The 2020 102/105 Basic Technical Training session is open to conservation district and DEP staff. The event will take place March 16-19 at the Wyndham State College in Boalsburg, PA, with little or no cost to attend. (See registration information for details.) Registration and the prerequisite coursework are completed through the DEP Clean Water Academy. Click here for registration information and here to view the training agenda.
Recently, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service wrote a Conservation Showcase titled “Streambank Restoration at Waynesboro Church,” written by Justin Atkins. The piece features a stream restoration project by Franklin County Conservation District.
From the piece:
Streambank erosion is currently one of the most common problems affecting streams in Pennsylvania. When a stream is eroded, sediment contaminates the water; sediment is currently one of the largest contributors to pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. When a streambank that ran along the property of Great Commission Deliverance Ministries Church in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, began to erode, Jana Mellott connected with Tammy Piper, Watershed Specialist for the Franklin County Conservation District, in May of 2014 to see what could be done to improve the stream.
Click here to read the article.
The PACD/SCC Winter Meeting was held in Boalsburg, PA, from January 22-23, 2020. In addition to the business meetings of PACD and the State Conservation Commission, sessions were held on educational opportunities through the PA Game Commission and effective conservation messaging from the National Wildlife Federation.
A 50/50 raffle was held during the meeting. A total of $134.50 was raised for the PA Envirothon!
Click here to view photos from the event.
Applications are now being accepted for the Agricultural Conservation Technical Training (“Boot Camp” Basic level and Level II). Conservation district agricultural staff are encouraged to take advantage of these free, week-long training opportunities, which include both classroom learning and experience in the field.
This training is appropriate for agricultural conservation technicians, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service field staff, nutrient management technicians, Chesapeake Bay technicians, and others in agricultural positions with less than one year of professional experience, or less than three years’ experience if the employee did not attend a previously held Level I ACT training.
There is limited space, and conservation district watershed specialists will be cut. Brand new hires will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Existing NRCS and conservation district staff with agriculture-focused positions will get priority for the 30 seats available. Others will be considered as space is available.
Basic Level
April 6-10, 2020
Level II
April 27-May 1, 2020
If you do not receive confirmation from PACD, you will not be admitted. No walk-ins will be accepted. Both courses are held at the Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County). Questions? Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.
These training opportunities are made possible by the following sponsors: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Conservation Commission, and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.
On October 28, 2019, the Armstrong Conservation District held a stormwater workshop. Thirty-five attendees attended the workshop. As part of the project, the district distributed thirty-two rain barrels, produced a stormwater sign, and created a rain barrel demonstration area at the conservation district office.
This project was funded by a PA Department of Environmental Protection environmental education grant and a Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Mini-grant through PACD.
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.
On January 10, Dean & Rebecca Jackson Of Mt-Glen Farms in Columbia Cross Roads (Bradford County) were presented with the PA Leopold Conservation Award. This third-generation dairy farm is a leader in conservation. Click here to read more about the operation.
PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh attended the awards presentation, which was held during the PA Farm Show in Harrisburg.
Click here to read more about the award presentation.
Thanks to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection continuing to support conservation district educational projects, PACD is ready to open a new round of Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grants!
Grants up to $2,000 are awarded to conservation districts for adult educational projects that offer strategies for reducing and preventing 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 2, 2020. Click here for the online application and more information. Questions should be directed to Shannon Wehinger.
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.
Reprinted with permission from Lehigh County Conservation District’s Winter 2019 newsletter
According to a New York Times article written on August 9, 2019, temperatures in a city can span a range of as much as 20 degrees depending upon one’s location. Students from Building 21 Public High School in Allentown have been working on finding solutions to this “hot topic” known as urban heat islands, for the last two years!
Student Maribel Rabio proposed planting three large groups of flowering trees to add shade and natural beauty to her school’s parking areas. After volunteering to help students with the first phase of Maribel’s tree plantings, several Lehigh County Conservation District (LCCD) staff members encouraged the school to apply to the district’s grant program for funding of phase two.
Upon LCCD board approval for a $2,000 grant, Building 21’s Urban Agriculture Class, Allentown Department of Public Works, and City Arborist Rick Howell worked together in October to carry out stage two of the project. On this day, six native redbuds and five native dogwoods joined Building 21’s ever-growing and greening landscape and brought Maribel’s great idea one step closer to completion.
Click here to read the entire article and here to watch a local news clip about the project.
By: Kevin Brown, Ag. Resource Specialist, Bradford County Conservation District
Yes, that’s what I said, a garden that takes no work. This is a picture of our garden here at the office. I mulched it, planted it, spent maybe 15 minutes (total) weeding it at different times, and am now harvesting it. I know there are a lot of non-believers out there. My wife said it wouldn’t work. My co-workers said it wouldn’t work and wanted to know who was going to be the one spending the time needed to weed and water it. My response was, “If it works the way it’s supposed to, no one.” Even my mother said that when she read the first gardening article I wrote, “I couldn’t believe your name was associated with it. You never wanted anything to do with a garden.” And she’s right. I still don’t. But voilà! Here we are. I can handle a garden if I don’t have to do anything to make it a garden. Doesn’t everyone like to have super fresh vegetables if all they have to do is pick them? Well, you can.
Click here to read the entire article and here to read a news piece on the project.
This workshop is part of the Bradford County Education & Outreach Mini-grant Project.
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 hosting a two-day short course on Fluvial Geomorphology and Natural Channel Design Indices and Stream Restoration/Rehabilitation and Streambank Protection. The course will be held on March 24 and 25 at the Clinton County Conservation District. Please add this meeting to your calendar.
Registration and a draft agenda will be shared soon. Questions? Contact Amy Brown at abrown@pacd.org.