PACD Front Page e-Newsletter

Front Page e-Newsletter

October 18, 2021

Erosion Control in Our Forests Workshop Held in Potter County

On Friday, October 8, 2021, the Potter County Conservation District (PCCD) hosted “Erosion Control in Our Forests”–a Sustainable Forestry Initiative workshop for foresters, loggers, logging contractors, and private forest landowners.

Held at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum and on-field sites within the Susquehannock Forest, the event provided Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Society of American Foresters (SAF) credits. The workshop was held with the support and expertise of several speakers and organizations, including the PA Department of Agriculture, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry, and Elk, McKean, Cameron, and Tioga County Conservation Districts.

In total, 51 attendees participated. Topics covered included erosion prevention/102/105 permitting, planning harvests, stream crossings, and post-timbering best management practices.

Photo caption of group photo in the upper right: (left to right): Chuck Coup, SFI Program Manager; Jason Childs, PCCD Manager; Andrew Mickey, PCCD Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Specialist; Sherry Dunmire, McKean County Conservation District Resource Conservationist; Maddie Stanisch, McKean County Conservation District Resource Conservationist (front row); Ryan Grimm, Elk County Conservation District (ECCD) Resource Conservationist (back row); Victoria Challingsworth, ECCD Resource Conservationist; Micaela Lefever, ECCD Watershed Technician; Scott Moore, Tioga Co Resource Conservationist; Glenn Dunn, PCCD Resource Conservationist; Eric Monger, DCNR Bureau of Forestry Service Forester.

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 Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Carbon County Creates Unique Educational Activity

Carbon County Environmental Education Center has developed a fun demonstration for elementary students on the relationships between plants, animals, and soil. The "Poop Plop" is played by mixing brightly colored beads into a plastic bag full of chocolate pudding. The pudding is then piped across a gameboard as "poop" from a bear or fox, depositing the beads as "seeds" onto places where they might--or might not--germinate, such as in good soil, near a rotting log, or along a road.

Educators then examine the poop by hand to dig out the seeds. Seed colors correspond to student teams, with teams earning points depending on where the seeds have landed. The activity aligns with academic standards for ecology and the environment.

Photo caption: Carbon County Educator Franklin Klock examines "poop" to the delight of second graders. Photo provided by Carbon County Conservation District.

Five Conservation Districts and PACD Receive 319 Grants

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded over $4.1 million to 13 projects statewide that will help communities restore impaired local watersheds.

The Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Grants program supports projects that carry out best management practices (BMPs) specified in Watershed Implementation Plans for 36 watersheds around the state, with special consideration for projects in Pennsylvania’s share of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The following conservation district projects received Section 319 Grants:

• Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts: $362,565 to support nonpoint source pollution education by county conservation district offices.

• Clearfield County Conservation District: $722,661 for design, permitting, and construction of a passive treatment system to remediate Korb 4 AMD discharge in Little Anderson Creek in Bloom Township.

• Lancaster County Conservation District: $121,000 to identify and implement projects to install streambank buffers, streambank fencing, and livestock crossings on various tributaries in Mill Creek Watershed.

• Schuylkill Conservation District: $240,000 to design a streambank restoration project for the Swatara Creek floodplain in Ravine, Tremont Township.

• York County Conservation District: $508,581 to design, permit and construct a stream restoration project, including streambed and bank stabilization, on Willis Run, a tributary to Codorus Creek, and in the west branch of Codorus Creek, in the City of York.

• York County Conservation District: $280,898 for Codorus Creek Watershed stream restorations.

Click here to read the entire press release.

Grant funding is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and authorized through Section 319(h) of the federal Water Pollution Control Act.

Bradford and Schuylkill Conservation Districts Receive NFWF Grants

On October 12, 2021, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program partnership announced more than $10 million in grants for projects that will protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding watershed.

Fourteen projects that will benefit Pennsylvania received $3.88 million. The conservation district funded projects are:

1. Bradford County Conservation District - Accelerated Watershed Implementation Plan Development – II. Grant amount: $49,995. The project aims to accelerate the planning of Bradford County's Watershed Implementation Plan in the areas of stream rehabilitation, agricultural management, stream-crossing replacement, and forestry. The project will address water quality impacts in the county by creating designs for stream rehabilitation and crossings, comprehensive nutrient management, riparian buffer installation, and reforestation.

2. Schuylkill Conservation District - Little Mahanoy Creek Headwaters Restoration Plan Development. Grant Amount: $50,000. Develop a detailed watershed restoration plan for the headwaters of Little Mahanoy Creek Watershed. The project will provide a blueprint for managing stormwater in the watershed, restoring habitat in the headwaters, and improving water quality to protect the unimpaired downstream sections where trout reproduce naturally.

Click here to read about all the projects.

PA4R Alliance Holding Free Webinar Series

The PA4R Alliance is hosting a Fall 2021 webinar series! Join us on Tuesday afternoons this fall to learn about topics related to applying the Right Nutrient Sources at the Right Rate, Right Time, and Right Place. This free series, which is geared toward conservation and industry professionals, will share insights about how to incorporate these topics into conversations with the farmers you serve. In addition, act 38 Nutrient Management (Soil and Water or Nutrient Management, topic dependent) & Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) CEC's will be awarded.

Program includes:

· Crop Planning+: Using 4R Agronomic Practices to Ensure Profitable Regulatory Compliance

· Tuesday, October 26, 2021 from 1:00 PM–2:30 PM

· The Evolution of Nitrogen Management (Beyond the Mass Balance Calculation)

· Tuesday, November 2, 2021 from 1:00 PM–2:30 PM

· Using Advanced Nitrogen Management Technologies to Move the Needle

· Tuesday, November 9, 2021 from 1:00 PM–2:30 PM

Registration is required for each of the three sessions. Click here for more information and to register. Contact Brian Campbell at brian.campbell@tnc.org with any questions.

USDA Unveils New Climate Partnership Initiative, Requests Public Input

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is committed to partnering with agriculture, forestry, and rural communities to develop climate solutions that strengthen rural America. The Department has outlined, and requested public comments on, a new climate partnership initiative designed to create new revenue streams for producers via market opportunities for commodities produced using climate-smart practices.

Click here to read more.