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Front Page: Your Weekly News & Updates
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| New officers elected, conservationists recognized, Clean Water Farm Award recipients, fall 102 sessions, news from Columbia County, Philadelphia Inquirer series on the Delaware, and
Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Roads workshop.
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New Slate of Officers Elected at PACD Executive Council Meeting
These individuals will serve on the PACD Executive Board in the following positions:
President:
Mike Price, Beaver County
1st Vice President:
Kelly Stagen, Pike County
2nd Vice President:
Dennis Beck, Cambria County
Secretary:
Charles Duritsa, Westmoreland County
Treasurer: Sonia Wasco, Lancaster County
Congratulations to the officers and thank you for volunteering your time in these leadership positions!
Photo caption (left to right): The new PACD officers include Sonia Wasco, Charles Duritsa, Mike Price, Kelly Stagen, and Dennis Beck.
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Conservationists Recognized in Williamsport
Representatives from across the Commonwealth traveled to the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport for the PACD/State Conservation Commission's 72nd Joint Annual Conference. Several conservationists were recognized at an awards luncheon on July 17, 2019.
The 2019 PACD honorees are as follows:
- Legislator Leadership Award: Representative Donna Oberlander (PA 63rd District)
- President's Award: Denise Coleman, State Conservationist, Pennsylvania USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
- Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director Excellence Award: Pownall Jones (Chester County)
- Conservation District Employee Excellence Award: Carl Goshorn (Cumberland County)
- Conservation District Employee Service Recognition Program Awards
30 Years of Service
- Martie Hetherington, Chesapeake Bay Program Coordinator, Schuylkill County
- Rob Fetter, Resource Conservationist/Network Administrator, York County
Click here to read the entire press release.
Photo caption: Representative Donna Oberlander receives the 2019 Legislator Leadership Award. Left to right are: Dr. Robert Shannon, PACD North Central Region Director; Greg Hostetter, Deputy Secretary of the PA Department of Agriculture; Charles Duritsa, PACD President; Representative Donna Oberlander; Aneca Atkinson, Deputy Secretary of the PA Department of Environmental Protection, and Brenda Shambaugh, PACD Executive Director.
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Five Pennsylvania Farms Receive Clean Water Farm Award
The
Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD) in conjunction with the award sponsor, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), presented the operators of five farms with the Clean Water Farm Award during its annual conference on July 17, 2019 in Williamsport, PA. The honor is awarded annually to farmers who manage their daily farm operations in an environmentally conscious manner that helps to protect Pennsylvania's water quality.
DEP has sponsored this award for the past thirty-three years. Recipients receive a certificate signed by the DEP Secretary and a large Clean Water Farm Award sign to erect on their property.
This year's award recipients are:
- Snider Homestead Farm (Bedford County)
- Hard Earned Acres, Bob and Barb Keefer (Cumberland County)
- Martin Farms, Josh & Brandi Martin and Robert & Patsy Martin (Franklin County)
- Iams Farm (Washington County)
- Belview Valley Farms LLC, Eric Gemmill (York County)
Financial support for this award is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program and the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Education Office (administered by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.).
Click here for the entire press release.
Photo caption: The Martin Family receives the Pennsylvania Clean Water Farm Award on July 17 at the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference in Williamsport. Left to right are: Dr. Robert Shannon, PACD North Central Region Director; Greg Hostetter, Deputy Secretary of the PA Department of Agriculture; Josh and Brandi Martin, award recipients; Charles Duritsa, PACD President; Aneca Atkinson, Deputy Secretary of the PA Department of Environmental Protection, and Brenda Shambaugh, PACD Executive Director.
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Registration Opens for Chapter 102 Fall Regional Sessions
PACD is partnering with the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to facilitate Chapter 102 Fall Regional Sessions. These free sessions are for conservation district and DEP staff.
Click here for directions on how to register for these sessions.
Due to limited space, please limit registrations to 3-4 staff per office.
Northwest Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 1, 2019 (deadline to register is September 20)
DEP Northwest Regional Office, Meadville, PA
Southwest Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 2, 2019 (deadline to register is September 20)
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA
Northcentral Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 15, 2019 (deadline to register is October 4)
DEP Northcentral Regional Office, Williamsport, PA
Northeast Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 22, 2019 (deadline to register is October 11)
Back Mountain Regional Emergency Services, Dallas, PA
Southeast Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 29, 2019 (deadline to register is October 18)
DEP Southeast Regional Office, Norristown, PA
Southcentral Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 31, 2019 (deadline to register is October 21)
Dauphin County Agriculture and Natural Resources Center, Dauphin, PA
For questions related to the Clean Water Academy, contact Jay Braund at
[email protected]
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Contact Shannon Wehinger at [email protected]
with questions about the fall sessions.
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Columbia Holds No Mow Workshop
In June, Columbia County Conservation District held a workshop for local landowners. The workshop encouraged attendees to establish more vegetation on their properties. A second "Establishing a No Mow Zone on Your Property" workshop will be held this week. Participants will learn about the benefits of reduced mowing and the use of cover crops to prevent floods, create wildlife habitat, and promote clean water for their communities.
Photo caption: Workshop attendees received a No Mow Zone sign for their property. Photo provided by Columbia County Conservation District.
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.
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Philadelphia Inquirer Launches Year-long Series
"From the Source: Stories of the Delaware"
Flowing for 330 miles from the Catskills to Cape May, the Delaware is a founding river, the reason why Philadelphia exists. Its watershed is vast, 13,539 square miles of smaller rivers and tributaries, some long paved over. It is a source of income, drinking water, and recreation for tens of millions of people - but hasn't always been a source of pride.
Over the next year, Philadelphia Inquirer journalists will report on the river and watershed, the challenges it faces, and how it defines our history and the way we live today. The first installment of their series, From the Source: Stories of the Delaware River, posted this week at Inquirer.com/riverstories (subscription required) and offers an overview of the watershed and its role in the Philadelphia area's water supply. Future installments will examine recreation, commerce, culture, and climate change as they relate to the Delaware.
Photo caption: David Swanson / The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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2019 Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Roads Annual Maintenance Workshop
The Center for Dirt and Gravel Roads will host the 2019 Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Roads Annual Maintenance Workshop at the Toftrees Resort and Conference Center, State College PA. The event will be held September 24-27, 2019. The Workshop will focus on proven environmentally sensitive road maintenance practices for dirt, gravel and low-volume paved roads.
Click here for more information.
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