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"The Dirt"
A Resource for Local Conservation
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MCCD Welcomes New Resource Conservationist
& Summer Intern
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MCCD is excited to welcome new Resource Conservationist, Mike Bogan. Mike has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Geoscience from Bloomsburg University, and is a Montgomery County native. Prior to joining the Conservation District in May, Mike worked at a civil engineering firm as an environmental consultant for five years. Outside of the office, Mike enjoys hiking, gardening, and spending time with his dog, Snoop. Mike can be reached at:
mbogan@montgomeryconservation.org 610-489-4506 ext. 19
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MCCD welcomes summer intern, Jackson Bouffard, a junior at Penn State University. During the pandemic, Jackson began hiking, and that connection to nature quickly blossomed into full-scale backpacking. His love for the outdoors which was fostered during the pandemic has led Jackson to study Environmental Resource Management at Penn State. Jackson looks forward to the experiences provided through this internship to learn more about environmental conservation outside of the classroom. | | |
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Northern Long-Eared Bat & White Nose Disease
and PNDI reviews for NPDES Permit Coverage
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Eric Konzelmann
On November 29, 2022, the US Fish & Wildlife Service reclassified the Northern Long-Eared Bat as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The bat faces extinction due to the impacts of white-nose syndrome, considered one of the worst wildlife diseases in modern history. White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus that grows in cold, dark, and damp places like caves where bats hibernate. The fungus attacks the skin of bats while they are in an inactive state of hibernation, causing the bats to become agitated and more active which causes them to burn up the fat stores too quickly that they need to survive through the hibernation period. The fungus has spread rapidly across the United States and Canada after being first discovered in sick and dying bats in the U.S. in 2007, near Albany, NY.
In connection to the NPDES permitting program for construction activities, the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced that all "Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory" (PNDI) receipts for new NPDES permit applications must be dated March 31, 2023 or later, due to the inclusion of the Northern Long-Eared Bat on the threatened or endangered species list. This may require some NPDES permit applicants to re-run a PNDI review, to be in compliance with the new listing date. For sites which have already obtained NPDES Permit coverage, DEP has announced: “If a Chapter 102 permit has already been issued, DEP is not going to require that PNDI be re-run and a receipt be submitted because the permits require ongoing protection of federal and state threatened and endangered species. However, during inspections of sites that have not yet completed clearing and grubbing, inspectors should recommend to the site representative that the PNDI be re-run, to verify there will be no potential impacts to the bat. It is in the permittee’s best interests to take this step to ensure they will not be in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act.”
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ACAP Funding for Ag Conservation Now Available in Montgomery County! | |
Abby Reiter, Ag Conservation Specialist
MCCD is pleased to announce that the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) is now available within Montgomery County. In fiscal year 2022-23, the State Conservation Commission (SCC) was provided a one-time allocation of $154 million state-wide under the newly created Clean Streams Fund to support development of the Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP). The original source of funding is through the American Rescue Plan Act. The program will provide financial and technical assistance for the implementation of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs), focusing on those which reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment loss.
Montgomery County will be receiving $1.4 million to be committed to agricultural conservation projects by December 31, 2024, and spent by December 31, 2026.
Eligible Best Management Practices (BMPs) on farms include Waste Storage, Heavy Use Area Protection, Grassed Waterway, Diversion, Stream Crossing and Cover Crop among others. Practices must be installed to meet NRCS design criteria and contracted construction labor costs are subject to prevailing wage rates. Montgomery County Conservation District will be reimbursing eligible project costs at a 90% rate, with 10% match contribution requirement by the applicant. Applications are now being accepted on an ongoing basis until funds are spent.
See the Conservation District website ACAP page for a listing of all eligible BMPs, program application and other details. Please reach out to Abigail Reiter if you have any questions or are interested in applying for the program.
(610) 489-4506 x24 or areiter@montgomeryconservation.org
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North Penn High School Wins 2023 Montgomery County Envirothon Competition | |
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Brian Vadino, Watershed Specialist
Montgomery County Conservation District partnered with the PA Game Commission, PA Fish and Boat Commission, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Penn State Extension to deliver the 2023 Montgomery County Envirothon on April 27. The event was held at the Montgomery County 4H Center in Collegeville. Since 1989, the Montgomery County Conservation District has hosted the Montgomery County Envirothon, an annual, hands-on competition for high school students. This free environmental educational event focuses on wildlife, forestry, soils and land use, aquatic ecology, and a current topic. The 2023 current topic was “Adapting to a Changing Climate.”
Envirothon educates high school students in natural resources and environmental sciences. The program emphasizes the importance of environmental sensitivity while stressing the need to achieve a social, ecologic, and economic balance. The learning objectives emphasize awareness, knowledge and attitudes through outdoor hands-on applications while addressing the complex natural resource concerns facing today’s world, as well as the challenges of tomorrow. A total of 60 students from 5 schools attended the event. Participating schools included Perkiomen Valley High School (3 teams), Upper Perkiomen High School (3 teams), North Penn High School (3 teams), Pottsgrove High School (2 teams) and Norristown Area High School.
A team from North Penn High School won the competition and advanced to represent Montgomery County at the Pennsylvania Envirothon state competition, which was held in May 2023. For more information, please visit https://www.envirothonpa.org/
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Celebrate Pollinator Week! June 19-25th | | |
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Jessica Buck, District Manager
In June, we celebrate Pollinator Week! We encourage you to make an effort to plant native plants for our pollinator friends, practice sustainable gardening to support pollinators in our backyards, and to help to preserve critical pollinator habitat. Natural and human-accelerated threats to pollinators include: habitat loss affecting breeding and feeding grounds, invasive species which crowd out critical native species, increased pesticide and herbicide use, disease, and climate change.
What can you do to help pollinators in your backyard?
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Plant a pollinator-friendly garden. Native plants that attract and sustain bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, bats and other pollinator species provide both an aesthetic and environmental amenity in your backyard! Low on space? Container-gardens on a deck or patio are beneficial too! Check out this "Native Plants Finder" website to find pollinator-friendly species native to your area.
- Support habitat for pollinators such as bees, caterpillars and butterflies, bats and hummingbirds. Encourage nesting and feeding sites through no-mow naturalized areas, native gardens, and water sources.
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Reduce pesticide and herbicide usage. Practice "Integrated Pest Management," (IPM), to control weeds and undesired insects in your garden, to reduce the reliance on chemicals. If you do need to use chemicals, avoid application when flowers are in bloom, and check out this article, "Insect Pollinators and Pesticide Product Stewardship."
- Educate others! Encourage your friends, family and neighbors to also follow sustainable landscaping practices to support critical pollinators.
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MCCD Assists with "Trout in the Classroom" Events | |
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Brian Vadino, Watershed Specialist
In May 2023, Montgomery County Conservation District partnered with volunteers from Perkiomen Valley Trout Unlimited (PVTU), staff from PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and staff from Montgomery County Parks, Trails, and Historic Sites to provide interactive environmental education programming to students from Boyertown Area High School, Christopher Dock High School and Evergreen Elementary School. This programming included three “Trout in the Classroom” (TIC) field trips on May 9th, May 18th, and May 25th. Approximately 80 students (total) attended the events, along with several faculty members and student chaperones. Jim Coffey, who serves as a Board Member, TIC Coordinator and Youth Education Coordinator with PVTU, brought project partners together to make delivery of these unique educational experiences possible.
Trout in the Classroom is a Trout Unlimited and PA Fish and Boat Commission environmental education program that enhances science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics curriculums. Students study and raise trout from eggs to fingerlings in a cold-water aquarium during the school year. The program provides a unique, hands-on opportunity to teach the relevance of watershed conservation. Where permitted, the program culminates with a field trip to a community stream, river, lake, or pond where students release their fish into a state-approved location.
During each field trip, groups of students rotated through a series of stations, where they learned about aquatic macroinvertebrates, the importance of riparian (streamside) forests, fly-tying basics, and fly rod casting techniques. Before each event concluded, students had an opportunity to release the trout fingerlings that they raised in their classrooms into both the West Branch of Perkiomen Creek and Skippack Creek.
Channel 69 News covered the “Trout in the Classroom” event with Evergreen Elementary School on Skippack Creek. A video clip of this coverage can be viewed by clicking here.
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