Governor Tom Wolf announced that 106 projects to clean up local waters statewide, benefiting hundreds of communities, have been selected to receive funding through the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Growing Greener program.

Twenty-five conservation districts and PACD were among the recipients. They are:

Outside the Chesapeake Bay

• Armstrong County Conservation District, Pine Run stream restoration, $59,889; Agricultural best management practices to reduce sediment and nutrient loads to Spra Run, $110,096

• Berks County Conservation District, County agricultural best management practices implementation, $231,486
  
  
• Bucks County Conservation District, Dimple Creek Watershed water chestnut management project, $95,385

• Carbon County Conservation District, Nesquehoning Creek stabilization phase 3, $215,000
  
  
• Crawford County Conservation District, Agricultural Best Management Practice Cost Share Program, $263,343; Little Sugar Creek streambank stabilization, $79,368

• Greene County Conservation District, Browns Creek stabilization/best management practice implementation, $207,484

• Indiana County Conservation District, McKee Run streambank stabilization, $20,494

• Jefferson County Conservation District, Pine Run agricultural best management practices implementation, $486,580

• Mercer County Conservation District, Elder Run streambank stabilization, $40,247; Sandy Creek Watershed conservation project, $209,000

• Washington County Conservation District, Covered Bridge Meadow agricultural best management practices, $36,683

• Westmoreland County Conservation District, Murrysville stormwater basin retrofits, $64,620; Vandergrift CBD stormwater management phase 2, $5,000

In the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

• Berks County Conservation District, Creekside Stables erosion best management practices, $50,033; Dennis Bross Farm best management practices, $306,551

• Cambria County Conservation District, Glendale Lake shoreline stabilization project phase 5, $167,618; Northern Cambria flood control restoration project phase 2, $29,838

• Centre County Conservation District, Reducing pollution loads from Centre County farms, $702,147

• Cumberland County Conservation District, Agricultural best management practices, $289,813

• Cambria County Conservation District, Cherry Tree flood control restoration phase 2, $70,701

• Juniata County Conservation District, Lost Creek restoration phase 2, $116,028

• Luzerne County Conservation District, 2016 Agricultural best management practice projects, $318,000; Nescopeck Creek Watershed restoration efforts, $140,000 

• Lycoming County Conservation District, Agricultural and streambank best management practices, $214,984

• Montour County Conservation District, Chillisquaque Creek/Limestone Run restoration, $746,713

• Potter County Conservation District, Potter County streambank stabilization, $20,050

• Schuylkill Conservation District, Good Spring Creek floodplain restoration phase 1, $230,000; Swatara Creek floodplain restoration phase 1, $2,991,000

• Snyder County Conservation District, Snook barnyard improvement – lower lot, $163,840

• Susquehanna County Conservation District, Countywide spring developments, $71,808; Priority watershed spring developments, $32,651; Meshoppen Watershed barnyards, $38,328; Tunkhannock Creek Watershed barnyards, $170,000; Wyalusing Watershed barnyards, $180,000

• Tioga County Conservation District, Marsh Creek Watershed improvement, $60,389
  
  
• Wyoming County Conservation District, Freeman Farm manure and wastewater handling and storage, $134,650

Multi-County

• Armstrong Conservation District, Excitation emission matrix analysis water quality testing in Armstrong and Indiana Counties, $7,839
  
  
• Columbia County Conservation District, Multicounty soil health project, $409,465
  
  
• Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, CREP Outreach Program Office, $382,355

Click here to read more. 

Submitted by Susquehanna County Conservation District

The Susquehanna County Conservation District (SCCD) held its 70th Anniversary Banquet with over 100 people from the community attending. The SCCD was created by County Commissioner proclamation on May 12, 1947. Since that day the SCCD has endeavored to conserve the soil and water of Susquehanna County.

During a delicious meal prepared by the staff of the VFW, a slide show of past pictures of district directors, district staff, cooperators, and projects reminded attendees of the the district’s past successes in conservation. In a short presentation, Dairy Princess Michayla Stahl and Alternate Princess Victoria Clark extolled the virtues of dairy products for good health. After the crowd moved to the upper level of the VFW banquet facility, District Manager Jim Garner narrated a PowerPoint timeline of the district’s 70 years. The banquet also featured two special guest speakers. Richard Fritsky, Wildlife Diversity Biologist with the PA Game Commission, spoke on owls, farming, and the PA Game Commission. Denise Coleman, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist, gave a presentation on Conserving Pennsylvania’s Private Lands. Each was well received by the audience.

After the speakers, the district honored several awardees for their contribution to conservation in Susquehanna County. Awards presented were:

• Envirothon Donors – Forest Lake Township, Bob Warriner (In Memory), Chief Oil & Gas, Repsol, and Bluestone Gathering
• Dirt and Gravel Road Cooperator – Apolacon Township
• No-Till Cooperator – Edward Chianese

At the close of the meeting, Emcee Jim Kessler disbursed the beautiful centerpieces and presented the speakers with a gift of maple syrup.

 

The Perry County Conservation District recently hosted their annual Land Judging Competition for students in grades 9-12. The event was held on November 1 at a local farm in Duncannon owned by district board member Ken Martz.

A total of 58 students were in attendance along with 20 agency staff, volunteers, teachers, and special guests who helped at the stations and participated in the award ceremony. Brie Hess of Greenwood High School took 3rd place, Jared Foster of West Perry High School took 2nd place, and Garrett Beal of West Perry High School took 1st place.

 

On October 17^th, several school classes from the Mt. Carmel and Shamokin area spent the day learning about local environmental issues and wrapped up the day by planting trees and shrubs along Quaker Run, a tributary to Shamokin Creek.  The event focused on teaching local students about local land use practices and their impacts on water quality.

The Kulpmont Borough partnered with Shamokin Creek Restoration Alliance and Northumberland County Conservation District to organize the day long field trip educating students about water quality issues.

Click here to read more. 

On October 3, 2017, the Cumberland County Conservation District presented a check for $138,044.09 to the Penn Township Supervisors. This funding allowed the district to complete the Beetem Hollow Low Volume Road Project in Penn Township. Work included installing a box culvert, replacing a small stream crossing pipe, and allowing drainage. The funding was made possible with a Low Volume Roads Program grant.

Click here for photos and details on the project. Click here for a press release. 

The Monroe County Conservation District recently completed a Nonpoint Source Pollution Educational Mini-grant project. The district purchased a three-pan rain simulator to use during their outreach events. They educated the community on how nonpoint source pollution occurs and how vegetated soils can help prevent the pollution from making its way into our water.

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.

 

On Monday, October 9, 2017, Columbia County Conservation District and the Columbia-Montour Coalition for Source Water Protection held a “Good Water = Good Beer” event that featured brew master Don Abraczinskas from Turkey Hill Brewing Company discussing the importance of water source and mineral content in creating this much-loved beverage.

This followed the first successful “Good Water = Good Coffee” event the district held earlier this year.

Click here to view the event flyer. 

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.