On November 28, 1945, the Potter County Conservation District became the first district established in Pennsylvania.
Our roots began in the farming community, with the primary goal of helping agriculture thrive while protecting natural resources. From the late 1930s until 1945, three influential local figures spearheaded the establishment of the District – Henry Staiger, an agriculture teacher and involved community member, and Ed Fisher and Roselle Lette, both progressive farmers.
The district’s initial goal was to prevent soil erosion for future farming and to conserve water quality. As Mr. Staiger explained to a then skeptical public, “would you allow a hole to remain in your pocket if you were only losing a dime at a time?” the example being that soil erosion, although often slow, is a steady loss with long term negative effects.
Click here to read the press release and view more photos.
