Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts

We support Pennsylvania’s Conservation Districts who work for clean water and healthy soil every day.

Save the Date for the 2018 Bay Meeting

The 2018 Chesapeake Bay Program Conservation District and PA Agency Staff Meeting will be held on Monday, March 12, 2018 at the Elaine Langone Center, 2nd Floor, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA. Please add this meeting to your calendar now and plan to attend. The snow date is March 15. Registration and a draft agenda will follow when available.  

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Coal Mining History and Environmental Stewardship Field Trip in Northumberland County

Photo provided by Northumberland County Conservation District.

On October 17th, 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. 

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Cumberland County Fixes Stream Bank Crossing

District manager Carl Goshorn presents Penn Township Supervisors with the grant check. Photo provided by Cumberland County Conservation District.

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. 

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Stormwater Tours Held in York County

Submitted by York County Conservation District

The York County Conservation District received a grant to educate the residents of York County about stormwater. They collaborated with the York County Planning Commission (YCPC) and developed two stormwater tours.

Stormwater management is hot topic. When many think of stormwater management, the typical large retention pond comes to mind. But there are so many other options available!

The first tour was for the elected and appointed officials and staff of our municipalities.This was a bus tour and included seven different sites with speakers at each location. The second tour, intended for the general public, can be either a virtual tour or a self-guided tour of many different types of Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs). Tour participants use an online story map created by the YCPC, which includes pictures, descriptions, and directions to various BMP sites in York County.

Click here to view the story map. Many of these projects have been completed by municipalities who are participating in a regional group effort to comply with MS4 requirements and to clean up the waters of York County. As more projects are completed, they will be added to the story map.

To learn more about the projects, or the regional effort, contact Lindsay Gerner at the YCPC. To learn more about the use of the self-guided story map, contact Jacob Trimmer, also at the YCPC.

Financial and other support for this project was 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.

 

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Sixty-one District Staff Attend 17th Annual Watershed Specialist Meeting

Watershed specialists from conservation districts across the state attended the annual Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting on October 4-6, 2017, in State College. Attendees learned about a number of online and software tools for watershed improvement, as well as wetland basics, urban stream restoration, fish habitat improvement, how to develop and maintain a sustainable social media presence, do-it-yourself ideas for environmental science and monitoring, and more. Participants also learned from one-another, both informally and through formal project presentations.

The meeting wrapped up with a field day in the Tangascootack Creek Watershed in Clinton County. The annual meeting is sponsored by the PA Department of Environmental Protection and facilitated by PACD.

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Monroe Completes Nonpoint Source Educational Project

Photo provided by Monroe County Conservation District.

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.

 

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Allegheny County Conservation District Trained in Wetland Delineation

Photo provided by Allegheny County Conservation District.

Allegheny County Conservation District staff attended Wetland Delineation Training – How Wetlands & Streams are Delineated in the Field, conducted by Chris Nix with EcoSourcePA. The two-day course included classroom and field work. Completing this course will assist staff in field work.

 

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Good Water = Good Beer in Columbia County

Don Abraczinskas from Turkey Hill Brewing Company discusses the importance of water quality in brewing beer. Photo provided by Columbia County Conservation District.

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. 

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2017 NACDE Employee Conservation Award

Pictured are (left to right): Sandy Thompson, District Manager for McKean County Conservation District and Vice President of the NACDE; Robert Sweitzer, District Manager for Centre County Conservation District; and Deb Wilson, District Manager for Jefferson County Conservation District. Photo provided by Sandy Thompson.

Submitted by Sandy Thompson, District Manager for McKean County Conservation District and Vice President of the Northeast Association of Conservation District Employees

It is with great pleasure that the 2017 Northeast Association of Conservation District Employees (NACDE) Employee Conservation Award is presented to Robert Sweitzer, District Manager for the Centre County Conservation District in Pennsylvania.

Sandy Thompson, District Manager for McKean County Conservation District and Vice President forof the NACDE, Deb Wilson, District Manager for Jefferson County Conservation District, and members of the PACD District Employees Committee, presented the award to Bob for his active participation in state association meetings at both the regional and state level, as well as his long-time service as a member of several PACD committees, including the PACD District Employees Committee.

Click here to read the entire article.

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CPESC Review Class Held in Harrisburg

CPESC instructor Rick Celender, C.E.T., CPESC, SPSWQ, is Vice President of Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. in Pittsburgh, PA.

PACD sponsored a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sedimentation Control (CPESC) Review Class on September 26, 2017, in Harrisburg, PA. Seven conservation district staff were among the twenty-one technicians and engineers in attendance.

The review class is designed to help applicants prepare for the exam component in the CPESC certification process. To receive certification, applicants must prove they meet established standards of expertise, experience, and knowledge in erosion and sedimentation (E&S) control.

Certification is through EnviroCert International, Inc. and provides public evidence of professional qualifications for individuals involved in E&S activities, such as development and review of permits; design and review of E&S control and drainage plans; installation and inspection of E&S control practices; and other related activities. Anyone interested in learning more about CPESC should visit www.envirocertintl.org.

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