The Potter County Conservation District (PCCD) held a Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Roads (DGLVR) Municipal Breakfast. The event took place on May 18, 2021, at the Coudersport Firehall and Senior Center. In all, 22 representatives from 11 townships were in attendance.

Speakers included Jacob Tomlinson of Trout Unlimited and David Morrison and Eric Nevel of the Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies. PCCD DGLVR Technician Andrew Mickey and the local Quality Assurance Board presented program updates and preliminary project movement.

Adopt A Highway

This spring, the Beaver County Conservation District (BCCD) adopted a stretch of State Route 151 in Independence Township. The PA Department of Transportation runs the Adopt A Highway Program to beautify our roads. Twice a year, roadside litter is cleaned up by the organization that adopted the highway. On Earth Day, April 22, 2021, BCCD  staff and directors conducted their first clean-up! The district picked up forty bags of trash, some more oversized items, and a few tires along the roadside. These efforts will improve the look of the road. More importantly, this clean-up will prevent all that trash from ending up in Raccoon Creek or its tributaries which flow along the roadside. 

Tire Collection

The Beaver County Conservation District’s (BCCD) West Nile program conducted its first tire collection event this May. BCCD was awarded money through the DEP West Nile grant to offer mosquito habitat reduction and public outreach through the collection of tires from residents of Beaver County.

The district collected over 1,150 tires during the collection event. With the help of the grant, BCCD lowered the cost for residents by offering a discount price per tire for the first 600 tires collected. The event was a tremendous success. The 600-tire limit for the discount was met on the first day of the collection!

This year the district accepted light truck and car tires up to 20″ off rim. BCCD collaborated with a tire facility that recycles the tires. The district made information available describing the methods of recycling and products made from the recycled rubber. They distributed mosquito dunks for standing water at residents’ homes with information about West Nile Virus, mosquito habitat, and protection from mosquitoes, and offered mosquito activity books for kids. BCCD is so pleased with this year’s event and hopes to expand the event to additional tire types next year.

As the Conservation Technician for the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) in the North East 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 agricultural conservation practices and water quality best management practices (BMPs), 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 PACD at jobs@pacd.org. All application materials must be received by 4:30 p.m. on June 11, 2021.

Since January, PACD has partnered with Water Words That Work, LLC to offer farmer focus groups and interviews across the state to learn how we can improve and gain more interest in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Join us for a presentation on the findings of the series of focus groups and interviews with Pennsylvania farmers about the CREP program on June 24, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. Register for the meeting here.

Please contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org with questions.

Financial and other support for this project is provided through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

Clarion Conservation District held a Backyard Conservation workshop on May 6, 2021. The district had to turn away folks after their maximum number of attendees was exceeded. The workshop topics included edible and pollinator rain gardens, rain barrels, and no-till gardening. The event was held outside at the conservation district office.

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.

The McKean County Conservation District board of directors, along with conservation district and McKean County Planning Commission staff, cleaned up litter along their adopted two-mile stretch of Route 6 West of Smethport. Twenty bags, plus a few larger items, were gathered. The district is part of the Adopt-A-Highway program with PennDOT and holds the litter collection every spring and fall.

The 2021 Virtual PACD Annual Conference will take place as a series of video conferences this July. The six PACD committees will meet virtually between July 8 and 22, followed by PACD Executive Council on July 29.

Registration is open to all conservation district directors, associate directors, and staff, as well as partner agency staff and invited guests. Registration for each meeting is free and required. Registrants will receive a link to the Zoom meeting and instructions to participate. A phone number will also be provided for anyone who wishes to participate via conference call.

To request a registration link, please email the listed contact for each video conference you’d like to attend.

PACD Conservation Committee Video Conference

July 8, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD District Employees Committee Video Conference

July 9, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact hmiller@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD Education and Outreach Committee Video Conference

July 14, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact swehinger@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD Legislative Committee Video Conference

July 15, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD Ways and Means Committee Video Conference

July 20, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact abrown@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD Operations Committee Video Conference

July 22, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD Executive Council Video Conference

July 29, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon

Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

Mark your calendars for August 12, September 9, and September 23, 2021, from 10:00 a.m.-Noon for the QuickBooks Training Webinar Series! PACD has partnered with SEK CPAs and Advisors to offer free QuickBooks training statewide to conservation districts. August 12 will feature basic training, September 9 will be an advanced training, and September 23 will focus on payroll.

More information to come! Registration will open this summer. Please contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org with questions.

Westmoreland Conservation District planned to host a workshop/pasture walk for equine owners. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the project was reimagined as a video series. The conservation district created a three-part video series showing the connection between horse farm practices and water quality and how the use of manure management plans and good pasture management will reduce those impacts.

• The first video is an introduction to nonpoint source pollution and how horse farms may impact water quality. 
• The second video walks the viewer through writing their farm’s manure management plan. 
• The third video discusses the importance of pasture management. 

The videos contain helpful tips and suggested resources that will help horse owners achieve their goals. The videos are available on the Westmoreland Conservation District YouTube channel. 

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.

The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) held its Farmers Spring Thaw Meeting on April 9, 2021, in the Paxtonville United Methodist Church’s roofed picnic pavilion.

Fifty-six people attended the meeting. Topics included better management of farm soils and manure, updates on Snyder County’s Action Plan, USDA program updates, and protecting water resources while mixing and loading.

Guest presenters from the conservation district, Snyder County Commissioners, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), and Penn State Extension presented either in person or through recordings.

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.