Grants up to $2,000 are awarded to conservation districts for adult educational projects that offer strategies for reducing and preventing Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution. Projects should stimulate a local awareness of water quality issues, promote the theme “We All Live Downstream,” and encourage citizen participation in activities to improve water quality in local watersheds.

The deadline for NPS mini-grant applications is March 10, 2017. Click here for the online application and more information.  Questions should be directed to Shannon Wehinger. swehinger@pacd.org

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.

 

Conservation District, PA Department of Environmental Protection, and Penn State Extension staff are encouraged to attend this one day workshop to gain a good understanding of the Manure Management Manual and learn techniques for training others on how to use the manual. Tips and techniques on conducting manure manual workshops for producers will also be presented.

This year’s workshops will be held at the following locations:

• January 17, 2017 – Huntingdon County Extension Office, 10722 Fairground Road, Suite 6, Huntingdon, PA 16652. Registration will close on January 9, 2016. Click here to register.
• January 31, 2017 – Lysock View Complex, 542 Country Farm Road, Montoursville, PA Registration will close on January 23, 2016. Click here to register. 

Registration for both events will open at 8:30 am. Instruction will begin at 9:00 am, ending at 3:30 pm. The workshop is free. Lunch and morning break are provided. Please direct any questions to tfisher@pacd.org.

Financial support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant and the Clean Water Fund.

January 6 is the last day to take advantage of the early bird discount and save up to $20 on registration for the PACD/SCC Winter Meeting. PACD statewide meetings are a great opportunity to network with fellow districts, participate in statewide policy decisions, and take in timely sessions.

Join us in January and learn about potential Growing Greener III legislation, conservation priorities for the next Farm Bill, and how the PACD Legal Advice Program can work for your district.

If you miss the early bird deadline, you can still register for the meeting anytime through January 17. Click here for registration and meeting information. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), each conservation district is eligible for a mini-grant (up to $1,500 initially per conservation district) to hold local Manure Management Manual and/or Agricultural Erosion & Sedimentation Plan workshops. To date, only 29 conservation districts have applied.

The Mini-grant application and guidelines are available here.  The deadline to apply is December 30, 2016. Mini-grant activities must be completed and final reports must be submitted by May 5, 2017. Contact Shannon Wehinger with questions about the mini-grants.

Financial support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant, the Clean Water Fund and the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program (CBRAP).

 

Submitted by Jim Garner, Susquehanna County Conservation District The Susquehanna County Conservation District (SCCD) recently held its annual banquet with over 120 people from the community showing up for this special event. SCCD had speakers from the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on the Chesapeake Bay Reboot and from the Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies. During this event, awardees were honored for their contribution to conservation in Susquehanna County. Awards given were: Envirothon Donors, Forest Lake Township and Chief Oil and Gas; Educator of the Year, Mike Talabiska (Mountain View); Dirt and Gravel Road Cooperator, Harford Township; No-Till Cooperator, Jenny Clifford (Carlton Farms); Farmer Cooperator, Claude Bennett; Community Cooperator, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; and Bill Stewart, Choconut Township Supervisor was recognized and remembered. Guests also had the privilege of enjoying an acapella presentation by the Sisters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Montrose VFW provided everyone with a wonderful venue and delicious meal. Click here for a video montage of the event.

PACD will once again be hosting a conservation district exhibit at the 2017 Farm Show. Volunteers are needed to help at our booth and to tell visitors about the important work conservation districts do to protect the Commonwealth’s natural resources. The Farm Show will run from Jan. 7 to Jan. 14, 2017 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. The district booth will have two 4-hour shifts each day, with one or two volunteers per shift. Volunteers will receive a parking pass for the day of their shift. District volunteers are needed to fill the morning shifts from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm and the afternoon shifts from 12:30 pm to 5 pm on all days. We will not be scheduling volunteers for the evening (after 5:00 p.m.) However, ideally, someone would be at the exhibit at all times, so if you are interested in spending an evening at the booth, please let us know. If you have questions or to volunteer, send your name, contact information, and the shifts you are available to Terry Fisher at tfisher@pacd.org or call Terry at 717-238-7223.