The 2015-16 round of Pennsylvania Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) mini-grants for conservation districts recently concluded. Thanks to the conservation districts and their partners, the program was a success! Some of the outcomes include:

• 20 projects were conducted
• 2,458 farmers and landowners were reached
• 11 field days/walkabouts were held
• 23 workshops were held
• 149 one-on-one visits were held
• 109 participants indicated they plan to enroll in CREP in the future
• 137 participants indicated they plan to re-enroll in CREP when their contract expires

Applications for the 2016-17 round of mini-grants were due August 19. Notifications of the projects funded in the new round will be made by August 31. Questions about the mini-grant program should be directed to swehinger@pacd.org.

The Westmoreland Conservation District hosted the first of two tours highlighting the benefits of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).  Participants visited Friendship Farms to see how they have protected streams on their property using riparian buffers, fencing, and stream crossings. To read more about the tour and CREP, click here.

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.

The Jefferson County Conservation District held a grazing field day on July 8 in Mayport, PA. The event was held at Annabelle Grazing Farm and educated over 40 farmers and 5 agency personnel. Topics included grazing management practices that improve soil health and preventing nutrient and soil runoff into waterways. The field day highlighted the farm’s rotational grazing system, demonstrated the environmental benefits of well-managed pastures, and explained the operator’s experimental use of biochar as a potential soil amendment.

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.

PACD is assisting the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s Southcentral Regional Office to present a Chapter 102 NPDES & PCSM Training for the Regulated Community. This training will be held Wednesday, November 9, 2016 at the Red Lion Inn Hotel Harrisburg Hershey, 4751 Lindle Rd., Harrisburg, PA. Cost is $150/person. Click here to register. The draft agenda is available here. There will be a training in Altoona on November 16 for those who are closer to that end of the region.

The first group of the new Beaver County Senior Environment Corps (SEC) has been trained. Training took place on July 21st at the Beaver County Conservation District. Volunteers, aged 55 years or older, learned why water quality monitoring is needed and how to use water quality monitoring equipment. Commenting on the SEC program, Jeff Leindecker, Beaver County’s Agricultural Conservation Technician and Nutrient Management Specialist, said, “I feel the Beaver County SEC helps the district achieve its mission of preserving natural resources, conserving soil, and improving resource management for all of Beaver County. The goal is to use the data gathered by the SEC to focus where we need to focus our efforts. I commend the eleven volunteers who attended the training and look forward to working with them!” The Beaver County Conservation District, the local host for the new group, is working together with Nature Abounds, a national environmental non-profit and organizer of the SEC. Volunteers with the SEC can participate in a variety of tasks from monitoring water quality, observing and reporting on wildlife, reaching out to others about how they can help the environment, and even aiding with office tasks. Because of the incredible interest in the SEC program, a second training for interested senior residents of Beaver County will be held in August, and a training will also be held in Allegheny County in September. For more information, contact Melinda Hughes of Nature Abounds at either 814-765-1453 x203 or at SEC@Natureabounds.org.

PACD and the PACD Auxiliary are pleased to announce the five state level winners of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) 2016 “We All Need Trees” poster contest. The winners in each age category are:

• K – 1^st Grade: Sabrina Ibragimova, Berks County
• 2^nd – 3^rd Grade: Shricharan Ilayanambi, Delaware County
• 4^th – 6^th Grade: Sreekethav Vaka, Delaware County
• 7^th – 9^th Grade: Mara Yahner, Cambria County
• 10^th – 12^th Grade: Shaianne Perkins, Carbon County

To promote the importance of trees, students from kindergarten through twelfth grades entered posters conveying their thoughts and ideas through original artwork. Submissions were judged based on the entry’s conservation message, visual effectiveness, originality, and universal appeal. PACD thanks all of the participants in the contest for their interest and dedication to conservation. Best wishes to the state level winners in the upcoming national judging competition. For more information about the NACD poster contest, visit https://www.nacdnet.org/general-resources/stewardship-and-education-materials/contests.  

Presentations and handouts from last week’s PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference are available online, including:

• Odor Management and Manure Haulers and Brokers: Nuts and Bolts for Conservation Districts – Johan Berger and Frank Schneider, PA State Conservation Commission
• NACD: Working for Pennsylvania – Jeremy Peters, National Association of Conservation Districts
• Panel: Building District Boards – Dave Rupert, Armstrong; Mark Kimmel, York; Sally Corrigan, Pik
• The New Overtime Regulations and What They Mean for Districts – Adam Long, McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC

Click on the titles to download the presentations in PDF format.

At the PACD Executive Council meeting on July 28, a slate of officers was elected. They are:

• President – Glenn Seidel (Berks)
• 1^st Vice President – Donald Koontz (Mercer)
• 2^nd Vice President – Charles Duritsa (Westmoreland)
• Secretary – Joseph Dietrick (Westmoreland)
• Treasurer – Kenneth Meck (Lancaster)

Also during the meeting, the membership voted to support the use of properly permitted and treated acid mine drainage water for fracking. The final measure to pass was the “Option C: Alternate Dues Structure with 3-Year Increase.” This option combines the eight county classes to create four levels, A through D, and incorporates increases to the overall dues for the next three years. Any increases after that timeframe will be a flat dollar amount for all districts. The table of the new dues amounts is available from PACD upon request. Please email lsuhr@pacd.org for a copy.

As the Conservation Technician for the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) in the Southwest Region, the incumbent will provide technical assistance to the Growing Greener program and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). This position will: Provide technical assistance to area partnership Growing Greener personnel and the NRCS in the planning, design and construction of engineering practices; Prepare designs of conservation practices and water quality best management practices, which are site specific and require coordination among various groups and individuals: and Provide engineering assistance in conducting preliminary investigations. Click here for the full job description.  Candidates must submit a resume and cover letter to the PACD at jobs@pacd.org. All application materials must be received by 4:30pm EDT on August 23, 2016.  

On July 15, the Cambria County Conservation District hosted an Intro to Invasives: Weeds, Trees, and Pests workshop at Disasters Edge in St. Michael, PA. Genny Christ, Cambria County Conservation District, introduced those in attendance to invasive and noxious weeds in the Cambria County region. Tom Ford, Penn State Extension, talked all about herbicides and the best ones for invasive and noxious weed control. Ryan Davis, Pheasants Forever, explained to the group “What is CREP?” and how not all weeds are bad.

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.