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Conservation Districts in the News
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| Upcoming Events |
October 2, 2014
Franconia Heritage, Telford, PA
Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting
October 8-10, 2014
(October 8 is for new watershed specialists only)
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
Erie County Conservation District, Erie, PA
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
http://conta.cc/1tHabbR
October 28-30, 2014
Ramada Conference Center, State College, PA
PACD/SCC Winter Meeting
February 10-11, 2015
Ramada Conference Center, State College, PA
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
Intro to Conservation Planning
March 17-19, 2015
Holiday Inn Harrisburg-Hershey, Grantville, PA
Basic/Refresher Erosion and Sediment Control Technical Training
March 23-26, 2015
Keystone Conference Center, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)
Agricultural Conservation Technical Training - Basic Level
March 30-April 3, 2015
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)
Advanced/Topic-Based Erosion and Sediment Control Technical Training
April 7-8, 2015
Keystone Conference Center, Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)
Agricultural Conservation Technical Training - Level II
April 20-24, 2015
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)
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 Did you know that locations have already been selected for future Envirothon competitions? The national competition will take place in Missouri (2015), Ontario (2016) and Maryland (2017).
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Put Yourself in Their Shoes
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The Communications, Public Relations & Marketing Tips Series
Stream bank fencing is a simple, cost-effective way for farmers to improve water quality in the streams flowing through their farms and ultimately into the Chesapeake Bay.
-This was the first sentence on the Stream Bank Fencing and Stream Crossings fact sheet PACD produced in 1999.
If we were to update this fact sheet today, we certainly wouldn't start off with that sentence! Instead, we would focus on the farmers' perspective of the benefits that could be achieved. We'd highlight a factor such as increased herd health. If we had put ourselves in the landowners' shoes when creating the initial fact sheet in 1999, we would not have necessarily focused on the benefits to the environment or the Chesapeake Bay.
Bobby Whitesarver's blog post, "Why Do Farmers Fence Their Livestock Out of Streams?" offers four reasons why farmers install stream bank fencing:
1. They need more water and better water distribution over the farm.
2. To improve herd health and reduce bio-security risks.
3. To eliminate calving risk areas.
4. To facilitate rotational grazing and ease of livestock movement.
Preventing pollution and improving wildlife habitat are notably absent from this list. (Click here to read the entire blog post.) This blog provided prime examples of how to showcase the benefits of stream bank fencing from the landowners' vantage point.
If we put ourselves in the shoes of the farmers and landowners we're working with, we can still achieve our goals while helping them achieve theirs, creating a win-win situation for everyone.
Brandi and Shannon
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Somerset Creates Commonwealth's Newest Tailwater Trout Fishery
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On September 8, the long awaited Quemahoning Creek Habitat Restoration Project, sponsored by the Somerset Conservation District, began construction. This will be the final step that will officially create PA's newest Tailwater trout fishery. It will be part of a district project tour on September 25. Contact Len Lichvar
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Community Project Encompasses Urban Gardening, Stormwater and Erosion Controls
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 | | The bioswale being installed along Davis Avenue in Allegheny County. Photo courtesy of NHCO. |
During the fall 2013, the North Hill Community Outreach (NHCO) program received an $8,250 grant from the Allegheny County Conservation District to install a bioswale in the area.
Partnering with StormWorks, a division of the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, NHCO installed the bioswale along Davis Avenue, which borders the half-acre Rosalinda Sauro Sirianni Memorial Garden and Orchard, another of their projects. In-kind services were also provided by the Borough of Bellevue Public Works Department.
Planning for the installation began at the beginning of the year and was completed in July. On August 16, NHCO hosted an open house and installed signage. The group also installed an apiary in the spring.
 | | The installed apiary. Photo courtesy of NHCO. |
"A condemned house was once on this area and the soil was not suitable for vegetable planting, but we still wanted to utilize the space," said Rosie Wise, NHCO's Garden and Youth Coordinator. "Now there are two bee hives flourishing and maintained by two beekeepers. A perennial garden will be planted around the apiary soon. We could not have done this work without the help of the many volunteers. I'd like to especially thank Mel Cronin and Chelsea Biegler, both AmeriCorps VISTAS and Healthy Future coordinators, who both played a huge part in getting the apiary and bioswale projects completed."
NHCO formed in the 80s to help flood victims in the area. For more information about them and their work, visit http://nhco.org/about-us/history/. To see more photos of the garden, click here.
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2015 NACD Poster Contest Planning Materials Available
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Materials are available for conservation districts to participate in the National Conservation Poster Contest! The 2015 theme is "Local Heroes - Your Hardworking Pollinators."
Visit the Local and State Organizers section of the poster contest page for rules and resources, including templates for flyers, certificates, logos, promotional PowerPoints and more. Once you have one winning poster per grade category for your county, the posters may be submitted to PACD for state-level judging. At the state-level, one poster is selected from each grade category and sent on to NACD for judging in the national contest.
Submissions to PACD for state-level judging are due June 30, 2015. Click here for the forms you will need. Please contact PACD Administrative Assistant Sandy Austin sandy-austin@pacd.org with questions.
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Registration is Open for the 2015 NACD Annual Meeting!
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 Registration is now open for the 2015 NACD Annual Meeting which is taking place February 1-4 in New Orleans! Visit the Annual Meeting webpage for the latest agenda, breakout session lineup, tour schedule, sponsorship opportunities, hotel block information, and more! Click here for more information.
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Wetlands Conservation Grant Opportunity
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 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is offering an opportunity through its Small Grants Program for projects that involve long-term protection, restoration and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats to the benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds.
Funding requests should not exceed more than $75,000 and priority will be given to grantees or partners new to the Act Grants Program. The deadline for application is November 7, 2014. For more information on this opportunity, please visit their website.
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Four "Horses 101" Courses to be Held in November
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Horses 101 - Choosing Best Management Practices That Work
- Nov. 10, 2014, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., York, PA
- Nov. 13, 2014, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Bloomsburg, PA
- Nov. 17, 2014, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Bedford, PA
- Nov. 20, 2014, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Mill Hall, PA
 This basic workshop is specifically designed to provide background training for commercial and public nutrient management specialists who may not have experience with equine operations. The workshop will cover equine behavior and health considerations that influence BMP selection and implementation. Additional topics include grazing management for horses, weed control, fencing considerations, and manure management concerns. Click here for more information.
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Conservation Districts Can Sign Up to Receive Bureau of State Parks Teacher Training Information
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 Would you like to receive the most up-to-date information about upcoming teacher workshops at Pennsylvania State Parks? Join the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of State Park's Teacher Workshop Email Distribution List. Simply email your name and preferred email address to: Carissa Longo, Environmental Education Program Coordinator for the Bureau of State Parks, at calongo@pa.gov.
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Video Recommendation - The Science of Soil Health: Simulating Rainfall on Pastures
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One of the marks of a healthy soil is good hydrologic function. But what does that look like? Join JB Daniel, NRCS Forage and Grassland Agronomist, on a farm in Virginia for an up-close and personal view of good and poor soil hydrologic function. Click here to see a video of a rainfall simulator being used as a teaching tool. |
Register Today: 2014 Dirt & Gravel Roads Annual Maintenance Workshop
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The 2014 Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Workshop will be September 30 - October 1 at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center in State College, PA.
The annual workshop typically attracts up to 200 attendees from a variety of entities involved in low-volume road maintenance. Event highlights include invited speakers, concurrent classroom sessions, and field trips to active and completed road sites to view the implementation of ESM practices. Click here to register for the 2014 workshop.
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Sept. 15-21, 2014 Observed as Pollution Prevention (P2) Week
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 One of the largest threats to the environment, pollution harms everyone. During Pollution Prevention Week, citizens everywhere are encouraged to take steps to minimize pollution and protect the environment. Activities such as recycling waste, opting for re-usable bags instead of plastic, drinking from reusable water bottles and carpooling are just a few things we can all do to curb the amount of pollution impacting our neighborhoods and overall communities. If your district is either hosting and/or participating in an event as a part of this recognition, please send photos with captions to brandi-davenport@pacd.org for inclusion in an upcoming edition of Front Page. For more information about P2 Week 2014, visit www2.epa.gov/p2week.
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