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) awarded Lycoming County Conservation District with an Urban Agriculture Conservation grant. NACD recently highlighted the project in their e-newsletter.

From the article:
“The Lycoming County Conservation District is partnering with existing gardening initiatives in the area to identify overlooked best management practices, address nutrition and food safety issues, and provide conservation demonstrations as part of their “Urban Agriculture for Healthier Families and Homes Program” – or “FreshFoodLyco” for short.”

Click here to read more (scroll to the bottom).