Full Text
The Centre County Conservation District celebrated 57 years of service to Centre County residents in 2011. The Centre County Conservation District was formed at the request of farmers and others in the county who were interested in conservation of soil and water resources and land use planning. The County was declared a Conservation District by the Centre County Board of Commissioners in October 1954. The district was initially organized to provide for the conservation of soil and water resources, assist in watershed protection and flood prevention, preserve woodland and wildlife, protect public lands, and to protect and promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the people within the community. The District is a subdivision of State government and is administered by a volunteer based Board of Directors. The District Board is currently composed of four farmer directors, two urban-public directors and one county commis- sioner, along with five associate directors. In 2011 there were eight full-time employ- ees. Some of the programs that the district staff administer include: The Erosion and Sediment Pollution Control Program, NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System), Chapter 105 Stream Encroachment, Dirt & Gravel Road, Chesapeake Bay Pro- gram, Nutrient Management, Ag Conservation technical assistance, as well as sponsor the County Envirothon, and Ag in the classroom programs. board meetings are held the second Wednesday of every month at the Bellefonte Willowbank Building, Room 146, at 7:30pm, and are open to the public. Mission Statement The Centre County Con- servation District is a committed, professional agency functioning as the primary local source of assistance to all individuals and organi- zations who benefit from the county’s natu- ral resources that we collectively strive to sustain and improve. C E N T R E C O U N T Y C O N S E R V A T I O N D I S T R I C T Annual Report Edition Volume 25, No. 2 Centre County Growing Greener in 2011 2 Dirt & Gravel Roads Summary 4 E & S/NPDES Partnerships 4 Educational Programs/ Scholarships 5 Inside this issue: 2011 ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Conservation District Poster Contest Winners: Forests for People The District sponsored the 2011 annual poster contest. Posters were judged in three divisions by grade. First place posters were sent on to the As- sociation of Conservation Districts (“PACD”). Cash prizes were awarded at the county level to the top three posters in each division. County poster winners include: • 1st Place: Autumn Tobias, Sophia Gerhart, and Hailee Wingard • 2nd Place: Madison Perry, Harley Rote, and Kate Ott • 3rd Place: Zebulon Fry, Abigail Gerhart, and Joy Pone Sophia Gerhart, (3rd grade) Spring Mills, Centre Hall-Potter Elementary School, won 1st place in the state-wide poster contest! This is our second state winner within the past 9 years. PACD will forward the winning posters to the National Associaiton of Conservation Districts (NACD) for judging at the national level. Technical & Grant Funding 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- In 2011 the District completed several projects from a Growing Greener Grant awarded in 2009 in the amount of $135,319.00. Our principal goal was to reduce non-point source pollution that is attributed to agricul- tural operations located in the Little Fishing Creek Watershed. The Growing Greener grant was used in conjunc- tion with other funding sources to assist 4 farmers with the installation of best management practices (BMPs) to help reduce nutrient and sediment loading into Little Fishing Creek and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. The Centre County Conservation District staff encouraged Nutrient Management Plan Development, Riparian Resto- ration, Rotational Grazing and treating runoff from animal concentration areas in the implementation of Growing Greener grant agreements. Our accomplishments included the following: • 4 CCCD/landowner agreements were signed • 2 Nutrient Management Plans were developed totaling 586 acres • A Rotational Grazing Plan was developed for 90 beef cows on 55 acres • 9,000 feet of streambank fence was installed • Approximately 155 cows were excluded from 6,570 linear feet of stream. • 7 Acres of Forested Riparian Buffers were established • 4 stabilized Stream Crossings were installed • 1 Spring Development • 3,815 feet of Water Supply Pipeline was installed • 7 Watering Facilities installed • Over 8 acres of Animal Concentration Areas were either treated or eliminated • 23,280 sqft. of Heavy Use Area Protection was installed • 1,150 feet of Access Lanes were stabilized • 1,100 feet of Cattle Walkways were stabilized • 860 feet of Roof Runoff controls were installed • 1,100 feet of Underground Outlets were installed • 80ft of Subsurface Drains were installed • 310 feet of Stabilized Waterways were installed • 120 feet of Mud Sills were installed • 3 Log Veins were installed Conservation Conversation Volume 25, No. 2 CENTRE COUNTY: GROWING GREENER in 2011 Page 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 3 Our Growing Greener Grant accounted for approximately 29.5 % of the total cost of implementing BMPs on the 4 farms. We were able to leverage funds from other programs and coordinate activities on individual farms in order to obtain the maximum amount of program assistance. We were given a one year extension to complete the grant. The extension will enable us to better utilize other funding sources. Total costs for installing BMPs on 4 farms: $458,426.91 Breakdown of cost-share: Growing Greener I: $135,319.00 American Recovery & Reinvestment Act: $163,817.00 Environmental Quality Incentive Program: $46,500.00 USFWS- NFWF Grant: $24,458.57 Centre CCD 319 Grant: $17,239.00 Clearwater Conservancy: $3,877.50 DEP Streambank Fencing Program: $13,000.00 Resource Enhancement & Protection Program: $1,507.00 Chesapeake Bay Program: $1,782.00 Landowners Contributions: $7,716.84 In-Kind: $43,210.00 Conservation Conversation Volume 25, No. 2 Animal Concentration Area (ACA) before installation of BMPs. Runoff from the ACA is impacting a spring lo- cated in the lower right corner of this picture. Animal Concentration Area after installation of BMPs. The spring , located under the tree, is now protected. One of four watering troughs installed on a reinforced stone pad. The watering troughs were installed to provide cattle with an alternative watering source. The source of the water is a spring located on the property. The cows were excluded from over 4,000’ of stream. ---PAGE BREAK--- Each year The Centre County Conservation District receives proposals and applications from townships trained in Environmental Sensitive Maintenance for Dirt & Gravel roads. Two projects were selected to receive funding by Centre County’s Quality Assurance Board (QAB), consisting of representation from the PA Fish & Boat Commission, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Conservation District. The townships with ap- proved projects from 2011 included the following. • Gregg Township: Repairing and stabilizing approximately 28,800sqft of roadway (Blue Ball Road) adding 375 cubic yards of road base, land stabilizing of 7,200sq ft of eroded ditch. Total project cost was $31,666.00 with Centre County Conservation District funding $17,218.00. • Harris Township: . Centre County Conservation District through the State Conservation Commission, funded $12,772.00 towards the total Sharer Road (T-370) project cost of $32,187.34. Project included add- ing 150 cubic yards of road base, stabilizing 15,680sqft of roadway, 1,500’ of Stream Bank Stabilization, replaced one stream culvert, added six cross pipes, and stabilized over 700 sq ft of drainage outlets along 370) Sharer Road. The Dirt & Gravel Roads Program strives to reduce erosion, sediment and dust pollution relating to dirt and gravel roads. Many Conservation Districts participate in this grant program to fund projects with the goal of minimizing sediment transport from public roads with a special focus on roads in special protection watersheds. Funding is limited to roads open to public use and municipalities that wish to participate must have personnel that have been recently (within 5 years) trained in Environmental Sensitive Maintenance for Dirt and Gravel Roads. Contact the Centre County Conservation District at (814)355-6817 for more information regarding the Dirt & Gravel Roads Program or check out the Centre for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies website at http:// www.dirtandgravel.psu.edu/. DIRT and GRAVEL ROADS PROGRAM SUMMARY Conservation Conversation Volume 25, No. 2 Page 4 NPDES Permit Fees Collected $26,575.00 E & S Permit Fees Collected $36,901.00 2011 Conservation Awards Clean Streams Award ♦ Michael Pratt Watershed Stewardship ♦ James McKay Cooperating Conservation Farmer Mike Marquardt Total NPDES & E & S Permit Fees Collected From January 1-2011 December 31, 2011 ---PAGE BREAK--- For the 12th consecutive year, Bald Eagle Area High School captured the 1st place title during at the Centre County Envirothon. Team “Roadkill” (pictured below) from Bald Eagle Area scored 440 out of a possible 500 points. Team “Roadkill” went on to place 6th out of 65 county teams during the State Envirothon Competition held at Susquehanna University and Shikellamy State Park. Penncrest High School, Delaware County, won the Envirothon championship and competed in the Canon Envirothon, New Brunswick, Canada, placing 13th of the 54 teams. The District’s Annual Seedling Sale generated a profit of $1,828.36 which assisted in youth sponsorships of scholar- ships for Ag in the Classroom($700.00), McKeever’s Adventure Camp ($175.00), District poster contest ($150.00), and the Penn State Conservation Leadership School ($520.00). Additional proceeds were used to purchase County Envirothon t-shirts and awards. Education Programs, Sponsorships, and Scholarships Conservation Conversation Volume 25, No. 2 Page 5 PA State Conservation Commission/DEP, Technical $107,902 Chesapeake Bay Technical $ 57,000 Watershed Specialist Program Technical $ 32,000 Dirt & Gravel Roads Municipal Program $ 33,281 Donations $ 200 Growing Greener Grant Income $122,704 Chesapeake Bay/Federally Funded Program Income $ 15,348 County Subsidies $ 12,000 Funding Support For Conservation District Programs In 20111 was provided by: 2011 Team Members Include Kyle Johnson, Tim Gleason Sheri McCloskey, Donald Cox, Maggie Mehalk. Advisor; Jade Thompason ---PAGE BREAK--- 414 Holmes Avenue, Suite #4 Bellefonte, PA 16823 Phone: [PHONE REDACTED] Fax: [PHONE REDACTED] E-mail: [EMAIL REDACTED] DISTRICT STAFF Robert E. Sweitzer, District Manager Sue Kauffman, Dept. Clerk III John Wataha, Agriculture Conservation/ Nutrient Management Technician Ann Donovan, Watershed Specialist/ Education Coordinator Daina CBP/NM Technician E&S STAFF Jim Coslo Jr., Resource Conservation Supervisor Mike Philippe, Resource Conservation Coordinator II Joy Teeter, Department Clerk I USDA-Natural resource Conservation Service (NRCS) (570) 726-3196 or (814) 355-2447 Scott D. Heckman, Supervisory District Conservationist Bryan Conklin, Engineering Technician Amanda Coleman, Program Assistant BOARD OF DIRECTORS Donn Fetterolf, Chair Dr. Robert Shannon, Vice-Chair Steven G. Dershem, Commissioner Tom Boldin Martin Melville James Walizer Kaleb Wolfe ASSOICATE DIRECTORS Al Stewart Bruce Snyder Brian Burger Susan Buda C. Allen Ishler CENTRE Co. RECYCLING HOTLINE [PHONE REDACTED] C E N T R E C O U N T Y C O N S E R V A T I O N D I S T R I C T Website: www.co.centre.pa.us/conservation Centre County Conservation District 414 Holmes Avenue Suite #4 Bellefonte, PA 16823 Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID State College, PA Permit No. 41 Printed on Recycled Paper