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Conservation Districts in the News
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Greene:
Jefferson/PACD:
Lehigh:
McKean & Potter:
Schuylkill:
Wayne/PACD:
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Upcoming Events
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August 27-28, 2014
Holiday Inn, Williamsport, PA
PACD South East Region Meeting
October 2, 2014
Franconia Heritage, Telford, PA
Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting
October 9-10, 2014
Ramada Conference Center, State College, PA
PACD North East Region Meeting
October 17, 2014
DEP Northeast Regional Office, Wilkes-Barre, PA
PACD North Central Region Meeting
October 21, 2014
Clinton County Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA
PACD North West Region Meeting
October 22, 2014
Location: TBA (Erie County)
PACD South West Region Meeting
October 23, 2014
Beaver County Conservation District, Aliquippa, PA
PACD South Central Region Meeting
October 27, 2014
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA
Annual 102-105 Meeting
October 28-30, 2014
Ramada Conference Center, State College, PA
PACD/SCC Winter Meeting
February 9-10, 2015
Ramada Conference Center, State College, PAw
Chesapeake Bay Program Conservation District and PA Agency Staff Meeting
March 10, 2015 (snow date March 12)
Elaine Langone Center, 2nd Floor, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA
Agricultural Conservation Technical Training - Basic Level
March 30-April 3, 2015
Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)
Agricultural Conservation Technical Training - Level II
April 20-24, 2015ww
Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)
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| Previous Issues of Front Page | |
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Five Pennsylvania Farms Receive Clean Water Farm Award
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 PACD awarded the operators of five farms with the Clean Water Farm Award. The honor is annually awarded to farmers who manage their daily farm operations in an environmental conscious manner that helps protect Pennsylvania's water quality. This is the first year the award was opened to farmers outside of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
The 2014 recipients are:
- Keith George of Brookside Dairy (Indiana County)
- John and Rick Kobylski (Wyoming County)
- Henry and Charlotte Rosenberger of Tussock Sedge Farm (Bucks County)
- Elam E. Stoltzfus, Jr. (Clinton County)
- Earl Ray Zimmerman (Lancaster County)
The recipients will be awarded a Clean Water Farm Award sign and framed certificate by their local district.
The Clean Water Farm award was initiated in 1986. Recipients of the award are nominated by their local county conservation districts. Financial support for this award is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program and the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Education Office (administered by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.). Click here to read the full press release. |
Put an End to the Alphabet Soup
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 The Communications, Public Relations & Marketing Tips Series
If NDA not possible, ABACT BMPs to fullest extent possible
E&S BMPs should not interfere with structural & non-structural PCSM BMPs
DEP recognizes "Applied River Morphology" by Dave Rosgen & NRCS website for information regarding FGM techniques
For those who are Erosion and Sedimentation (E&S) professionals, the above makes sense. For everyone else, it sounds like alphabet soup.
PACD reviews dozens of brochures, flyers and PowerPoints created from the Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant program. One of the most common suggestions we have for materials targeting non-professionals is to minimize the use of acronyms. If you are holding a workshop for stream-side homeowners, don't throw around "HQ" and "EV" and expect anyone to know what you mean.
Ask yourself, does my audience need to know what High Quality Waters (HQ) and Exceptional Value Waters (EV) stream designations mean? Probably not. Our advice is to focus on showing your county residents how they can change their behavior to improve the quality of the stream rather than teaching them to speak in acronyms.
TTFN (ta-ta for now),
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YCCD Hosts PACD Staff Members for a Day in the Field
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Tracy (back left) and Brandi cross a stream along the sewer pipeline project. Photo courtesy of Eric Jordan.
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On June 26, PACD's Brandi Hunter-Davenport and Tracy Raymond shadowed York County Conservation District's (YCCD) Erosion & Sediment Control Technician Eric Jordan for a day of site inspections. Throughout the course of the trek, the trio visited two linear construction projects involving multiple stops. The first was a 3.5 mile long sanitary sewer pipeline located along Kreutz Creek and crossing Mill Creek, a PA Fish & Boat Commission-designated wild trout stream.
The second project was a PennDot road widening and realignment project. Erosion and sediment control and post-construction stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) observed during the site inspections included compost filter socks, pumped water filter bags, rock construction entrances, sediment traps, and stormwater infiltration basins. The inspections soon revealed that Brandi and Tracy's boots did not comply with the minimum height required to cross Kreutz Creek (see photo).
Prior to getting their feet wet, Brandi and Tracy were able to spend some time with YCCD Education and Communications Coordinator Kim Young, discussing the 2014 Envirothon activities and the district's innovative partnership with local artist Millicent Neill Decker.
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Growing Greener Grant Used To Successfully Restore Lehigh County Creek
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This article appeared in the PA DEP News and PA Environment Digest
 Staff from the Lehigh County Conservation District, in partnership with the Fish & Boat Commission, and volunteers from the Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy, and Perkiomen Valley Trout Unlimited, worked for three days this week to restore a 415-linear-foot section of the Hosensack Creek in the Perkiomen Creek Watershed in Lower Milford Township.
The volunteers installed fish habitat structures, removed six existing man-made dams, and stabilized a wide section of streambanks to allow a smoother flow of water and aquatic life to move freely throughout the creek. The group also installed a fish habitat section using rocks to form a semi-circle near the edge of the stream so fish can co-habitate and multiply.
The Growing Greener Grant implemented by DEP's Northeast Regional Waterways and Wetlands program helped fund $18,000 of the $25,000 project.
Restoration efforts such as this will enhance fish, aquatic, and wildlife habitat, while expanding wild trout populations in the watershed. Sediment and non-point source pollutants entering this section of the creek will be reduced, therefore improving the overall water quality in the Perkiomen Creek watershed.
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UPDATE: Concrete Fundamentals Training
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 As reported in the June 30 issue of Front Page, NRCS is offering an engineering training opportunity to conservation districts. A Concrete Fundamentals Training will be in Harrisburg from September 29-October 3. There is new information on the training. There will be a registration fee of $325 per person to cover the costs of books and other training costs.
The deadline to apply has passed, however, new applicants may email their name and contact information (work email, agency address and phone number) to Michael Boyer at Michael.Boyer@pa.usda.gov to be placed on the wait list.
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| Seats Still Available for Sept. 17, 2014 LandStudies, Inc. Healthy Watersheds Tour | |
 During this year's Joint Annual Conference, attendees had a chance to meet silver sponsor Land Studies, Inc., a certified woman owned business that offers watershed planning, regional water quality facility, floodplain restoration, stormwater management and groundwater recharge services. Individuals will have a chance to learn more about the work they are doing as a part of a day-long tour in Lititz on September 17. Click here for the flyer and testimonials.
The comprehensive "Healthy Watersheds" tour highlights projects that incorporate low-impact development in the Lititz Run region of the state with the installation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) within the last 20 years. This is a hands-on educational experience designed to support the study and advancement of green infrastructure, economic development, and stormwater BMPs. LandStudies reviews the land, and then designs, manages, constructs, plants, maintains, and monitors the results.
The tour will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and can accommodate up to 30 participants. There is a $25 registration fee per attendee. A light breakfast and lunch will also be included. Tour registration details can be accessed here. Questions can be directed to brandi-davenport@pacd.org. For more information about LandStudies, Inc., visit www.landstudies.com.
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First Participants in Conservation Stewardship Program Can Renew for Five More Years
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Producers with expiring U.S. Department of Agriculture Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) contracts have until Sept. 12, 2014 to renew and add conservation activities that will support their natural resource improvement activities and fine-tune their conservation plans.
The program provides opportunities for farmers who are already established conservation stewards by helping them improve water quality and quantity, soil health and wildlife habitat. About 20,000 CSP contracts are reaching the end of their initial five-year contract period and may be renewed for an additional five years when participants agree to take additional conservation actions. NRCS began accepting renewal applications on July 11, 2014, and farmers have until September 12, 2014 to renew. There will also be another signup in fiscal year 2015.
For more Information click here.
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