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Front Page: Your Weekly News & Updates
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| Leadership development, 102/105 technical training, news from Lebanon, Berks, and Westmoreland Counties, online course for educators, and news from USDA NRCS. |
Staff from 29 Conservation Districts Attend Annual Technical Training
Close to 50 employees from Pennsylvania's conservation districts and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) attended 102/105 Basic Technical Training March 19-21, 2019, in Boalsburg, PA. During the training, students received concentrated instruction to facilitate their work with the Chapter 102 and 105 programs. This year's course also incorporated online prerequisite coursework through DEP's new Clean Water Academy, an online training resource for conservation district and DEP staff.
Photo caption: Conservation district and DEP staff participate in interactive exercises during the technical plan review session. Photo taken by Linda Mackey.
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Leadership Development Program Hosts Director Trainings
The series of Building for Tomorrow Regional Director Trainings on Sexual Harassment and Respect in the Workplace concluded in Ephrata, PA, on March 21. Five trainings were held across the state. Fifty-six people attended the trainings.
Overall, attendees found the trainings useful and had this to say:
"The content was thorough and timely. The facilitator covered the material well without being overbearing."
"We needed to put this topic in our policy. This workshop was very helpful."
"Very useful! Would recommend for all district boards and managers."
The Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development program offered sessions on this topic to manager, staff, and director audiences in 2018-19, and is planning to present this topic again in the future. In the meantime, new managers are encouraged to attend the New Manager Training Bootcamp June 18-20, 2019, and all managers are encouraged to attend the Management Summit on September 4-5, 2019.
Contact Matt Miller with questions about the Leadership Development Program at
[email protected]
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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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2019 Lebanon County Envirothon Soils Training
By Stephanie Harmon, Watershed Specialist
On March 12, 2019, a chilly day with hints of spring, ninety energetic middle and high school Envirothon students from Lebanon County school districts, including Cornwall-Lebanon, Eastern Lebanon County, Lebanon, Myerstown Enrichment, Northern Lebanon, and Palmyra got their hands dirty at Soils Training at the Lebanon Expo Center.
The training was hosted by the Lebanon County Conservation District and coordinated by Watershed Specialist and Lebanon County Envirothon Coordinator, Stephanie Harmon. Special guest instructors included the following USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service staff: Resource Soil Scientist John Chibirka, Assistant State Conservationist Charlie Hanner, and Soil Conservationist Lindsey Bream.
The training began with a presentation on the basics of soils components, understanding maps, surveys and landforms, land use, decision making, protection, and the importance of understanding soils. John used his whimsical personality to charm and excite students about the varied importances of soil characteristics and features.
After the presentation, students rotated through two stations where they (literally) got their hands dirty by practicing the "Soil Texture by Feel" method and reading a soil textural triangle to determine the classification of two different soil samples. Additionally, students reviewed differences in soil colors and practiced how to read the color scientifically, using a "Munsell color book" (a book of color chips that follow the Munsell System of Color Notation) as used by soil scientists. Finally, students were provided an introduction and history of topographical maps and practiced reading and measuring contour lines and understanding the many different features of topographical maps.
Photo caption: Students exploring soil properties in Lebanon County. Photo provided by Stephanie Harmon.
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Farm Stewardship Program with Berks County Conservation District
Submitted by Berks County Conservation District
Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) partnered with Stroud Water Research Center in January 2015 to administer their Farm Stewardship Program in Berks County. This program is designed to entice farmers to install at least a 35' wide Forested Riparian Buffer on all streams on their operation. In turn they receive vouchers for $4,000 per acre of installed Forested Riparian Buffer to help cover the cost of approved Best Management Practices (BMPs) on their operation.
Between 2015 and 2018, BCCD enrolled 24 sites in the Farm Stewardship program, of which 22 were farming operations. In three years of the Farm Stewardship Program in Berks County, a total of 105 acres of Forested Riparian Buffers were installed. resulting in over 57,000 feet of streambank protection covering over 33,000 feet of stream, and planting over 8,000 trees and shrubs along streams. Through these cooperators, BCCD had 263 BMPs installed including 44 Plans (Conservation Plans, Manure Management Plans, Nutrient Management Plans), 62 Forested-Riparian-Buffer-related BMPs, and an additional 157 BMPs on farm operations.
Click here to read the entire article.
Photo caption: Before (left) and after pictures of installed BMPs to address resource concerns on a farm operation in the Maiden Creek Watershed. Photos submitted by Berks County Conservation District.
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Westmoreland Conservation District Wins Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence
One individual and 17 organizations, businesses, and local governments in Pennsylvania have been selected by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to receive the prestigious 2019 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence.
Congratulations to Westmoreland Conservation District for winning with their Stormwater basin retrofitting educational videos. The videos illustrate the function, design, assessment, retrofitting, and maintenance of stormwater basins. During the workshop held by the district, 382 individuals watched the video and provided feedback on their understanding of how retrofitting, inspection, and maintenance impact water quality.
Click here to view the entire list of recipients.
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Making Education Meaningful
New online course helps teachers provide their students with Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences
by Andrew Pizzala
The Chesapeake Bay Program is excited to announce the launch of a free online course
created to provide in-depth understanding of the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) for all educators. The course, MWEE 101, is housed on Chesapeake Exploration,
a learning resource provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Why MWEEs? This lesson will explore the history, rationale and educational context of the MWEE as well as explore case studies of how three teachers have embedded MWEEs in their classes.
- What Makes a MWEE? This lesson will follow the three case studies and introduce the components of the MWEE.
- Planning and Evaluating MWEEs. Using the three case studies again, this lesson will delve into the planning and evaluating of MWEEs.
Click here to read the entire article.
Click here to access this resource.
Reprinted with permission from Andrew Pizzala.
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Programs Available to Protect Pennsylvania Wetlands and Family Farms
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now accepting applications from Pennsylvania landowners and groups interested in protecting the state's wetlands and working farms through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).
This year, Pennsylvania NRCS has funding available in both the Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) and Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) components of this 2018 Farm Bill program. Applications are accepted on a continual basis; however, the submission deadline date for eligible applications in Fiscal Year 2019 is April 19, 2019.
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Conservation Districts in the News
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Upcoming Events
March 27, 2019
Mercer County Conservation District, Mercer, PA
March 28, 2019
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA
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