PACD is now accepting mini-grant applications for up to $2,500 to implement educational and outreach activities that support and extend the work of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Projects should focus on CREP enrollment, re-enrollment and/or CREP maintenance. Due to limited funds, only 5-10 projects will be funded this round. The deadline to apply is August 19, 2016. Click here for the guidelines. The application for the new CREP mini-grant program for conservation districts is posted here. Questions should be directed to Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

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.

Berks County Conservation District hosted a CREP maintenance workshop on June 18, 2016 at a farm in Wernersville, PA. Mena Hautau, Penn State Extension, shared her knowledge of invasive weeds and weed identification. In the above photo, Mena is highlighting garlic mustard, which was found growing in the CREP buffer site along with several other invasive weeds.

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.

One of the ways you can keep informed about the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is the new Pennsylvania CREP: News and Updates newsletter. This quarterly newsletter is primarily for agencies, organizations, and individuals working with CREP and features stories, techniques, events, and other things of interest. It’s also a good place to start to learn about CREP if you are not familiar with this popular program. Take a few minutes and check it out now at https://conta.cc/25xCsU5. Some of the information you’ll find in the spring 2016 issue is a guide to the other tools the CREP Outreach Program Office has created to share information among CREP partners, with landowners already in CREP, and with people who are just learning about the program. You will also find links to the new CRP Conservation Practice Fact Sheets. These tools and fact sheets are resources that can be used in your CREP outreach and education efforts. Click here to see the newsletter. To receive future editions via email click the “Join our Mailing List” box in the newsletter. Please forward this along to others who may be interested. Send any questions, comments, or information you want to share about your CREP projects or techniques to info@creppa.org or contact Terry Fisher at tfisher@pacd.org or 717-238-7223.

The Berks County Conservation District designed a billboard for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Three billboards were displayed in the Tulpehocken watershed for 8 weeks, starting April 11, 2016. In addition to the billboard, the district is planning to hold a series of events including workshop on maintenance and invasive weeds and a field day. 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.