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Guiding Principles Established during PACD/SCC Winter Meeting
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 | | Michael Kumer of Boards Made to Order kicked off the meeting with a workshop addressing board member recruitment, engagement and retention. The session was very well received by attendees and was referenced throughout the two-day meeting. |
PACD's number two priority was to decide on our guiding principles. Through a grassroots effort we have completed the process.
As independent as conservation districts are, it was proven once again that the districts value and prioritize the same issues. Engaging in the process to determine the principles makes PACD a stronger more unified membership; therefore, one step closer to our long-term goal.
The principles were amended during the Conservation Committee meeting on January 23 and approved by the PACD Executive Council the following day. The five principles are what the 66 Conservation Districts believe are important and strive to implement every day. PACD will advocate these principles and stay true to them in our decision making.
Several other motions were brought to the Executive Council during the Winter Meeting. Read about them here.
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PACD Board Members Visit Chester County Conservation District
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Pictured are (left to right): Christian Strohmaier, District Manager; Jack Arrell, Vice-Chairman and Public Director; Glenn Seidel, PACD Second Vice President; Brian Campbell, Farmer Director; Robert Struble, Secretary-Treasurer and Director; Don Gable, Associate Director; Harold Kulp, Farmer Director; Tom Brosius, Chairman and Farmer Director; Lynda Farrell, Associate Director; and Drew Gilchrist, PACD President.
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Grants Available from WREN
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 The Water Resources Education Network's (WREN) 2013 Round of Watershed Education and Source Water Protection Education Grants is now open!
Project activities for the 2013 round are to take place 7/1/2013 - 6/30/14. The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund (LWVPA-CEF) awards grants to a limited number of community based educational projects that protect and improve the community's water resources.
Download the grant application forms and instructions here.
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Financial Assistance Program Announced for Gateways and Trails
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 The National Park Service Chesapeake Bay office is accepting project proposals from Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Trails partners for financial assistance awards. Projects must occur within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Funding requests may range from $10,000 to $125,000; and there must be an equal (1:1) or greater non-Federal match.
Funding priorities are for projects in designated water trails and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. The following areas are eligible in Pennsylvania:
Water Trails:
* Susquehanna River Water Trail - North Branch
* Susquehanna River Water Trail - Middle Section (Main stem)
* Lower Susquehanna Water Trail (Main stem)
* West Branch Susquehanna Water Trail
* Juniata River Water Trail
* Raystown Branch Juniata River Water Trail
* Swatara Creek Water Trail
The designated portions of the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail in Pennsylvania are:
* The entire main stem of the Susquehanna River from the New York border to the Maryland border, including the Great Bend section. * The West Branch of the Susquehanna from Lock Haven to its confluence with the main stem. Applications are due by 4p.m. on Friday, March 1, 2013. Click here for more information. |
EPA Moves to Scrap Novel Turbidity Limit in Construction Stormwater Rule
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 EPA is launching a rulemaking that will formally strip its landmark numeric limit for turbidity from its effluent limitation guideline (ELG) for controlling stormwater runoff from the construction sector, one of the major sources of water quality impairments, and address a host of other industry concerns over "non-numeric" portions of the rule. But EPA's agreement to formally withdraw the turbidity limit is likely to prompt pushback from environmentalists, who charge that a numeric limit for turbidity -- a measure of water's clarity -- is necessary to enforce sediment and other control requirements, and that the absence of such a limit hinders enforcement of the ELG. Read more here.
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| Community Conservation Partnership Program (C2P2) Grant Applications Now Being Accepted | |
 The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is now accepting grant applications for recreation and conservation programs through their Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2).
Throughout the last two decades, DCNR's Bureau of Recreation and Conservation (in tandem with several community partners) has funded more than 4,000 projects which worked toward the enhancement, sustainment and development of state parks, recreation facilities, trails and preserved critical conservation areas and watersheds; supported education and training on recreation and conservation topics; and/or built conservation, heritage and recreation partnerships.
For more information about the available funding, application requirements and the 2013 grant round, click here. Throughout the months of February and March, pre-application webinars will be made available to assist applicants with proposal submissions. To sign up for one of those webinars, visit http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/Calendar/list.asp.
Applications will be accepted through April 10, 2013.
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American Rivers Holding Green Infrastructure Webinars
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 American Rivers is holding a winter webinar series for Chesapeake Bay communities on funding green infrastructure programs.
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Learn More about Creating Young Forest Habitat and the Golden Winged Warbler
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The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be hosting a meeting on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. for the public to learn more about wildlife habitat enhancement opportunities on private lands, particularly for creating young forest habitat. The PA Game Commission will be providing a presentation entitled "Golden-winged Warbler Habitat Enhancement" which will be followed by more details on how private landowners can establish this habitat on their own properties. The meeting will take place at the Lysock Building in Montoursville. Click here for more information.
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National Green Week Celebrated
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 February 4-8, 2013 marks National Green Week. The publicly designated observance is a yearly event which encourages schools to promote lesson plans and activities focused on sustainability beginning February 4 through the end of April, which is observed as Earth Month. [Earth Day is Monday, April 22.]
Participating schools can choose one week during the designated time frame and are then able to select from the Green Education Foundation's sustainability-focused programs to highlight a 'green theme.' Each theme provides five-day curriculum standards based on a myriad of activities.
For more information about National Green Week, visit
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