SUMMER 2021
PA CREP News and Updates
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Conservation Districts Complete CREP Mini-Grants
This year the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) offered a short round of CREP mini-grants to Pennsylvania conservation districts. $500 was awarded to Cameron County Conservation District and $1,000 was awarded to Indiana County Conservation District. The grants were used to implement virtual educational and outreach activities that support and extend the work of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).
New mini-grant rounds are announced at the beginning of each year. Stay tuned for opportunities in 2022!

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.
Monroe and Butler Counties Complete Multi-Functional Riparian Buffer Projects
Monroe and Butler County Conservation Districts completed three multi-functional buffer projects through PACD's Multi-functional Buffer Sub-grant Program. 
Monroe County Conservation District planted a 0.8-acre buffer on a property in the Pohopoco Creek Watershed in Monroe County. The project received $907.22.
Butler County Conservation District installed a 1.0-acre buffer along an unnamed tributary to Buffalo Creek. The project received $3,700. 
The Butler County Conservation District also installed a 0.35-acre buffer along Yellow Creek and Little Connoquenessing Creek in Butler County. The project received $1,820. 
Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.
PACD Creates Leave a Buffer PSA
The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) created a public service announcement (PSA) to encourage citizens to leave a buffer next to waterways. Please share!
Materials include:

Click here to view the webpage of materials. Please share the PSA scripts with your local radio stations. Conservation districts and partners are encouraged to share the video on their social media channels.
PACD Farmer Focus Groups Results
PACD partnered with Water Words That Work to offer farmer focus groups and interviews across Pennsylvania to discuss the CREP program. The goal was to learn how we can successfully deliver the program and gain more interest in CREP.
On June 24th, a virtual presentation was offered to partners to discuss the results. To view the results presentation, click here. To view the written report, click here.
CREP Partner Training
As part of the CREP Outreach Program Office, PACD collaborated with other CREP partners to offer a CREP Partner Training webinar series to all partners involved in the program. The trainings were offered on three consecutive Thursdays, May 27, June 3, and June 10, 2021. Training topics included administrative guidance, CREP practices, and working with landowners. The trainings were recorded and will be made available to partners for future viewing.
Landowner Guide to Buffer Success
PACD will soon have 2,500 copies of the “Landowner Guide to Buffer Success” available for distribution to CREP partners. Several CREP partners worked together to update the calendar-style guide, which was last published in 2007. Like the previous version, the new guide is designed as a calendar with pages for notes. The guide features key tasks by season, tips to improve outcomes, example photos, summaries of how riparian forest buffers help streams, and links to resources.
Contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org to request copies and make arrangements for pick-up when they are available.

Thank you to all our CREP partners who contributed to the Landowner Guide to Buffer Success!
Are You a Member of the CREP Partners Listserve?
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Members of the CREP Partners Listserve already know that it’s a convenient way to share and receive program information, but did you know it’s also an email discussion group? Listserve members can ask questions, seek opinions, and discuss current issues related to the program through the list. Interested partners can email Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org to join.
Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

  The Pennsylvania CREP program is administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency.

CREP Outreach Program Office | 717.238.7223 | info@creppa.org | www.creppa.org