PACD Front Page 12.10.12

Front Page Going on Hiatus for the Holidays
Front Page will not be released December 24 & 31 due to the holidays. Look for the next edition on January 7. Submissions sent after December 13 will be included in a January issue.

Registration Opens for Free Intro to Conservation Planning Course!

PACD partnered with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to deliver a three-day Introduction to Conservation Planning course. This free training will take place at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg-Hershey in Grantville, PA from Feb. 26-28, 2013.

The event is for entry-level employees of all organizations in Pennsylvania delivering conservation planning technical assistance, including but not limited to, NRCS, conservation districts, State Conservation Commission, farmland preservation entities, non-profits and private consultants. Lunch will be provided. Click the links for the agenda, hotel information and registration. Please share this information with your private consultant contacts. The deadline to register is February 8.

Concerned about Registering for the PACD/SCC Winter Meeting with PayPal?

One of the many ways you can pay for your registration for the PACD/SCC Winter Meeting is through PayPal. How Secure is PayPal? While PayPal itself uses the latest technology to secure data, some people may still be concerned about entering their credit card information online using this service. For tips on using this service securely, read this article from a top- rated banking blog: 5 Online Security Tips for Using PayPal.

Union County Conservation District Conducts Field Tour of Farm Practices with Enzyme Stabilized Soils

Andy Hibbs, District Engineer, shows participants how the product was applied on a frequently used, sloped road at Happy Cow Naturals in Mifflinburg, PA.

Andy Hibbs, Union County Conservation District's Chesapeake Bay Regional Conservation Engineer, led a tour of demonstration sites where heavy-use areas have been treated with a soil-stabilizing enzyme called Perma-zyme on November 15.

"By providing a stabilized surface, nutrient and sediment runoff can be reduced from agricultural operations, forestry operations and from unpaved lanes. Any area that is not stabilized and receives heavy use from animal and equipment traffic has the potential to discharge polluted runoff. Proper application of the enzyme can stabilize these areas for a very low installation cost," said Hibbs.

Landowners were on hand at all three tour stops to talk about their experiences with the product. "Andy has great relationships with the landowners whom he worked with to install the enzyme on a cattle walkway, field lane and round bale pad. It was a very educational tour demonstrating a product that districts may want to introduce in their communities," said PACD Director of Communications Shannon Wehinger who participated in the tour.

The district will host a second tour in the spring to show how the treated areas held up through a freeze and thaw cycle.

This new and innovative project is funded by a PACD mini-grant made possible 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.

Contact Andy Hibbs at (570) 524-3860 for more information about this project.

Susquehanna Conservation District and Penn State Extension Host Joint Celebration

By Jim Garner, Susquehanna County Conservation District Manager

Pictured are Representative Major (left) and Representative Pickett.

The Susquehanna County Conservation District and Penn State Extension recently hosted a joint celebration at the Montrose Bible Conference's Dreyer Lodge Tea Room. The Conservation District was commemorating their 65th year and the Extension honored the 100th anniversary of 4-H. After a delicious roast beef dinner, Master of Ceremonies Jim Kessler oversaw the evening's tributes. First was a moving remembrance of the late George Gardner. George had served more than 20 years on the Conservation District's board of directors and had been chairman most of those years. District Manager Jim Garner presented a heartfelt PowerPoint presentation brought tears to the eyes of many attendees. Click here to read more.

NACD's Latest CEO Video Update is Now Available Online!
In this five-and-a-half minute video, CEO John Larson discusses his recent trip to Oklahoma, Farm Bill progress and plans for the 2013 NACD Annual Meeting in San Antonio. The video is posted at the following link: http://vimeo.com/54387812.

Applications for 2013 DCNR Community Conservation Partnership Grants Due April 10

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) will begin accepting applications for the 2013 round of Community Conservation Partnership Grants on January 9. The deadline for applications is April 10.

Grants are awarded to municipalities and authorized nonprofit organizations for recreation, park and conservation projects. These include the rehabilitation and new development of parks and recreation facilities (development projects); acquisition of land for active or passive park and conservation purposes (land acquisition projects); and planning for feasibility studies, trails studies, conservation plans, site development planning, and comprehensive recreation, greenway and open space (planning projects).

DCNR will host a series of seven regional grant workshops designed to assist potential grant applicants with preparing their applications and providing information about the program. The workshop dates and locations are available here.

USDA-NRCS News

Reminder: Annual Computer Security Training Deadline - January 31, 2013

It's that time again. All USDA employees, partners, contractors and volunteers that are on the USDA network, must complete the mandatory FY13 Information Security Awareness (ISA) course and assessment training that is available through AgLearn. The training takes approximately 45 minutes. You must take the assessment at the end and pass with a 70 percent or greater in order to receive credit.

Network access will be removed on February 1 for any employee, contractor, partner or volunteer who has not completed the requirement by the deadline of January 31.

Recommendation: AgLearn tends to slow down during the month of January when everyone is trying to complete the training at the same time to meet the deadline. The sooner you take the training prior to January, the faster the connectivity will be.

If you have any questions or need guidance, please contact Donna Via at 717-237-2225 or Anne Anderson at 717-237-2143.

Keep in Touch with NRCS
Do you want to receive the latest PA NRCS news and information on conservation activities in the commonwealth? Click here to sign up today (scroll down the topics list to select Pennsylvania).

We are also now on Twitter! Join us at: https://twitter.com/USDANRCSPA