Staff from the Lebanon County Conservation District met with local legislators on May 31, 2019. The meeting included staff discussion on conservation programs in Lebanon County. These include agricultural land preservation, erosion and sedimentation, Envirothon, mosquito-borne disease control, and agricultural programs.

PA Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell was on hand to discuss the ongoing Chesapeake Bay cleanup efforts. The group also discussed MS4 and the state budget as it relates to conservation efforts.

PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh also attended the event.

Erie County Conservation District held an Enviro-lab week where mobile educational labs were brought to the county for students and legislators to tour. Armstrong Conservation District’s H2Oh! on the GO! mobile lab was part of the event.

Click here to read more and to watch a video.

The Jefferson County Conservation District hosted a Wildlife Conservation Workshop on March 28, 2019, at the district office in Brookville. Thirteen individuals learned about the benefits of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), noxious/invasive weed identification and management, riparian buffers, and wildlife in grassland areas. Presenters Mike Kerr, Kimberly Bohn, John Brundege, Tim Hoppe, and Megan Whitlatch provided important information and answered many questions from attendees.

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

Pennsylvania’s county conservation districts were awarded over $72,000 for thirty-five pollution reduction projects in thirty-one counties. These projects educate adults on water pollution prevention. Projects are funded through the Non-point Source (NPS) Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-Grant Program. The projects will take place over the next year.

Click here to read the entire press release including the list of funded projects. 

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.

By Christine Griesemer, Agricultural Resource Conservationist, Berks County Conservation District

Berks County Conservation District recently held a Forested Riparian Buffer Showcase on April 26, 2019, at the Berks County 4H Center in Leesport, PA. This project was made possible by a $3,000 mini-grant provided through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Outreach Program Office (administered by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts).

Thanks to funding from this grant, a 0.5 acre demonstration Forested Riparian Buffer was established near the Berks County 4-H Center.

Click here to read the entire article.

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

Through their 2018-19 Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant (administered by PACD), the Lackawanna County Conservation District conducted two workshops on non-point source pollution. Twenty county residents registered and attended the workshops, including local municipal employees and one county commissioner. The workshops were held in August 2018 and April 2019.

The district educated attendees on the causes of stormwater and ways to use rain barrels to mitigate some of its negative impacts. The project successfully engaged residents of Lackawanna County in managing stormwater in their backyards.

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.

WNEP featured Columbia County Conservation District (CCCD) and PA Fish & Boat Commission’s Good Water = Good Fishing event on a PA Outdoor Life segment. CCCD Watershed Specialist Brittney Hartzell is featured in the video. Click here to view the nine-minute segment.

The Columbia County Conservation District used a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) mini-grant, administered by PACD, to host a CREP Workshop at the Montour Preserve in Danville, PA on March 28, 2019. Forty-five people attended the workshop and heard presentations from the Farm Service Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and PA Game Commission about the new mid-contract management rules and how landowners can use CREP to improve wildlife habitat and water quality. A demonstration on how to use the Game Commission’s no-till seed drill was also part of the workshop.

Financial support for the CREP Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

In February, Jefferson County Conservation District (JCCD) held a manure management workshop in Brookville, PA. The workshop was part of the district’s Manure Management Manual and Chapter 102 Compliance Mini-grant Program project (administered by PACD). Through the project, JCCD reached thirteen farmers.

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).

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.