PACD is offering complimentary space at our 2018 Farm Show booth to conservation districts who would like to set-up a display for a day and educate folks from all over the state. It’s an opportunity to highlight your district, your county, and what’s going on in your neck of Penn’s Woods. If your district has an exhibit that travels easily and you would like to spend a few hours enjoying the Farm Show, then this opportunity is for you.

Contact Sandy Austin at saustin@pacd.org or 717-238-7223 by October 2^nd with the type of display you have to offer. Since this is something new, at this time we’re just trying to gauge interest and are happy to discuss your ideas.

Click here to read more about the PA Farm Show.

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) recently opened in the Delaware River Basin (DRB). To ensure staff at CREP partner agencies and organizations in the DRB are knowledgeable about the program, the CREP Outreach Program Office of the PA Association of Conservation Districts sponsored a workshop on August 22, 2017. Thirty-six people attended the workshop at Penn State Lehigh Valley Campus and are now able to assist interested landowners and to encourage the installation CREP conservation practices.

Those attending heard from the Farm Service Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, PA Department of Environmental Protection, the PA Game Commission, and the CREP Outreach Program Office. They are now able to explain the benefits and responsibilities of the program and identify landowners who may be a good candidate for CREP. They are also prepared to answer inquiries about the program and to direct potential enrollees to the appropriate agency or individual. 

For more information about CREP, email info@CREPPA.org or go to www.CREPPA.org.

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office and this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection Grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from the USDA.

 

Please register now if you are planning to become a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) and wish to attend the Exam Review Course sponsored by PACD. The course will held on September 26, 2017 at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey, Harrisburg, PA. Register at the EnviroCert website – click here to view the flyer for details. 

The review course is open to anyone – district, agency, or private – who is actively pursuing a CPESC certification through EnviroCert International, Inc. Please pass this information along to anyone who may be interested.

CPESC is a professional designation for E&S technicians, engineers, and other specialists involved in design, construction, inspection, or other aspects of erosion and sedimentation control. The review course is designed to ensure that CPESC applicants understand which concepts will be covered by the exam and acts as a review for most of those concepts.

There is special pricing for PA conservation district staff. Contact Terry Fisher at tfisher@pacd.org for the district staff discount code or with other questions.

PACD is partnering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the State Conservation Commission (SCC) to deliver a three day Introduction to Conservation Planning course. This free training will take place November 7-9, 2017 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey area) in Grantville, PA.

Please note that this training is taking place this fall instead of next spring due to funding issues. There will not be an Intro to Conservation Planning Training offered in 2018.

The event is for entry-level employees of all organizations in Pennsylvania delivering conservation planning technical assistance, including but not limited to, NRCS, conservation districts, SCC, farmland preservation entities, non-profits, and private consultants. Lunch will be provided.

The application link will be emailed to those who are interested in taking the course after they have submitted their pre-requisite certificate of completion to swehinger@pacd.org. Click here for information on the pre-requisite. The deadline to apply is October 20, 2017.

Just in time for Back-to-School! The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has announced the 2018 Poster Contest theme: “Watersheds – Our Water, Our Home.” PACD will be accepting photos of your county’s winning posters until June 30, 2018. We can’t wait to see all of the artistic entries for this year’s theme!

Click here for a flyer on the poster contest and here for more information.

Registration is now open for the 17^th Annual Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting. Highlights from this year’s agenda include:

• Sessions on topics including social media, the PracticeKeeper watershed module, lake habitat improvement, and urban stormwater management
• The annual watershed specialist project showcase, featuring presentations about unique projects from fellow watershed specialists
• Regional breakouts with watershed specialists and watershed managers to discuss regional issues and opportunities
• An optional field tour that includes three projects in the Tangascootack Creek watershed and a wetlands mitigation site tour

The meeting will be held October 4-6, 2017. Registration for this meeting is open to conservation district watershed specialists and invited guests only. The deadline to register is Friday, September 22. Click here for more information and to register for the meeting. Please contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org with any questions.

PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh traveled to Armstrong County on August 17, 2017 for the dedication of the Armstrong Conservation District’s (ACD) new Mobile Environmental Display (MED).

The MED made it’s debut August 14 at the Great Dayton Fair. The mobile display was made possible through partnership with the Colcom Foundation, the Carnegie Science Center, and EQT Corporation. Together, they built an educational interactive traveling exhibit to promote the importance of conserving of our natural resources.

Click here to read a news article on the display. 

PACD Executive Assistant & Meeting Planner Molly Burns recently attended the 2017 National Association of Conservation District’s (NACD) Northeast Regional Meeting, August 13-15 in Burlington, Vermont. When asked what she found most valuable, Molly said “Learning about districts in other states – our similarities and differences – is an eye-opening experience. I hope that our members all take advantage of having the regional meeting so close to home next year. There is so much we can learn from each other.”

During the meeting, Molly gained valuable contacts and hands-on information to help coordinate the 2018 NACD Northeast Regional Meeting, which will take place in combination with the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference, July 15-18, 2018, at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster, PA.

Submitted by Jennifer Bratthauar, Ag Conservation Technician, Franklin County Conservation District

The Franklin County Conservation District (FCCD) held its second annual Summer Conservation Farm Tour on August 1, 2017, which was made possible through a PACD Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-Grant. In addition to recognizing the FCCD’s Conservation Farmer of the Year, this tour also provides attendees with a first-hand look at best management practices that reduce soil and nutrient runoff leaving the farm.

Click here to read more.

 

Submitted by Kent Himelright, Watershed Coordinator, Berks County Conservation District

In 2016, the Berks County Water & Sewer Association and the Berks County Planning Commission were interested in developing a county-wide program to combine source water protection and stormwater management activities. By working with a number of local water systems, they helped develop a program that would implement management strategies that crossed both watershed and municipality boundaries.

Community water systems use a variety of surface waterways and groundwater wells and springs to provide safe, clean, drinking water to about 70% of Berks County residents. To help protect the drinking water, water systems representatives and volunteers from other local agencies, organizations, and businesses, worked with the Department of Environmental Protection and other partners to develop a source water protection program. This voluntary program will help ensure the quality of the watershed, and will benefit not only the people served by these systems, but also the people living and working in the county. Some management strategies include public education, partnering with the Berks County Department of Emergency Services, and working with local businesses to reduce pollutants entering the watershed.

Along with source water protection, the program will assist participants with some stormwater management solutions required by Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) requirements. Staff from the Berks County Conservation District will provide ongoing leadership for the program, which will be funded through donations and fundraisers from the Berks County Water and Sewer Association.

For more information, please contact Kent Himelright at Kent.Himelright@berkscd.com.