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Conservation Districts in the News
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| Upcoming Events |
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
Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) Course and Exam
August 27-28, 2014
Holiday Inn, Williamsport, PA
Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting
October 9-10, 2014
Ramada Conference Center, State College, PA
Annual 102-105 Meeting
October 28-30, 2014
Ramada Conference Center, State College, PA
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Dauphin Conservation District's Gil Hirschel Appears on Good Day PA
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On April 23, Gil Hirschel, Resource Planner with the Dauphin County Conservation District, stopped by ABC 27's 'Good Day PA' show to talk about proper lawn care techniques with spring moving in. Gil also spoke to how items used to beautify home lawns and gardens can have a negative impact on water quality if not used properly. Photo by Brandi Hunter-Davenport.
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Conservation District Projects Receive More than $51,000 in Recent Environmental Education Grant Round
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 Conservation districts throughout the commonwealth, as well as PACD, are the recipients of over $51,000 in environmental education grants funded through the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP.) The announcement was made on Earth Day and total awards went to more than 100 organizations.
Conservation districts in the following counties were among awardees: Allegheny, Bradford, Bucks, Carbon, Elk, Erie, Huntingdon, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lehigh, McKean, Mercer, Snyder, Somerset, Susquehanna, Warren and Westmoreland.
The funds are distributed under the Environmental Education grant program established by the Environmental Education Act of 1993. The act mandates setting aside five percent of the pollution fines and penalties DEP collects annually for environmental education in Pennsylvania.
For the complete listing of awardees and funding amounts, click here.
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PACD is Still Accepting Applications for Fall Internship Opportunity
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 PACD is currently accepting resumes for a part-time (10-15 hours per week) internship position to begin during the fall 2014 semester. Interested individuals should submit their resume, a copy of their unofficial transcript, a writing sample (no longer than 2-3 pages) and the names and contact information of at least two references to Brandi Hunter-Davenport, PACD Director of Public Affairs & Education, at brandi-davenport@pacd.org. All applications must be received no later than May 23, 2014. Click here to read the internship description. |
Online PENNVEST Nonpoint Source Information Updates
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 If you haven't been on the PENNVEST Nonpoint Source Program pages on the PACD website in a while, you may want to take a look. PACD maintains and updates these pages to keep them as current as possible with NPS Program guidelines and procedures. Recently some major changes were made in regards to who may apply for PENNVEST's funds and the conservation district's role in the application process. Visit the PACD website and click on the PENNVEST tab to learn more.
Additionally, the PENNVEST online manual was recently updated. This manual is designed to aid those who are submitting a NPS application and is intended to supplement the instructions on PENNVEST's website and online application. It's a great resource to review as you prepare to start a funding request and to have handy as you complete the application.
The FAQ pages were also just updated and a new page, the
Remember, PENNVEST may make changes at any time so always contact them when you're starting an application to make sure you have the latest information. For more information about PENNVEST, click here. You can also contact Terry Fisher at terry-fisher@pacd.org or by calling 717-238-7223 for help.
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Hays Memorial Garden Dedicated in Franklin County
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On April 18, 2014, a memorial garden for Donna Hays was dedicated in the Franklin County Eco Park in Chambersburg. Donna was the secretary for the Franklin County Conservation District for more than 41 years. On July 12, 2013, she lost a brief battle with cancer. Franklin County Conservation District board members Bob Thomas and Sam Worley placed the stone marker while reminiscing about Donna's hard work and dedication to conservation. In addition to her District coworkers, a variety of members from other organizations attended the ceremony to remember and commemorate her. The memorial garden was funded by the Franklin County Conservation District, Franklin County Watershed Association, and Wagoner's Memorials.
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| New Farm Bill Combines Most Easement Programs | |
 The recently passed 2014 Farm Bill continues to provide financial and technical assistance for farmers and forest landowners wanting to put their land into easements. But rather than separate programs, the major easement programs offered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service have been bundled into one - the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, or ACEP. One additional easement program, the Healthy Forests Reserve Program, remains separate.
ACEP streamlines the conservation easement options into two primary components: a working lands component where NRCS provides assistance to partners with farmland protection programs to purchase agricultural land easements, and a wetlands reserve component where NRCS works directly with the landowner to restore and protect their agricultural wetlands. Click here to learn more about ACEP.
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Take a Short Survey for Northeast SARE
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Stormwater Sentries Game Aims to Educate
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Stormwater Sentries is a new game that can be accessed on Facebook and is designed to educate the public about how our actions impact local streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay. Game players can take on missions to clean up trash, pick up after their pet, plant native trees, shrubs, flowers, and rain gardens, reduce impervious surfaces, install rain barrels and more. As missions are completed, they will see water quality improve in the local stream and they can take on advanced missions to restore the stream buffer to provide habitat for wildlife. The games was created by Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, in partnership with Timmons Group and SRRN Games. Click here to access the game.
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