The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) recently awarded $1.1 million to regional organizations for a variety of recreational and conservation projects.

The money, from DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnerships Program, is part of $44 million awarded for a total of 266 projects throughout the state.

Clearfield County Conservation District received $50,000 for construction of approximately eight acres of riparian forest buffers along waterways in the Upper West Branch Susquehanna Watershed.

Work will include landowner outreach and engagement, buffer plantings, and post-planting establishment and other related site improvements.

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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

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Through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), each conservation district is eligible for a mini-grant (up to $1,500 initially per conservation district) to hold local Manure Management Manual and/or Agricultural Erosion & Sedimentation Plan workshops. To date, only 29 conservation districts have applied.

The Mini-grant application and guidelines are available here.  The deadline to apply is December 30, 2016. Mini-grant activities must be completed and final reports must be submitted by May 5, 2017. Contact Shannon Wehinger with questions about the mini-grants.

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).

 

$99,000 in Mini-grant Funds Available for Conservation Districts Through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), each conservation district is eligible for a mini-grant (up to $1,500 initially per conservation district) to hold local Manure Management Manual and/or Agricultural Erosion & Sedimentation Plan workshops. These sessions would assist farmers in understanding requirements and lead to development of a complete manure management plan and/or agricultural erosion & sedimentation plan. Applications will be approved on an ongoing basis. You should hear within a week if your project is okay or if it needs fine tuning. These are non-competitive grants — we have $1,500 earmarked for your district. Grants pay for eligible expenses on a reimbursement basis. The Mini-grant application and guidelines are available here.  The deadline to apply is December 30, 2016. Mini-grant activities must be completed and final reports must be submitted by May 5, 2017. Contact Shannon Wehinger with questions about the mini-grants. Two free trainings on the Manure Management Manual will be held this winter. These “train the trainer” events are for new conservation district staff or those who want a refresher from when the same training was held in previous years.  More information to follow. 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).

Pennsylvania’s County Conservation Districts were awarded more than $17,000 for eight projects in eight counties for the 2016-17 Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Mini-Grant Program. Conservation districts will use these grants to work with landowners to prevent pollution in our streams, lakes, and rivers. Projects will take place over the next nine months. The following projects were awarded up to $2,500 each as a part of the 2016–2017 CREP Mini-grant round:

County Conservation District	Amount Awarded
Allegheny	$2,500
Armstrong	$2,500
Beaver	$2,050
Berks	$2,500
Chester	$1,500
Columbia	$2,500
Jefferson	$1,500
Lebanon	$2,300

Click here to learn more about CREP. The CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by PACD through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Additional support is provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The National Association of Conservation Districts, in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, has awarded $2 million in grants to 42 conservation districts in 25 states to boost technical assistance capacity for urban agriculture and conservation projects. The 2016 grants will help urban farmers, community gardens, and other local agricultural partnerships implement conservation practices that support local food production, provide opportunities for education and stewardship, and protect natural resources. Congratulations to Allegheny, Blair, Lycoming and Montgomery County Conservation Districts on their grant awards! Click here for the full list of recipients.

On May 18 Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced the selection of 114 projects to receive $25,143,294 in funding from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), for the protection of Pennsylvania’s water resources. The selected projects enhance watersheds, mitigate acid mine drainage, and support water pollution cleanup programs. The grant awards are made possible by the Growing Greener Grant Program, the largest single investment of state funds to address Pennsylvania’s environmental concerns. Funding for 42 conservation district projects was awarded to 29 different conservation districts. These grants equal $7,685,690 or approximately 31% of the total grants awarded. PACD received one grant for its engineering technical assistance program. Together, 37% of the funding was awarded to conservation districts and PACD. Click here for a full list of conservation district and PACD funded projects. For more information on Growing Greener, click here.