On May 8, 2019, six conservation districts (Allegheny, Cambria, Fulton, Indiana, Luzerne, and McKean) visited their legislators in Harrisburg. The conservation district representatives spoke to legislators about the 2019-20 state budget, shared the success of the Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Road Program, and expressed opposition to HB 509 (third party reviewer) legislation.

While visiting the Capitol, conservation district staff and directors joined PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh to meet with the House Appropriations Committee staff and the Governor’s Deputy Secretary of Policy.

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.

On May 7, 2019, nine members of the PACD Executive Board traveled to PACD’s new office in Harrisburg for an in-person meeting. In addition to seeing the new office, board members conducted their monthly business meeting, viewed a presentation on PACD programs from the PACD staff, and discussed the status of the PACD strategic plan.

Thirty individuals attended Agricultural Conservation Technical Boot Camp Training – Level II, April 29-May 3, 2019, at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County. Attendees included staff from conservation districts, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and affiliates, and the PA Departments of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Natural Resources.

The Level II annual training consists of two learning tracks: agronomy and engineering. The two tracks allow participants to focus more deeply on their area of study. The event features a balance of classroom work and field work to give participants hands-on experience.

The training is sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the State Conservation Commission. PACD works with these partners to coordinate the training.

District volunteers helped at the conservation district table at this year’s PA State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Conference from Sunday, April 14, through Tuesday, April 17. About 4,000 township officials from across the Commonwealth attended the three-day event.

The primary focus of the district exhibit was to share information about conservation district programs and initiatives that affect local townships. The district volunteers helped build new relationships and reinforce existing relationships with township officials.

In addition, Cliff Lane, PACD North West Region Director; Chris Strohmaier, Chester County Conservation District Manager; Dave Rupert, Armstrong Conservation District Manager; and Lori Glace Cumberland County Conservation District Watershed Specialist/Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Roads; conducted a workshop entitled, “The Dirt on Conservation Districts.”

Many thanks to Lance Bowes, Sharon Pletchan, Evan Corondi, and Kelsey Schwenk for their help at the conference!

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.

Registration is now open for Building for Tomorrow 2019 New Manager Bootcamp training, June 18–20 at Toftrees Resort in State College. The program will include sessions on conservation district history and law, applicable laws and policies, program partners, fiscal management, integrated planning, board relations, and personnel and office management.

This event is designed to deliver information crucial to new conservation district managers and registration is limited to managers that have been in the role for less than five years.

Click here for more information and to register. Please make your room reservations at Toftrees by May 17 (direct 814-234-8000).

The Pike/Wayne Conservation Partnership annual Legislative Breakfast was held on Friday, April 12, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at the Wayne County Historical Society in Honesdale, PA. The Pike/Wayne Conservation Partnership is an alliance of over twenty government, non-government, non-profit, and grass roots organizations that work toward common goals for natural resource conservation, sustainable communities, and citizen involvement in community planning in Pike and Wayne Counties.

Pike and Wayne County Conservation Districts take turns planning the annual legislative breakfast. This year, Wayne County Conservation District took the lead with District Manager Jamie Knecht and Watershed Specialist Colleen Campion handling event details.

Legislators from the federal, state, county, and local levels participate. This year, topics related to conservation districts included the Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Roads program, funding for the Watershed Specialist position through the Growing Greener grant program through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Individual National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting process.

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.

Pat McKinney, aka Porcupine Pat from the Schuylkill Conservation District, visited PA Live on Earth Day. Click here to watch the video.

Follow Porcupine Pat on Facebook @PorcupinePatFanPage.