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Conservation Districts in the News
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| Upcoming Events |
January 28-29, 2014
Ramada Conference Center, State College, PA
Intro to Conservation Planning
March 4-6, 2014
Holiday Inn Harrisburg-Hershey, Grantville, PA
Chesapeake Bay Program Conservation District and PA Agency Staff Meeting
March 10 (snow date March 13)
Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA
PACD South Central Region Meeting
March 12, 2014
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA
Agricultural Conservation Technical Training - Basic Level
March 31-April 4, 2014
Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)
PACD North Central Region Meeting
April 2, 2014
Clinton County Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA
PACD South East Region Meeting
April 3, 2014
Location: TBA
PACD North East Region Meeting
April 4, 2014
DEP Northeast Regional Office, Wilkes-Barre, PA
PACD North West Region Meeting
April 10, 2014
Forest County Conservation District, Tionesta, PA
PACD South West Region Meeting
April 11, 2014
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA
Agricultural Conservation Technical Training - Level II
April 28-May 2, 2014
Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)
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A Musical Holiday Greeting from the PACD Staff
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Click here to enjoy a 36 second video greeting from the PACD Staff titled, "The Twelve Days of Districts." The tune is sung by Molly Burns.
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Register Now for the Chesapeake Bay Program Meeting
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 The 2014 Chesapeake Bay Program Conservation District and PA Agency Staff Meeting (formerly called the All Bay Meeting) will be March 10 at the Elaine Langone Center, 2nd Floor, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA. The target audience for this meeting is staff from PA state agencies, NRCS, and conservation districts.
Topics include conservation district project spotlights, an insider's guide to funding, equine outreach and more!
 | | Photo credit: NASA/USGS/Landsat 5 |
In the event of inclement weather, the event will be postponed to the snow date (March 13, 2014). Registrants will be notified 24 hours in advance via email if the meeting will be postponed.
Click here for the draft agenda and registration. There is no cost to register. The deadline to register is February 18. Questions? Contact Shannon Wehinger.
The event is sponsored by the PA Department of Environmental Protection. PACD handles the logistics for the meeting.
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More than 400 Farmers attend Workshop in Lancaster County
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 | | Keynote Speaker Ray Archuleta, Soil Health Specialist with USDA/NRCS, demonstrates how fungi, bacteria, and secretions from microorganisms help glue sand, silt, clay and other particles together. This process helps to control erosion. |
On December 9, a workshop that focused on key farming practices that can best protect drinking water sources was attended by over 400 farmers (mostly plain-sect).
PACD's PENNVEST NPS Program Application Developer Terry Fisher was in Lancaster for the event entitled, "Protecting Your Water Begins with Your Land."
The keynote speaker was Ray Archuleta, Soil Health Specialist with USDA/NRCS. Dennis Eby, Lancaster County Conservation District's Plain Sect Outreach staffer, participated in the panel on local lessons learned.
The workshop was hosted by the Eastern Lancaster Source Water Protection Coalition which was formed in 2012 with the support of a $5,000 Water Resources Education Network (WREN) Source Water Protection Collaborative Grant.
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York Helps Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education Control Erosion
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The York County Conservation District (YCCD) is working on a project with the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education. The Center has an "Incubator Farm Conservation Plan." The incubator farm project allows independent farmers to create small-scale sustainable farms on their land. The Center helps to market the products.
Based on a field visit by the district, it was determined that a swale needed to be installed to control erosion. The district assisted with this effort and provided native tree seedlings for a buffer on the property. Next, YCCD will address a stream crossing at the Horn Farm Center.
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PA NRCS Certified Conservation Planner (CCP) Prerequisites Training Opportunities
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 All conservation plans developed for NRCS assistance must be approved by a NRCS certified conservation planner. A NRCS certified planner can be a NRCS or partner employee, volunteer, or Technical Service Provider who has completed all NRCS certified planner prerequisites, demonstrating the necessary skills and experience needed to independently assist clients to conduct resource inventories and assessments, propose treatment alternatives, and develop conservation plans addressing Soil, Water, Air, Plants, Animals, and Energy Resource Concerns on pasture, crop, and farmstead land uses.
The prerequisites training opportunities are listed here.
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Farm Bill Conservation Program Seeks Producer Participation
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Applications for Conservation Stewardship Program due January 17
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is opening the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for new enrollments for federal fiscal year 2014. Starting today through January 17, 2014, producers interested in participating in the program can submit applications to NRCS.
In CSP, producers install conservation enhancements to make positive changes in soil quality, soil erosion, water quality, water quantity, air quality, plant resources, animal resources and energy.
Some popular enhancements used by farmers and forest landowners include:
- Using new nozzles that reduce the drift of pesticides, lowering input costs and making sure pesticides are used where they are most needed;
- Modifying water facilities to prevent bats and bird species from being trapped;
- Applying nutrients to soils with higher precision techniques; and
- Rotating feeding areas and monitoring key grazing areas to improve grazing management.
Eligible landowners and operators can enroll in CSP through January 17th to be eligible during the 2014 federal fiscal year. While local NRCS offices accept CSP applications year round, NRCS evaluates applications during announced ranking periods. Learn more about CSP by clicking here.
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