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Front Page: Your Weekly News & Updates
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| PACD/SCC Winter Meeting registration opens, Intro to Conservation Planning concludes, Buffer Sub-Grant Program, PACD executive board meets, save the dates for spring region meetings, using technology in the field, Berks County Conservation District featured in NACD publication, Clean Water Academy catalog, Growing Greener, and EPA environmental education grants. |
PACD/SCC Winter Meeting Registration Opens Today
Conservation district staff, board members, and partners are invited to attend the 2020 PACD/SCC Winter Meeting January 22-23 at its new location, the Wyndham Garden State College. Take in the Wyndham's beautiful winter views and enjoy a hot beverage with your counterparts from across the state. Conference learning opportunities include educational opportunities through the Pennsylvania Game Commission and a program on effective conservation messaging. Beat cabin fever and join us in State College! Click here for details and to register.
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Intro to Conservation Planning Training Held
Twenty-eight students completed the Intro to Conservation Planning Course in Grantville, PA, November 12-14, 2019. The training was targeted to entry-level conservationists and included classroom and field experience. The students were introduced to the conservation planning process in Pennsylvania.
Participants attended the three-day training free of charge thanks to the generous sponsorship of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the State Conservation Commission. PACD provided administrative support for the course.
Photo caption: NRCS Resource Conservationist Gwendolyn Crews wraps-up the Intro to Conservation Planning training on November 14, 2019.
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First Project Completed through Multi-functional Riparian Buffer Sub-Grant Program
Indiana County Conservation District (ICCD) completed its first multi-functional riparian buffer planting in the headwaters of Aultman's Run watershed this year. ICCD staff partnered with Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and volunteers from Pennsylvania Senior Environmental Corps to plant 1.2 acres of riparian trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.
ICCD developed a site-specific planting plan for the property that accounted for property use, hydrology, soil, and utility rights-of-way. With approval from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, ICCD was able to utilize $2,502 in PACD Multi-functional Riparian Buffer funds to make it happen.
Click here
to learn more about the Multi-functional Riparian Buffer Sub-Grant Program.
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.
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PACD Executive Board Meets in Harrisburg
On November 6, 2019, the PACD Executive Board met at the PACD offi
ce in Harrisburg. In addition to the business meeting, the board participated in a leadership development workshop,* and a review of PACD financials.
*Financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program is provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. Guidance for the Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Conservation Partnership's Leadership Development Committee.
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Save the Dates: Spring Region Meetings
Mark your calendar and join us for the PACD spring region meetings!
The region meeting dates and locations are as follows:
March 24, 2020
PACD South Central Region Meeting
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA
March 26, 2020
PACD North Central Region Meeting
Clinton County Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA
March 31, 2020
PACD South West Region Meeting
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA
April 3, 2020
PACD North East Region Meeting
DEP Northeast Regional Office, Wilkes-Barre, PA
April 22, 2020
PACD North West Region Meeting
Venango County (location TBA)
April 30, 2020
PACD South East Region Meeting
Henning's Market, Harleysville, PA
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Using Technology in the Field
Excerpt from "iPhone Data Collection" by Melissa Hanner in NRCS PA Weekly News, November 4, 2019 edition. Adapted for conservation districts with permission.
How can smartphones be used to collect data in the field effectively? NRCS recently compiled a list of apps useful in conservation work.
Suggested free iPhone Apps to download for Conservation Planning activities:
- Facetime - Communicate and share live video footage of field conditions with office staff
- SoilWeb - Real-time Soil Survey maps and data
- Seek by iNaturalist- Plant identification app
- Collector for ArcGIS - Collect GPS points and photos
- GNSS Status - Connect to Trimble R-1 receiver
- Avenza Maps - View physical location on a PDF map
"If you are in an area without cellular service, you can "sync" and download all required data (such as collector maps and OneDrive documents) onto the phone before heading out to the field. You can still take photos and take notes with the phone, even without cellular service. ArcGIS Online feature layers have a Setting/Editing work offline that can be set up for Map/Collector. But some things are just not going to work well without cellular service, so you would need an old-fashioned backup plan," said Melissa Hanner, NRCS.
Remember that protecting a client's personally identifying information is important, especially in the non-secure ArcGIS Online/Collector apps. This means not using the client's name or tract/farm number. In order to avoid using personally-identifying information, users must develop an alternative naming or identification system that is not linked to a client. This could mean using a spreadsheet to keep track of projects.
Is your district using any other apps in the field? If so, please share them with Shannon at
[email protected]
for an updated article in a future e-newsletter.
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Berks County Conservation District's Work on Spotted Lanternfly Featured in NACD Publication
Berks County Conservation District's (BCCD) leadership in combatting the Spotted Lanternfly caught the attention of the National Association of Conservation Districts. The national association featured BCCD in the "Districts at Work" section of the Fall 2019 education of The Resource.
Click here to read the Fall 2019 edition of The Resource.
The article appears on pages 6-7.
Photo caption: Image from The Resource article on the Berks County Conservation District.
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Clean Water Academy Releases Course Catalog
PACD Software Specialist Nick Yeagy compiled a catalog of courses available through the Clean Water Academy.
Categories include:
- Agriculture
- Chapter 102 - Construction Stormwater
- Municipal Stormwater
- Water Quality Standards
- Watershed Restoration
Click here
to view the catalog and here
to access the Clean Water Academy.
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Growing Greener Application Period Open until December 20
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced that $30 million is available to help communities restore and protect water quality throughout the commonwealth.
Funded through the commonwealth's Growing Greener Plus program, $30 million in grant funding is available to help communities restore and protect water quality. This can be accomplished by reducing abandoned mine drainage, reducing urban and agricultural runoff pollution, and addressing harmful algal blooms, climate resiliency, and other emerging issues.
Counties, municipalities, municipal authorities, county conservation districts, councils of government, educational institutions, and watershed and other organizations can apply for funding for projects with local or statewide impact.
Click here to read the entire press release.
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EPA Now Accepting Applications For 2020 Environmental Education Grants
Reprinted from PA Environment Digest Blog, November 8, 2019
Up to $3 million in funding for locally-focused environmental education projects will be available nationwide. EPA will award $300,000 in grants in Region 3.
In addition to other environmental topics, the 2020 Environmental Education Grants Program will fund education-based projects on marine debris mitigation, food waste and loss reduction, and recycling.
Funded projects will both increase public awareness on various environmental matters and enhance participants' abilities to make informed decisions on environmental issues prospectively. Click here for all the details on how to apply.
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Conservation Districts in the News
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Upcoming Events
January 22-23, 2020
Wyndham Garden State College, Boalsburg, PA
February 12-13, 2020
Wyndham Garden State College, Boalsburg, PA
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