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Conservation Districts in the News
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| Upcoming Events |
Fall Region Meetings
Save the Date:
PACD/SCC Winter Meeting
January 28-29, 2014
Ramada Conference Center, State College, PA
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Maiden's Second Appearance on Comcast Newsmakers Addresses Dirt and Gravel Road Program
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On August 8, PACD Executive Director Robert Maiden was interviewed by Jill Horner for an edition of Comcast Newsmakers. Maiden spoke about the Dirt and Gravel Road Program including the importance of the program in terms of economics, safety and pollution prevention. The four-and-a-half- minute video will air sometime this fall. The video can be viewed on PACD's YouTube Channel at http://youtu.be/VqLPVY3wv0w.
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PACD Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary on Front Street
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August 12 marked 10 years since PACD moved into its headquarters building on Front Street in Harrisburg. Next time you are in Harrisburg stop by and say hello!
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PACD Thanks Ag Progress Days 2013 Volunteers
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 | | Jeff Leindecker, Allegheny County Conservation District, and Bob Robison, Wyoming County Conservation District Board Member staff the PACD booth Tuesday, August 13. Photo courtesy of Molly McDonough, NRCS. |
Conservation districts were once again highlighted during the 2013 Ag Progress Days (APD) event in Centre County. From August 13 through 15, volunteers from Allegheny, Centre, Fayette, Huntingdon, Union, Wyoming and York counties and the PA Envirothon engaged with APD participants, educating them about the work districts are doing daily around Pennsylvania and about the partnership opportunities that exist to connect with conservation districts. "Thank you to everyone who took time from their daily schedules to support this fantastic event. We couldn't have done it without each and every one of you!"
~ Brandi Hunter-Davenport, PACD Director of Education
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NACD Action Alert
Congressional Recess - CALL TO ACTION
| |  The Farm Bill remains at a stand-still while the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate are home for Summer Recess. This means it's time for you to TAKE ACTION!
While the Senate successfully passed a 2013 Farm Bill in June, the House was only able to pass a partial farm-only bill by removing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). We need to urge Congress to take the bills to conference and compromise.
CALL TO ACTION
We encourage you to continue reaching out to your Members while they are home through local events, meetings, social media sites and sending in op-eds to your local newspaper. Personalize these conversations and messages by highlighting current projects and local conservation efforts in your district. Remember, all politics are local and your outreach is essential.
A template of the op-ed is available on our website at: http://www.nacdnet.org/policy/farm-bill-op-ed-template. For a list of talking points, click here.
After you make contact with your Members, please send an update to Kimberly Koch at kimberly-koch@nacdnet.org or 202-457-6223.
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Luzerne Conservation District: Coal Creek Restoration Project
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 On July 3, 2011, major flooding destroyed the neighborhoods and streets surrounding Coal Creek in Plymouth, PA. Although flood damages totaled upwards of $5 million, the localized event did not qualify for FEMA funding. In order to address the problems, the Luzerne Conservation District obtained a Growing Greener grant and acted as the local sponsor for Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program funds. These funds, in addition to contributions with other state and local organizations, combined to provide approximately $1.3 million to restore the stream channel and protect eroded banks.
The restoration project was completed in the spring of 2013. The district was also able to install five other EWP projects totaling more than $300K because of the effective partnership on the Coal Creek project.
District Manager Josh Longmore said, "This project was the epitome of cooperation. The partnership, especially with our colleagues at USDA NRCS, enabled us to not only complete the work on Coal Creek and the other EWP sites, but it freed up Growing Greener dollars that will be used to address three or four more stream stabilization projects."
This project is a key example of success when multiple conservation partners work together. For more photos of the finished restoration, please visit
www.senatoryudichak.com/CoalCreek.
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Snyder Conservation District Holds Environmental Field Day
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 | | SCCD Administrative Assistant Renee Swineford (wearing pink shirt) talked about the value of organisms that break down waste in the environment such as the fly maggot. Kids dipped the maggots in paint, placed them on paper and watched them crawl. Shane Eia, NRCS Civil Engineering Technician (wearing gray shirt), assisted Mrs. Swineford. Photo provided by SCCD. |
The Snyder County Conservation District (SCCD) held an Environmental Field Day on Monday, August 12, 2013, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for youth ages 5 to 12 at its Middleburg office. The SCCD's goal was to establish a culture of environmental conscience in the local youth in a fun and informal setting.
Forty-three participants visited six stations on half-hour intervals. Each station included at least one hands on activity or an item to take home. Click here to read about the six stations.
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| Easement Program to Help Pennsylvania Recover from Hurricane Sandy, Prevent Damages from Future Flooding | |
Applications accepted until September 2nd
 USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is providing up to $124.8 million in Emergency Watershed Protection Program-Floodplain Easement (EWP-FPE) funding to help protect property in Pennsylvania and other states damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
The EWP-FPE program complements traditional disaster recovery funding and allows NRCS to purchase a permanent easement on eligible lands within floodplains that sustained damage from Hurricane Sandy. Click here to read the entire press release.
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NRCS Updates Teachers and Students Website in Time for Back-to-School
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NRCS is launching an updated Teachers and Students webpage at www.nrcs.usda.gov. As ambassadors of education in natural resource conservation, we encourage conservation districts to use these tools for environmental education.
We hope you will share these materials through newsletters, emails, social media and other venues. Make a classroom visit. Go on the radio. Call up your local newspaper. The more educators and parents we can reach, the better our message of conservation will resonate with students in America.
Let us know how you spread the word! Send news clippings and other successes to pa-nrcs-publicinfo@one.usda.gov.
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September 10 is Protect Your Groundwater Day
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Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) Public Meeting Taking Place Sept. 10, 2013
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 The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) will host a public hearing to receive comments on proposed amendments to the Commission's Water Quality Regulations, Water Code and Comprehensive Plan to revise the water quality criteria for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Delaware Estuary and Bay, DRBC Water Quality Management Zones 2 through 6, for the protection of human health from carcinogenic effects on Tuesday, September 10. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. in the Goddard Conference Room at the Commission's office building located at 25 State Police Drive, West Trenton, NJ.
Anyone interested in testifying in person must register in advance by contacting Paula Schmitt at 609-883-9500, ext. 224. Written comments can be emailed to paula.schmitt@drbc.state.nj.us or faxed to 609-883-9522. Written comments can also be submitted via regular mail to the following:
Commission Secretary
DRBC
PO Box 7360
West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360
Or overnight mail to:
Commission Secretary
DRBC
25 State Police Drive
West Trenton, NJ 06628-0360
Comments may also be delivered by hand at any time during the Commission's regular office hours. Questions can be directed to Commission Secretary Pamela M. Bush at 609-883-9500 ext. 203. For more information about the public hearing, visit www.pabulletin.com/secure/data/vol43/43-33/1518.html.
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KEEP Initiative Workshops Taking Place throughout 2013-2014 Academic Year
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 The Keystone Energy Education Program (KEEP), a new kindergarten through 12th grade initiative overseen by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will provide a series of energy-focused workshops to school teachers during the upcoming school year.
KEEP will focus on teaching about and tracking energy efficiency in community school buildings and homes. The workshops will be offered beginning the first week in October. Each workshop will host up to 30 participants, split into six teams of five individuals. Each team will have three fifth- to seventh-grade teachers who will be joined by a district administrator and a building maintenance manager.
Workshop topics include foci such as energy extraction technologies, energy conservation, efficiency and sustainability, transportation fuels and energy career development.
Registration is on a first come, first served basis. The workshops will take place regionally. Four workshop venues have already been confirmed, two in the Northwest region and two in the Southeast region. Anyone interested in helping to secure a venue in the Northcentral, Northeast, Southwest and Southcentral regions, in presenting at any session, or simply looking for more information about the program, can contact Susan Gove, KEEP Coordinator, at KEEP@energy-workshops.org.
Act 48 credits will be awarded to attendees. The workshops are being offered free of charge as a part of DEP's State Energy Plan.
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Eleventh Annual Watershed Weekend Taking Place in September
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 The Watershed Alliance of York (WAY) has announced that their 11th Annual Watershed Weekend initiative will take place September 28-29.
The purpose of Watershed Weekend is to increase public awareness about the importance of local watersheds to community health, sustainable economies, and environmental quality of the Chesapeake Bay. Participants will be able to learn more about their watersheds and the organizations working to protect them.
Multiple events will take place throughout York County to commemorate the initiative. Planned activities, thus far, include:
- York County Conservation District's Clay Shoot (an Envirothon Fundraiser)
- Rain barrel and garden workshops
- Community festivals
- Illegal dump-site cleanup
- Water and wastewater treatment facility tours
- Green infrastructure stormwater demonstration site
- Kayak and paddling tours
- Pawpaw tasting
See the 2013 calendar, which will be released Sept. 1 for more information regarding event times and locations. For up-to-the-minute information, visit www.watershedsyork.org.
For more information about Watershed Weekend 2013, including how to be an event sponsor, contact Gary Peacock at gpeacock@yorkccd.org or 717-840-7687. Inquiries can also be sent to watershedallianceofyork@gmail.com.
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Correction to August 19 Issue
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