Lancaster:  

Mapping Out a Plan for Manure

Lebanon: 

Lebanon County Commissioners Rescue Envirothon

PENNVEST and Department of Environmental Protection personnel will be available to explain the application process and to review the type of supporting information and documents required for application submission. Representatives from conservation districts, the agricultural community, municipalities, watershed organizations, and anyone else who wants to learn about the PENNVEST NPS Program are encouraged to attend. 

There is no cost to attend either session; however pre-registration is encouraged as seating is limited. Registrations will be accepted on a first come first served basis. For more information and to register click here. Questions can be directed to Terry Fisher at terry-fisher@pacd.org.

Nicholas A. DiPasquale, Director of Chesapeake Bay Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presents "the State of the Bay" to the Chesapeake Bay Program Meeting.

The annual Chesapeake Bay Program Conservation District and PA Agency Staff Meeting took place March 11. One hundred and twenty-five conservation district staff from 36 conservation districts met at Bucknell University for the day-long meeting. Partners working to preserve and improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay were also in attendance including staff from the PA Department of Environmental Protection, State Conservation Commission and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Participants enjoyed an Open Forum on Outreach Session. Bradford County Conservation District Manager Mike Lovegreen presented information on how their district visited 1,496 farms in one year. One participant described this session as "interesting and helpful." Another said, "Awesome open forum, answered a lot of my farm visit questions."

Presentations from the 2013 Bay Meeting are available here.

PACD staff would like to thank PACD Secretary Dave Crowl for stepping in as emcee on short notice.

Funding for the annual Bay Meeting is provided through the PACD's Bay Education Office grant with the PA Department of Environmental Protection's Chesapeake Bay Program.

Fresh water is one of the most valuable resources on earth.  According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, preserving freshwater sources is vital because of its importance for agriculture, businesses and daily life. In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development recommended the establishment of an international day to focus on the importance of freshwater and the need for sustainable management of freshwater resources. World Water Day has taken place every year on March 22 as a reminder of freshwater conservation. This year, the focus will be on international water cooperation.

For more information, click here. Please email jessica-espenshade@pacd.org with any information about world water day events in your area.

• March 23, 2013 - Rain Gardens as Outdoor Classrooms 
• March 28, 2013 - Rain Gardens and Bio-retention Design 
• April 6, 2013 - Rain Barrels 
• April 29 - May 3, 2013 - Basic Wetland Delineation 

For more information, including full course descriptions, or to register, visit www.wetland.org. Interested individuals can also call Environmental Concern at 410-745-9620. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required.

Penn State Extension will host a Healthy Farms Healthy Horses workshop in Wayne County on March 22. The workshop will be at the PPL Wallenpaupack Environmental Center in Hawley, PA. This workshop is designed to help farm owners learn to improve the quality of their pastures, store and utilize manure nutrients, develop sacrifice areas, and protect environmentally-sensitive areas. Registrations will be accepted through March 18. Click here for more information.

August 4-8, Trout Unlimited will host the River Research Camp, a five-day summer program geared toward teens between the ages of 14 and 17. The camp, which will take place at the Mahaffey Camp and Conference Center along the West Branch Susquehanna River near Mahaffey, Pa, will include a combination of instruction and hands-on field experience. Some topics to be covered include: stream and trout ecology, environmental impacts of coal mining and team-building exercises. Representatives from local and state agencies will also discuss different career options and volunteer opportunities with attendees throughout the course of the program. The camp will offer a unique opportunity for youth to learn about important environmental issues in a fun and interactive way.

For more information, visit http://www.wbsrc.org/teencamp/default.html. Questions can be directed to Rachel Kester at rkester@tu.org and Rebecca Holler at rholler@tu.org. Interested individuals can also call Trout Unlimited Eastern Abandoned Mine Program at 570-748-4901. The deadline to apply is April 1.