Written by Shannon Wehinger on February 3, 2017. Posted in Conservation District Project Spotlight

Wayne Conservation District Opens Habitat Room

Helena Guindon (left) and Kathy Dodge were so happy to see both children and adults of all ages enjoying the mural to ‘seek & find’ flora and fauna throughout the painting! Photo taken by Kelley Stewart during the open house. Photo provided by Wayne Conservation District.

Wayne Conservation District celebrated the opening of their new habitat room on January 13, 2017. The professionally hand-painted mural includes native plants and animals in their habitats throughout the seasons. The conservation district obtained educational grant funds in order to take on this project and purchase educational kits.

Click here to read more.

Written by Shannon Wehinger on January 20, 2017. Posted in Conservation District Project Spotlight, Mini-grant

Juniata County Conservation District Completes Buffer-in-a-Basket Project

Patti Irwin (left) and Pam Masters (right) load up the young trees they each received after attending Juniata County Conservation District’s (JCCD) Buffer-In-A-Basket workshop, detailing the importance of riparian buffers in non-point source pollution reduction. Photo provided by JCCD.

Through PACD’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Program, the Juniata County Conservation District (JCCD) planted 170 trees. The “Lost Creek Landowners Buffer-in-a-Basket” project worked with landowners in the Lost Creek Watershed to plant trees in streamside locations.

A workshop was held in October and trees were distributed to plant as buffers on the landowners property.

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.

Written by Shannon Wehinger on January 13, 2017. Posted in Conservation District Project Spotlight, Mini-grant

Perry County Conservation District Creates Field Test Kits

The Perry County Conservation District (PCCD) recently wrapped up their Nonpoint Source Pollution Educational Mini-grant project. The Scientific Citizens Observing Pollution (in the) Environment or SCOPE for short, allows volunteers to test stream sites. As part of the grant, field test kits were assembled.

This field test kit was created as part of the Perry County Conservation District’s “SCOPE” mini-grant project. It is used by volunteers to monitor local streams. Photo taken by Kristie Smith, PCCD Watershed Specialist.

Each test kit includes:

1 bucket and lid
1 garbage bag
1 small first aid kit
1 low-cost water monitoring water chemistry kit complete with test tubes, directions, result charts, and chemical tablet refills
2 large pipettes
1 Fahrenheit thermometer
1 ‘Key to Macroinvertebrates’ identification sheet
3 paintbrushes
2 pencils
1 compass
12 (1 dram) glass vials and data tags – for preserving and labeling macro specimens
1 field scope with a plastic concave slide and battery powered light
1 small closing magnifying box
1 ice cube tray
2 tweezers
1 ‘Rite in the Rain’ notebook for recording data

Through the project, five field days/workshops were held to train the volunteers. PCCD plans to continue the program in the coming year.

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.

Written by Shannon Wehinger on December 22, 2016. Posted in Chesapeake Bay, Conservation District Project Spotlight

Cumberland County Conservation District’s Farm Visits Featured on Local News

Screenshot of ABC27 News footage from “Saving the Susquehanna: What happens after Pennsylvania misses interim pollution goals?” December 15, 2016. Click here to watch the video.

Written by bruntt on November 22, 2016. Posted in Conservation District Project Spotlight

Susquehanna County Conservation District Holds Awards Banquet

Submitted by Jim Garner, Susquehanna County Conservation District

PA Department of Environmental Protection’s Steve Taglang speaks about the Chesapeake Bay Reboot at the Susquehanna County Conservation District (SCCD) awards banquet on November 1, 2016. Photo provided by SCCD.

The Susquehanna County Conservation District (SCCD) recently held its annual banquet with over 120 people from the community showing up for this special event. SCCD had speakers from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on the Chesapeake Bay Reboot and from the Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies. During this event, awardees were honored for their contribution to conservation in Susquehanna County. Awards given were: Envirothon Donors, Forest Lake Township and Chief Oil and Gas; Educator of the Year, Mike Talabiska (Mountain View); Dirt and Gravel Road Cooperator, Harford Township; No-Till Cooperator, Jenny Clifford (Carlton Farms); Farmer Cooperator, Claude Bennett; Community Cooperator, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; and Bill Stewart, Choconut Township Supervisor was recognized and remembered. Guests also had the privilege of enjoying an acapella presentation by the Sisters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Montrose VFW provided everyone with a wonderful venue and delicious meal. Click here for a video montage of the event.

Written by bruntt on November 9, 2016. Posted in Conservation District Project Spotlight

Springville Township Bottomless Arch

Submitted by Jim Garner, Susquehanna County Conservation District susquehannaarch

Springville Township recently installed a bottomless arch stream crossing pipe on Lynn Cemetery Road, with the assistance of the Dirt & Gravel Road Program and the Susquehanna County Conservation District. The concrete arch is a much-needed upgrade from the undersized pipe that was previously in place. The bottomless arch will allow the stream to pass more water and allow for better aquatic passage. The stream is a tributary to White Creek, which is classified a coldwater fishery capable of holding trout in season. This vast improvement is designed to last for decades and help prevent the road from overtopping with water. The installation of this pipe is a great investment in the infrastructure of Springville Township.

Written by bruntt on November 4, 2016. Posted in Conservation District Project Spotlight, Education

Columbia County Conservation District Shows Students that Good Water = Good Life

High school students are shown at a drama station during Water Education Day playing “Darth Water.” Photo by Nicole Karr Photography. Used with permission.

Middle school students in Columbia County learned all about water at the Columbia County Conservation District’s 2nd annual Water Education Day: how it is cleaned, how it is distributed, how it gets polluted, how streams and development impact each other, how to better understand its movement in landscape, how to value public water systems, how to identify macroinvertebrates and fish and their relationship to water quality, and how objects in nature can make beautiful art. There were 540 students this year at Briar Creek Lake and over 50 presenters and volunteers, in addition to area high school students who gave a dramatic music and dance performance highlighting the importance of good water quality. Other participants included representatives from county watershed groups, the PA Department of Environmental Protection, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Larson Design, SUEZ, PA American Water, PA Rural Water, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Children’s Museum, and Bloomsburg University. The event was sponsored by the Columbia County Conservation District, PA American Water, and Roaring Creek Valley Conservation Association. Check out more pictures from the day here!

Written by bruntt on November 3, 2016. Posted in Conservation District Project Spotlight, Mini-grant

Cover Crop Field Days in McKean and Potter Counties

Submitted by Jody Groshek, McKean County Conservation District

Tim Elder from NRCS provided farmers information about soil health and warm season grasses for forage. Photo provided by McKean County Conservation District.

The McKean County Conservation District, in partnership with Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Potter County Conservation District, held several cover crop field days this fall. The project was made possible through a PACD mini-grant. Click here to read the entire article.

Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts 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.

Written by bruntt on November 2, 2016. Posted in Conservation District Project Spotlight, PACD General

Shambaugh Attends Blair County Conservation District’s 50th Anniversary

PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh attended the 50th anniversary banquet and board meeting of the Blair County Conservation District on October, 20, 2016. Pictured left to right are: Donna Fisher, District Manager; John Morrow, Director; Commissioner Terry Tomassetti; Jim Biddle, Secretary/Treasurer; Blaine Smith, Vice-Chair; Shambaugh; Gary Long, Director; Alan Gearhart, Director; and Chairman Harold Bailey.

Written by bruntt on October 27, 2016. Posted in Conservation District Project Spotlight

Clearfield County Conservation District Hosts Bounty from the County

On October 14, the Clearfield County Conservation District (CCCD) held a wildly successful event, “Bounty from the County,” in Curwensville, PA. This inaugural event celebrated the benefits of eating locally. “Basically it’s like a Farm to Table meal only we chose a different title and had locally produced goods in addition to food. It was organized by the district and we served food prepared by Shannon’s Catering but the purpose was to highlight our local producers. The entire meal was made up of food grown or raised within the county, right down to dessert,” said Kelly Williams, CCCD Watershed Specialist. Click here to see a list of what was served. Click here for a news article on the event.

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