Columbia County Conservation District recently held a well-attended outreach event called, “Good Water = Good Coffee.” Watershed Specialist Heather Almer brought together a chemistry professor, a coffee brewmaster from a local coffee house, and their conservation district staff to participate in a discussion at the Bloomsburg Public Library. The event explored how water chemistry and quality plays a role in the flavor of coffee. Coffee samples were compared using hard water, soft water, and filtered soft water to learn how these elements affect taste.

Click here to read more. 

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Program Office, housed by PACD, has two new resources available to help promote the CREP program.

They are:

• “The Pennsylvania Riparian Forest Buffer Handbook” This handbook is designed to assist in implementing conservation practices on farms. Visit https://www.creppa.org/about/resources/ to view the publication online.
• The Winter 2017 e-newsletter. Click here to read the latest updates on the CREP program.

The CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by PACD through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Additional support is provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

 

 

Northampton County Conservation District completed their “Schoolyard and Backyard Conservation” Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Project. Through the project, a workshop was held for educators on how to improve water quality and reduce nonpoint source pollution in their homes and schools. The district offered 7 Act 48 continuing education hours to the teachers in attendance.

Financial and other support for the NPS Mini-grant Program 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.

Click here to see photos from the workshop. 

 

Montgomery County Conservation District (MCCD) recently partnered with Pottsgrove High School and the nonprofit Partnership for the Delaware Estuary to retrofit a failing rain garden on the high school’s campus. MCCD provided engineering, construction oversight and other assistance to create a successful BMP and improve the look of the garden, which is near the front entrance to the school.

Click here to read more. 

 

Recognize a fellow conservationist by nominating him or her for a PACD Award. Nominations for the following awards are due by April 30.

• Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director or Associate Director Excellence Award
• Conservation District Employee Excellence Award
• Legislator Recognition Award
• Maurice K. Goddard Award for Excellence in Environmental Recreation

Click here for more information and a nomination form. Contact Sandy Austin at saustin@pacd.org with any questions.

Wayne Conservation District celebrated the opening of their new habitat room on January 13, 2017. The professionally hand-painted mural includes native plants and animals in their habitats throughout the seasons. The conservation district obtained educational grant funds in order to take on this project and purchase educational kits.

Click here to read more. 

 

• Conservation District Staff Conference – March 8-9, 2017 | Draft Agenda | Registration Form
• Leadership Development Board Training – March 3, 20, 28, & 31, 2017
• Conservation District Management Summit – June 6-7, 2017
• Conservation District Managers ‘Boot Camp’ – June 19-21, 2017

These training opportunities are coordinated by the PA Leadership Development Program. Click here to read more. Contact: Leadership Development Coordinator Mike Lovegreen.

The 2017 National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Poster Contest is now open! The theme is “Healthy Soils are Full of Life!” PACD will be accepting JPEG versions of your county’s winners until June 30, 2017. The digital versions of the posters have been a great help in cutting down on postage and handling costs, and NACD has assured us there are no discrepancies in judging JPEG’s versus hard copies. In fact, it’s their preferred medium. We can’t wait to see all of the artistic entries for this year’s theme!

Click here to read more.

The three day Introduction to Conservation Planning course will take place March 14-16, 2017 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey area) in Grantville, PA. Click here for information on the pre-requisite. The deadline to apply for this free training has been extended to February 17, 2017.

Mark your calendars for the 2017 PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference, which will be held July 12-13, 2017 at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey in Harrisburg, PA. Registration will open in May.