Front Page Newsletter February 6, 2023

All district personnel are invited to tune in via Zoom for the 3rd Annual Conservation District Video Awards next Thursday, February 16, from Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Only a handful of spaces are left for the Employment Law for Conservation Districts seminars February 21–23. Director and managers, don't miss this valuable training opportunity – visit Building for Tomorrow to register.

Registration for the March 9 CliftonStrengths workshop at Keystone State Park is closed, and the rest are filling up quickly – any staff or managers interested in attending can visit Building for Tomorrow to register before February 17.

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.

In December, the Tioga County Conservation District held a Women in Agriculture meeting in Wellsboro. Eighty attendees learned about managing livestock to improve pastures, manure management and agricultural erosion and sedimentation plans, and lawn conversion.

After the workshop, attendees better understood different best management practices and how they can improve their farm and benefit downstream water quality.

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.

Photo provided by Tioga County Conservation District. 

William Lyons, Ag Land Preservation Board Chairman, addresses the audience. Photo provided by Perry County Conservation District. 

On December 12, 2022, the Perry County Conservation District Board hosted the Farmland Preservation 10,000 Acre Celebration and Annual Banquet at the Perry Mennonite Reception Center in Elliottsburg, where a delicious dinner was served to 114 attendees.

Click here to read the entire article.

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership is a collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds.

Grants will be awarded to develop a Coldwater Conservation Plan or implement projects recommended in an existing Coldwater Conservation Plan (or similar document) to protect Pennsylvania’s coldwater streams and wild trout resources. Grants of up to $7,500 will be awarded toward planning projects, while up to $15,000 will be awarded toward implementation projects.

All proposals must be received via email by Friday, March 10, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.

Click here for more information. Questions regarding this application can be directed to Rachel Kester at c-rkester@pa.gov.

Conservation districts across the state are encouraged to order trees from the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership to be used as giveaways during Stewardship Week. National Association of Conservation Districts’ 2023 Stewardship Week will be held from April 30–May 7 with a focus on watersheds and the theme of "One Water."

“This program allows our partners to host their very own free tree giveaways! Partners can order trees through the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership and orchestrate the giveaway anywhere in their community. The only ask we have is that partners communicate with landowners that if they leave with trees, they must agree to track the trees via ArcGIS and follow proper maintenance and planting instructions. We provide all of this information in this handy Tree Giveaway Toolkit,” said Isabella DeFrancesco, Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

For more information and to order trees, contact Brenda Lee Sieglitz, BSieglitz@cbf.org, with Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership. The program is statewide. 

Dates have been released for the Master Watershed Steward (MWS) program's information sessions. Applications are now being accepted for the upcoming Spring 2023 training session. Please follow the links below to learn more about the program, training opportunities, and how you can volunteer and partner.

Learn about training opportunities here, including the dates of the county information sessions.

Click here to view the MWS volunteer recruitment video.

Email AskaMWS@psu.edu with any questions about the program. 

Bradford:

Farming - The Good Life

Clearfield:

Conservation District Announces Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Road Grants

Other News:

Pennsylvania American Water Accepting Applications for 2023 Environmental Grant Program

Urban Producers, Public Invited to Attend February Meeting of Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production