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Conservation Districts in the News
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| Upcoming Events |
Agricultural Conservation Technical Training - Basic Level
March 31-April 4, 2014
Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)
Advanced/Topic-Based Erosion & Sediment Control Technical Training
April 1-3, 2014
Farm & Home Center, Lancaster PA
PACD North Central Region Meeting
April 2, 2014
Clinton County Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA
PACD South East Region Meeting
April 3, 2014
SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Quakertown, PA
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)
Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) Course and Exam
June 25-26, 2014
Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference
July 9-10, 2014
Blair County Convention Center, Altoona, PA
Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting
October 9-10, 2014
Ramada Conference Center, State College, PA
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Water Pollution Prevention Projects Funded Throughout Commonwealth
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Pennsylvania's county conservation districts received more than $46,000 for 26 projects in 25 counties that promote water pollution prevention strategies through the Non-point Source (NPS) Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-Grant Program.
"Conservation districts are on the front line of ensuring there is enough clean water for Pennsylvanians," said Robert Maiden, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD). "With this funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the conservation districts will work with thousands of citizens across the state to help them make a difference in their communities."
 | | This sign was produced by the Clinton County Conservation District as part of their "Soil Health and Early Establishment Cover Crops Demonstration" mini-grant project from the 2013-14 round. |
Funding for the grants, up to $2,000 each, is provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Click here for a list of projects funded.
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CPESC Training Course and Exam Sessions Summer 2014
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 PACD will host two Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment (E&S) Control (CPESC) Trainings and Exams. The first session will take place in Pittsburgh, June 25-26, 2014. The second event will be in Williamsport, Aug. 27-28, 2014.
A CPESC is a recognized specialist in soil erosion and sediment control who has met established standards of expertise, experience and knowledge. The certification program, sponsored by the Soil and Water Conservation Society and the International Erosion Control Association, provides public evidence of the CPESC's professional qualifications. This program is designed for individuals involved in the following E&S activities:
- Development and review of permits;
- Design and review of E&S Control and drainage plans;
- Installation and inspection of E&S Control practices; and/or
- Related activities (such as assisting regulators, authoring handbooks and educating the public).
Visit www.CPESC.org for more information on the professional certification program requirements. The agenda for both sessions follows:
Day 1, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.: The Training and Review Course is a good educational opportunity for anyone involved in erosion and sediment control. This stand alone course has no additional fees or requirements. Anyone may attend. Continuing education credits are available.
Day 2, 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.: The exam is required to receive the CPESC certification. At least 30 days prior to the exam date, the applicant must submit a complete CPESC application along with an additional fee to CPESC. Once it is determined that the applicant meets all certification requirements, a Letter of Eligibility is issued. This letter must be presented in order to take the exam.
The cost to attend both days is $250. The cost for Day 1 only is $175 and day 2 only is $75. Conservation district staff members, attending both days, will receive a discounted rate of $50. Conservation district staff will also need to go through CPESC for exam eligibility to be determined.
For more information or to register, go to www.PACD.org/Calendar. Questions can be directed to Terry Fisher at terry-fisher@pacd.org or 717-238-7223.
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PACD Accepting Applications for Conservation Engineer and Technician
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 PACD is hiring staff in its Bloomsburg and Lebanon offices. Click here for details. |
Conservation Districts Participate in 2014 PAEE
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 | | PACD Director of Public Affairs & Education Brandi Hunter-Davenport presents a workshop at the 2014 PAEE Conference in mid-March. Photo by Laura Anderson, Environmental Educator with the Wyoming Conservation District. |
March 14-16, at the Antiochian Village in Bolivar, PA, more than 100 environmental educators from various sectors gathered for the 2014 PA Association of Environmental Educators (PAEE) Conference.
The theme of this year's conference was Spheres of Influence: Shaping the Curve of Environmental Education.
PACD's Brandi Hunter-Davenport presented a workshop entitled Telling the Story: Effective Communication Tools for Speaking to the Environment during the Friday morning session. Porcupine "Pat" McKinney, Schuylkill Conservation District facilitated a workshop entitled Ways of Wildlife. Kristen Currier, Erie County Conservation District offered two sessions: Pre-Service Teachers in Environmental Education and Partners in Environmental Education.
Congratulations to Jody Wallace, Blair County Conservation District, who received the PAEEOutstanding Environmental Educator award during the conference. To be considered, the nominee must be "an individual who made a significant teaching contribution to the environmental education field in a formal or non-formal setting, through either curriculum development or teaching." Wallace also presented the Go with the Flow: Hands on Water Festivals workshop while there.
The day before the conference convened, the Community of Learners, a group of individuals gathered to network and share ideas about environmental education practices, tactics and outreach in Pennsylvania, met for the second time this year and in engaged in workshops which examined environmental justice, while also exploring ways to support one another as partners moving forward.
Click here to view a slideshow of photos from the event taken by Laura Anderson, Wyoming Conservation District. For more information about PAEE, including future conference dates, visit www.paee.net. To learn more about Antiochian Village, visit www.antiochianvillage.org.
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Kumer Offers Board Development Workshop in NW Region
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 | | Michael Kumer speaks to attendees during March 18 board development workshop. Photo courtesy of Sandy Thompson, McKean County Conservation District Manager. |
Michael Kumer of Boards Made To Order (MTO), facilitated a workshop to conservation districts in the Northwest Region on March 18. The title of his presentation was "Let's Create a Peak-Performing Board!" Kumer addressed more than a dozen district directors and staff, representing eight districts, during the two-hour workshop.
One of the main nuggets that NW Region Director and McKean County Commissioner Cliff Lane took away from the presentation was, "Creating the future should be every board's number one responsibility. Working together, you determine your district's destination."
The event was followed by a networking lunch. For more information about Boards MTO, visit www.boardsmto.com.
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| Local Dirt Gravel Roads/Low Volume Roads Informational Dinner | |
By Jan Hampton, Cameron County Conservation District
The Cameron and Potter County Conservation Districts recently hosted an informational dinner to educate local boroughs, townships, PA Game Commission and PennDOT officials about the benefits of the new transportation bill. The gathering was at the Sinnemahoning Wildlife Center, located right at the Cameron/Potter county line.
Cameron Conservation Manager Jan Hampton said, "I am absolutely thrilled that we had representatives from every Borough AND every Township in Cameron County." Also in attendance were Commissioners Jones and Thomas and Bill Crisp, PA Fish & Boat Commission, and a member of the Dirt & Gravel Roads Quality Assurance Board. Other municipalities in attendance were: Coudersport Borough, Genesee Township and the Potter County QAB Chairman, Dr. Pete Ryan.
 | | Dave Creamer, Field Operations Specialist for the Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, addresses an audience of Cameron and Potter County residents. |
Jan read a Paul Harvey poem about dirt roads to start the evening. Then Dave Creamer, Field Operations Specialist for the Penn State Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies, took over as the evening's featured speaker. He began with a light note by sharing that the new bill has 13 more words and two commas more than the previous one. He then went on to share that the BIG difference with the new bill is that low volume roads, those traveled by LESS than 500 vehicles a day, are now eligible for funding. In the past 16 years only dirt & gravel roads were eligible, now paved roads may also qualify for funding. Creamer also noted that the bill is connected to the Clean Streams Law and is a pollution prevention program, NOT a road repair program. In other words, the site must be having a negative effect on the stream to be addressed.
An excellent meal was served by the Pizza Palace Plus. Dinner also included a question and answer session. The Advisory Committees are diligently working on guidelines for the low volume roads aspect. The various officials left full and more informed on this new opportunity.
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2014 Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference Call for Abstracts
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(Submitted by Anne Daymut, Watershed Coordinator, Western Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and reprinted from Abandoned Mine Posts.)
 With a theme of "Collaboration Is Essential," the 2014 Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference will team up with ARIPPA, combining efforts and audiences, to co-host a dual conference on Abandoned Mine Reclamation and Independent Power Production on June 26-27 in State College.
The Conference will feature not only technical presentations on Abandoned Mine Reclamation and Mine Drainage Remediation, but projects completed by Power Producers using Coal Refuse as an Alternative Energy. Numerous networking opportunities will be scheduled and may include a happy hour, golf outing and/or a tour of Penn's Cave.
The conference planning committee is currently collecting abstracts for consideration. They are looking for presentations on new passive or active AMD treatment technologies or new information and research on existing technologies.
Please send abstract submissions to Anne Daymut, Watershed Coordinator, WPCAMR by email to: anne@wpcamr.org. Abstracts are due by April 1. Call Anne at 724-832-3625 or visit the 2014 Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference website http://2014.treatminewater.com for more information.
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Federal Dam Rehabilitation Program Funded
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Recently President Obama signed the Agricultural Act of 2014, or as it is commonly known, the "Farm Bill." One of the programs funded in the new Farm Bill is the Small Watershed Rehabilitation Program.
 | | Conneautville Dam (PA-RC&D-112), Conneautville, Crawford County. Photo provided by NRCS. |
The purpose of the Small Watershed Rehabilitation Program is to:
- Prolong the useful life of the dam structure,
- Correct damage to a dam from a catastrophic event,
- Correct structural components that are deteriorating at an abnormal rate,
- Upgrade the dam to meet changed land use conditions or changed safety criteria
- Decommission the dam
The Small Watershed Rehabilitation Program is funded at $250,000,000 for the fiscal year 2014, with those funds to remain available until expended. According to NRCS State Conservation Engineer Hosea Latshaw, "This is more funding than has been available for the last several years."
Since many of the NRCS dams were built in the 1960s and 1970s and are reaching the end of their service life, this program could be very beneficial to Pennsylvania.
With more than 80 dams in Pennsylvania, NRCS looks forward to working with conservation districts, other local sponsors, and DEP's Division of Dam Safety to ensure these dams are safe and fulfill a local need.
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Twelfth Annual PA Land Conservation Conference May 2014
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 The 2014 PA Land Conservation Conference, organized by the PA Land Trust Association, will take place May 1-3, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza in Reading, Berks County. The keynote address will be given by Jim Finley, Ibberson Professor of Forest Resources Management and Director of the Center for Private Forests at Penn State University, with a theme of "Weaving the Tapestry of Forest Conservation." For more information about the event, including registration details, click here.
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