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.

 

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.

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.

 

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.

 

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. 

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.

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.

On Wednesday, September 13th, 2017, the Columbia County Conservation District held its 3rd annual Water Education Day “Good Water = Good Life”, for 491 eighth grade students from Columbia County schools and homeschooling groups.

Students rotated through stations on groundwater, streams, water quality, fish ecology, and art to better understand our water resources, how to keep them clean and the connection between land and water. There was also an original music and drama performance by a group of local high school students that reinforces all the station topics.

The Columbia County Conservation District received the 2017 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for this annual event. Presenters and volunteers came from the PA DEP, Bloomsburg University, PA American Water, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Children’s Museum, PA Rural Water and local watershed groups.

Click here to read more and here to view photos from the event. 

Submitted by Alana Roberts, Regional Affairs Director, PPL Electric Utilities

PPL Electric Utilities’ investments in the communities it serves have always gone beyond poles and wires. Now, we’re putting down roots. The company recently unveiled Community Roots, a new program that will provide free trees to deliver environmental benefits, including cleaner air and habitat and food for birds and animals.

The goal of the program is to give trees to county and municipal parks, environmentally focused groups and schools.

Trees will be available in three types: bare-root seedlings, container seedlings and gallon container seedlings. They will be given away on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested groups or schools can order trees online at www.pplcommunityroots.com. The ordering site also can be reached through PPL Electric Utilities’ environment web page, www.pplelectric.com/environment.

Trees can be ordered now for planting in spring and fall next year. Trees for spring 2018 need to be ordered by October 25, 2017.

Click here to read the entire article. 

WorldView is proud to announce the release of the newest version of PracticeKeeper, a cloud-hosted land and water resource planning software platform, to all conservation districts across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The platform includes modules for tracking and reporting for data related to best management practices, conservation plans, nutrient management plans, watershed management, and complaints.

Features of PracticeKeeper include web-based mapping tools, reporting, and document management capabilities. PracticeKeeper is designed to provide standardization of data recording at the state level but also allows for flexibility at the district level to meet specific needs.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) has also contracted with WorldView to build a new module that will be used to report Agricultural Initial Inspections. Work is currently underway on this new module, which will be released during the Fall of 2017. PA DEP and WorldView are also committed to making continual improvements and enhancements to PracticeKeeper as all district staff begin using the application and providing feedback.

PA DEP has contracted with WorldView to provide licenses to all conservation districts, so please contact Steve Taglang for more information about the necessary steps to access the application.

For more information about PracticeKeeper, visit www.worldviewsolutions.com or www.practicekeeper.com.