Armstrong: 

 Conservation Tour Showcases Environmental Impacts

Tour Participants See Results of Area Farm Conservation Practices

Pike: 

District dinner celebrates Pike County Forest Initiatives    

Other news:

Rain Garden Built at Baldwin High School to Ease Flash-Flooding 

PennDOT assisting with the installation of a modified mudsill at Moose Park along the Allegheny River with District Staff, Lindsay Shine and Heather McKean and Phil Thomas with PA Fish & Boat Commission.

PennDOT, the McKean County Conservation District and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission have partnered to stabilize the Allegheny River's south bank near Moose Park in Port Allegany.

Using an Agility Agreement, which allows an exchange of services with partners to save time and money, PennDOT is providing the labor force and equipment in partnership with the McKean County Commissioners. The agreement ensured that the Conservation District did not have to hire an outside labor force, saving money that can be used on future projects. Click here to read the entire article. 

Attendees of the Fall Conservation Tour gather for a photo. Photo courtesy of the Cameron Conservation District.

On Friday, October 25, the Armstrong Conservation District invited federal and state- elected officials and representatives, district board of directors and associate directors, and representatives from DEP to attend their 2013 Fall Conservation Tour. This year's tour traveled by bus to West Franklin and Manor Townships to highlight conservation practices on a local beef operation, a stream improvement project and water monitoring program, and a Dirt and Gravel Road project.

Check out "Conservation Districts in the News" at left for two news articles about the event.

The Pennsylvania Envirothon hosted four regional meetings for county Envirothon coordinators during the month of October.  In attendance at this year's meetings were 56 coordinators representing 56 conservation districts and Philadelphia's Schuylkill Center.  The coordinators received their 2014 Envirothon references; discussed Envirothon program changes and highlights; and shared ideas for organizing a successful Envirothon event.  In addition, they were encouraged to volunteer to help with the Pennsylvania State Envirothon scheduled for May 20 and 21, 2014 at the Susquehanna University and PPL Montour Preserve.

Financial and other support for this project was provided by the Pennsylvania Envirothon Inc. through corporate sponsorships received from Shell Oil, PPL and the Philadelphia Insurance Companies.

You're invited to check out the links below to see the Philippe Cousteau film, EarthEcho Expedition: Into the Dead Zone film sections featuring Lancaster County farm and Youth Conservation School students.  The short films are a great resource to enhance learning about conservation, watersheds, and human impact on the environment.  See more sections of the film at www.earthecho.org.

• Farm Conservation Practices

• Youth Conservation School

Due to the government shutdown, NRCS has extended the deadline to apply for Fiscal Year 2014 financial assistance through Farm Bill programs to November 15th. Applications received after that date will be accepted and considered for funding if funds are available after the first signup cycle applications are processed. 

While a new Farm Bill has not been approved, NRCS is making contingency plans to continue to work with farmers and landowners who want to implement conservation practices. Based on proposed legislation, it appears that the same types of conservation practices that are currently available for assistance will continue to be available. The names of the programs that provide funding are subject to change depending on final legislation. 

Additional information can be found here.

Farm Bill Conservation Programs and the Continuing Resolution
Expiration of the Farm Bill and the recently passed Continuing Resolution allows NRCS to offer some Farm Bill conservation programs, but not all, according to Denise Coleman, Pennsylvania State Conservationist. For a current status of funded Farm Bill programs in Pennsylvania, click here.

With a chance to reach people at their computers without making them travel, DCNR's Bureau of Recreation and Conservation will be hosting two web seminars within the next two months. On November 14 starting at 10:00 a.m., DCNR staff will cover "Funding Opportunities for Recreation and Conservation Projects."

A second webinar will be held December 18 at 10:30 a.m. Part of the Green and Sustainable Webinar Series, the "Meadows 101 - Establishing and Maintaining native Grass/Wildflower Meadows" will focus on strategies and techniques for creating meadows in green parks. Click here for more information on these and other upcoming web seminars and to register.

For the past several years, the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation (WPCAMR) has administered a Growing Greener funded program, "Quick Response."

The Quick Response program provides funding for emergency repairs for Growing Greener-eligible water restoration projects.  While this program has traditionally been used to repair Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) passive treatment systems, it can be used to repair ANY water restoration project that is Growing Greener eligible.  Examples of such projects can include stormwater Best Management Practices or streambank restoration projects that have been damaged.

In years past, applications directly sent through to the Growing Greener program had been a way to secure funding for repairs. However, a grant award is not a certainty. Additionally, the process requires lengthy time spans and usually does not work for emergency situations. WPCAMR, DEP and others recognized that there had to be a better way to provide funding for, at the very least, urgent repairs.  That is how the Quick Response program began.

Click here to learn how the program works.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the PA Organization for Watersheds and Rivers are now accepting nominations for the 2014 River Of The Year.  Nominations are due November 14. The 2013 River of the Year was the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh.

After a waterway is chosen, local groups implement a year-round slate of activities and events to celebrate the river, including a paddling trip, or sojourn. The nominating organization of the winning river will receive a $10,000 leadership grant to help fund their River of the Year activities.

To download a nomination form, visit the Nominate a 2014 River of the Year webpage.