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Hello partners for water quality!
We have much news to share on progress by state, local, and sector partners to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution and improve water quality in Pennsylvania’s share of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
For more details on the Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plan and Countywide Action Planning, visit the Phase 3 WIP website. For a broader educational look at nutrient and sediment pollution in local streams, rivers, and lakes in the watershed, including tips and success stories, visit Healthy Waters, Healthy Communities.
Please consider how you might join in or help support this work. Check out each county’s Phase 3 WIP Countywide Action plan and make connections with your county team! And please share this newsletter with your networks and encourage them to subscribe to our monthly newsletter!.
— DEP Bureau of Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management
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DEP Bureau of Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management (BWRNSM)
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Request for Quote (RFQ) to Provide BMP Design and Engineering Services
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Bureau of Watershed Restoration and Nonpoint Source Management (BWRNSM) is seeking to build private technical assistance capacity in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed for project planning, outreach, design, engineering, and reporting to streamline Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation in support of Countywide Action Plans (CAP), and Pennsylvania’s Phase 3 Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP).
Two RFQs will be published to the Pennsylvania Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) Consulting Services (4400007410) supplier list on January 31. For the RFQ covering northern counties (DEP-RFQ004516), Pennsylvania DEP is seeking an organization capable of providing outreach to twelve (12) counties including: Berks, Cameron, Clearfield, Columbia, Elk, Indiana, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Montour, Northumberland, and Potter. For the RFQ covering southern counties (DEP-RFQ004517), Pennsylvania DEP is seeking an organization capable of providing outreach to eleven (11) counties including: Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clinton, Fulton, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Snyder, Somerset, and Union.
Responsibilities under each RFQ will include providing design and engineering assistance outreach, oversite, and tracking and reporting for at least five (5) projects annually within Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. If capable of managing projects in all 23 counties, a single supplier may submit a quote for both RFQs.
Approved and active suppliers under the following Commodity Codes should receive a system generated notice when the solicitation is released. All approved and active suppliers are encouraged to submit a quote.
- 80100000-ITQ-63 Management General Government Operations - Data Mining
- 84110000-ITQ-75 Technical Assistance - Federal Grant or Loan Programs
- 84110000-ITQ-76 Technical Assistance - State Grant or Loan Programs
- 84110000-ITQ-398 Technical Assistance - Federal Grant or Loan Programs DGS CERTIFIED SMALL BUSINESS ONLY
- 84110000-ITQ-399 Technical Assistance - State Grant or Loan Programs DGS CERTIFIED SMALL BUSINESS ONLY
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2024 Clean Water Progress Team Strategies for Success Webinar
On January 3, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Restoration Division (CBWRD) hosted the 2024 Clean Water Progress Team Strategies for Success webinar, as a follow up to the October 11, 2023, Clean Water Gathering of state program and Countywide Action Planning (CAP) action leaders.
During the webinar, CBWRD staff provided a recap of the Clean Water Gathering and an overview of the plan to take CAP and WIP progress and efforts to the next level by creating three Clean Water Progress Teams of county, state and federal partners who have volunteered to work together to address the identified challenges (similar to the successful Phase 3 WIP workgroup process). Over the past few years, county partners and state action leaders have been successful in utilizing county-identified programmatic recommendations to address hurdles to success. In 2024, the Progress Teams will be focused on the identified “big ticket” challenges that are faced by all partners and developing strategies for success that can be shared with diverse stakeholders and leaders.
The three Progress Team focus areas are: Technical and Administrative Assistance; Staff Building/Staff Retention; and Funding/Multi-Grant Coordination. During the webinar, CBWRD staff provided details about the Progress Teams’ logistics, purpose, coordination and reporting. The teams are comprised of county, state and federal program action leaders who are supporting Pennsylvania’s Phase 3 WIP and Countywide Action Plan (CAP) efforts. CBWRD’s coordination staff will provide oversight and support for each team. In addition to the Progress Team members, “floating” support will also be available from county, state and federal subject matter experts who can join the team meetings as needed to lend expertise on specific action items. The Progress Teams will begin meeting in early February. Progress made by the teams will be shared regularly, and an annual milestone report will be completed at the end of 2024.
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PA Draft 2023 Programmatic Progress and 2024-2025 Programmatic and Numeric Milestone Commitments Submitted to EPA and Published to DEP Website
Pennsylvania's progress in meeting the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load goals is tracked through the development of and progress toward two-year milestones, which estimate the expected level of implementation of BMPs and expected programmatic improvements to occur over the milestone period. DEP’s BWRNSM submitted PA’s 2023 Programmatic Milestone Progress and draft 2024-2025 Programmatic and Numeric Milestone Commitments, the product of a multi-agency, multi-program collaborative effort, for EPA review on January 12, 2024, and published the documents to DEP’s website: Track Pennsylvania’s Progress (pa.gov).
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Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy Celebrates 2023 Scholars
On December 14, instructors and guests met at the Cork Factory Hotel in Lancaster City for a formal dinner and commencement celebrating the twelve graduating scholars of Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy class of 2023. Guest speakers, Jill Whitcomb, DEP BWRNSM and Doug Wolfgang, PA State Conservation Commission, spoke about the importance of leadership in the clean water efforts in Lancaster County.
The Lancaster Watershed Leadership Academy is a bi-annual program that supports the personal leadership development of individuals involved in the collective effort for clean water in Lancaster County. The inaugural class began in 2020 and consisted of eight scholars. When asked about the impetus for the program, Allyson Gibson, Executive Director for the Lancaster Clean Water Partners and instructor/co-founder of the Academy, said that although there has been so much amazing clean water work happening in Lancaster County for a long time, there is still a need for people to lead the charge for clean water.
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Programs and Projects by Local, State and Federal Partners
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Shapiro Administration Awards Over $8.8 Million for Conservation Projects Throughout Pennsylvania’ Greater Chesapeake Bay Watershed
DEP awarded over $8.8 million in Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake Bay watershed through DEP’s Growing Greener Plus grant program. These projects work to protect waterways and watersheds, reclaim abandoned mine sites, and work to reclaim and plug abandoned oil and gas wells. This year’s awards exceed $12 million statewide. A complete list of projects awarded by region can be found at the following links:
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Shapiro Administration Awards $101.1 Million in Grants for Environmental Restoration Projects
DEP announced the award of $101,110,178 in funding for 16 environmental restoration projects of abandoned mine lands (AML) as a part of the Abandoned Mine Lands and Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Grant Program. These projects focus on reclaiming AML, decreasing AMD, or treating AMD through the construction, operation and/or maintenance of an AMD treatment facility.
The projects are funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The grant program prioritizes serious human health and safety problems that are a result of abandoned coal mines, as well as treating AMD to continue restoration efforts under the AMD Set-Aside Program.
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TMDL Monitoring and Modeling Indicator Tool is Live
The Monitored and Expected Total Reduction Indicator for the Chesapeake (METRIC) TMDL indicator tool was published by EPA. It combines monitored and modeled data to estimate the progress of nitrogen and phosphorus annual loading rate reductions (millions of pounds per year) in response to implemented management practices. The indicator addresses the following questions:
- What reductions have been observed in the monitoring data?
- What reductions are expected from past management actions but have not been observed due to known lags in implementation action and environmental response?
- What reductions are needed from planned future management actions?
- What reductions are expected but not yet observed in monitoring?
To provide quantitative answers to these questions, this indicator leverages modeling data from the Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool (CAST) along with monitoring data, including river discharge and water quality measurements, wastewater loads and atmospheric deposition (only nitrogen) to tidal waters.
CAST integrates knowledge of land use, nutrient inputs and watershed processes to estimate load reductions in response to implemented management practices. However, the expected reductions often differ from the reductions observed in the rivers due to factors including uncertainty in CAST, uncertainty in monitored trends, natural lags between implementation of management practices and eventual achievement of water quality improvements, as well as the impacts of climate change and infill of Conowingo Reservoir.
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The Salisbury Township Story – The Impact of Community Outreach on Conservation Work
Lancaster Farmland Trust (LFT) knew a new approach was needed to reach the agricultural community in their conservation efforts. This led LFT to embark on an outreach journey in Salisbury Township like never before - visiting each farm individually (that's over 500 farms)! This type of community outreach spread from farmer to farmer, resulting in over 100 conservation plans and the installation of best management practices on 13 farms.
Water quality in Lancaster County matters. LFT aims to help farmers better their conservation practices so that their farms - and the community - are at their best for our future generations."The Salisbury Township Story" delves into the journey and success of conservation outreach and the impact that spread through a whole township.
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PA Department of Agriculture Preserves 30 Farms (2,553 Acres) in 21 Counties
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced the preservation of 2,553 acres on 30 farms in 21 counties, forever protecting them from residential or commercial development. This investment of more than $8.7 million brings the total during 2023 to nearly $46.3 million invested to purchase land development rights for 13,663 acres on 166 farms.
Pennsylvania partners with county, and sometimes local government and nonprofits to purchase development rights, ensuring a strong future for farming and food security. By selling their land’s development rights, farm owners ensure that their farms will remain farms and never be sold to developers. Farms were protected in the following Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay watershed counties: Adams County, Berks County, Blair County, Chester County, Franklin County, Huntingdon County, Lancaster County, Lebanon County, Lycoming, Mifflin, Union County and York County.
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Pennsylvania Urban Nutrient Management – Be Green While Protecting Our Streams
Turfgrass has become a major component of Pennsylvania’s flora. In fact, according to DCNR, Pennsylvania now contains over 2 million acres of lawn. Selecting a proper turfgrass management program, whether it is on a private lawn, sports field, public park or golf course, is essential to protecting our local waterways.
When looking to apply nutrients to your lawn, make sure you are aware of what your lawn needs and what the Pennsylvania Fertilizer Law allows. To determine your lawn’s nutrient needs, it is best to first soil test. Soil tests provide specific recommendations for nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium. Following the soil test recommendations ensures that you are applying only what your lawn needs, thus reducing nutrient loss and fertilizer cost. Test kits can be purchased for a nominal fee from your local Penn State extension office.
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Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership Has Planted More Than 5.9 Million Trees in PA to Improve Water Quality
The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership is helping to get Pennsylvania on track for its 2025 Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction goals. So far, the partners have tracked more than 5.9 million trees planted. Joe Hallinan, manager of the partnership for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said they plan to distribute 100,000 trees each spring and fall, to reach the goal of 10 million new trees in the state by 2025. CBF has worked with more than 300 direct partners in distributing about 500,000 native trees and shrubs in 2023.
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PENNVEST Announces 2024 Education Series Dates
Each year, PENNVEST conducts outreach sessions to educate public and private entities on the financial opportunities available for funding clean water projects. PENNVEST's in-person and virtual events offer attendees a wide range of information that provides context around the funding topic and tools to help provide financing estimates. Check out the educational event series to find an event that is convenient to your schedule. To register, select the registration link for the specific event in which you wish to participate.
Event participants will learn answers to the following questions:
- How can PENNVEST help? Am I eligible?
- What are the funding sources?
- Why PENNVEST financing?
- How do I apply for financing?
- Who can I contact for help?
- How can I find PENNVEST resources?
- How do I stay educated on new PENNVEST information?
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Chesapeake Conservancy Reviews Conservation Job Readiness Programs
There are lots of great ideas circulating about building a conservation workforce and the Chesapeake Conservancy shares the progress they and their partners have made on this front.
Last year, the Conservancy conducted a pilot project with Susquehanna University (SU) providing buffer maintenance training (led by Art Gover) for four summer interns and then paid summer jobs to complete maintenance on 50 acres.
At the same time, the Conservancy was the lead awardee on a NFWF INSR grant focused in Baltimore to create a Climate Crew with the same concept - training young people for tree plantings and maintenance and providing paid, on-the-job training.
In the interest of growing and uniting these programs, the Conservancy is doing the following:
- Documented lessons learned from year 1 of the SU project.
- Compiled this list of professional certifications common in open job applications (these open jobs were pulled from 2023)
- Continuing the SU program in 2024, supported by a DCNR buffer grant.
- Hiring a consultant to develop a broader workforce program strategy (may or may not be led by the Conservancy) funded by Degenstein foundation. The Conservancy’s RFQ for the conservation workforce program assessment is due February 9.
- Secured $2 million through a new USFS grant to support the Maryland and Pennsylvania programs for five years (the Conservancy is finalizing a scaled back scope of work now, with more information to follow).
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Grants Awarded to Restore Freshwater Mussels in West Branch of Susquehanna
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced that a conservation partnership, of which it is a member, has been awarded a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Watershed Investment for Landscape Defense (ChesWILD) grant to restore freshwater mussels to the West Branch Susquehanna River.
The grant was awarded to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC). They and the project partners will take a comprehensive approach to mussel and river restoration through research, education and community outreach. In addition to WPC and PFBC, partners include the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania at Lock Haven, and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.
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Commonwealth Financing Authority Awards $320 Million In Federal American Rescue Plan Funding for Water Infrastructure Projects
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Helping Communities Map and Inventory Trees Across Pennsylvania
TreeKeeper is a free mapping and inventory tool now available from DCNR for PA communities. TreeKeeper allows users to house and easily update their community’s tree inventory data, create work plans and record grant-funded trees. The online mapping tool allows communities to visually display their street and park trees, along with potential planting spaces.
The TreeKeeper map also allows the community to quantify the ecosystem benefits provided by an individual tree, as well as illustrate the value of the entire community’s tree canopy. The tool integrates i-Tree benefit calculations to determine the values provided by the trees in energy conservation, stormwater interception, carbon sequestration, air pollution removal and appraised tree values that improve property values. i-Tree is a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA Forest Service that provides urban and rural forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools. The TreeKeeper map also includes the federal Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool and Penn Enviroscreen layers, criteria often used in grant applications.
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State of the Octoraro Creek Watershed Story Map
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) has created the State of the Octoraro Creek Watershed Story Map to show results of data collected in the watershed as part of an Advanced Restoration Plan (ARP). This study examined water chemistry and benthic macroinvertebrate communities as indicators of stream health, providing scientists with baseline data to be used in future restoration efforts
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Penn State’s Agriculture and Environment Center is Hiring! Agricultural Outreach Specialist
The Penn State Institute of Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES) and its Agriculture and Environment Center (AEC) seek a dynamic self-starter with experience and training in agricultural and natural resource sciences to join its team in the AEC Lower Susquehanna Office as its Agricultural Outreach Specialist.
The work involves collaboration between Penn State researchers, Extension Educators, students and other staff and external partners working across the land and water interface. It is an exciting mix of outreach to farmers and other landowners, educational programming, volunteer and student intern coordination, and complex partnership and project management.
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REGISTER TODAY - For the Next Thriving Ag Workshop
The planning committee of the Thriving Agricultural Systems in Urbanized Landscapes project is pleased to announce their next workshop on February 29 - March 1 in Winchester, VA. The theme of this workshop is Increasing Farm Profitability While Improving Water Quality and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
The Thriving Ag project includes an external Stakeholder Advisory Board that routinely interacts with, and provides feedback to, the project team. For this workshop, a broader stakeholder group is invited to engage in the conversation, learn about the project's work to date, and provide feedback and guidance on the effort.
Thriving Ag is a five-year, $9 million project funded by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The project aims to achieve economically and environmentally sustainable agriculture in urbanized landscapes over the next 25 years. Urbanized landscapes are located in suburban and exurban areas where agricultural activities are interspersed with housing, retail and other urban land uses. The Chesapeake Bay watershed is a case study for the project.
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USGS Publishes Fact Sheet to Help Local farms in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
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National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Opens Small Watershed Grants Program
NFWF, in partnership with U.S. EPA and the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partnership, is soliciting proposals through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund to restore water quality and habitats of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams.
Through the Small Watershed Grants (SWG) Program, NFWF is soliciting proposals for projects within the Chesapeake Bay watershed that promote voluntary, community-based efforts to protect and restore the diverse and vital habitats of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers and streams. NFWF will award funding through two distinct funding opportunities:
- SWG Implementation (SWG-I) grants of $150,000-$1,000,000 for projects that result in direct, on-the-ground actions to protect and restore water quality, species and habitats.
- SWG Planning and Technical Assistance (SWG-PTA) grants up to $150,000 for projects that enhance local capacity to implement future on-the-ground actions, consistent with SWG Program priorities, through community-based assessment, planning, design and other technical assistance-oriented activities.
Proposals are due by April 3, 2024. NFWF will host an optional applicant webinar on February 13 and registration is required. A recording of the webinar will be posted to NFWF’s website by February 15. Interested applicants can also schedule individual proposal consultations with NFWF staff and are encouraged to contact CBSF field liaisons to vet potential project ideas prior to contacting NFWF staff directly.
Including funds made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, NFWF estimates awarding $25-30 million in grants through the program in 2024, contingent on the availability of funding. Major funding for the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office, with other important contributions Altria Group, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and U.S. Forest Service.
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DCNR Accepting Community Conservation Partnership Grant Applications
DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnership Grant is open and the deadline to submit applications is April 3. Community Conservation Partnerships Grants can fund planning, acquisition and development of public parks; recreation areas; motorized and non-motorized trails; river conservation and access; conservation of open space; and community and watershed forestry projects.
Eligible applicants include: counties, municipalities, municipal agencies, nonprofit organizations, state heritage areas, prequalified land trusts and for-profit enterprises (for some grant types). DCNR has available an on-demand 2024 Grant Workshop providing an overview of the 2024 grant program, priorities and the grant application process.
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CFA Begins Accepting Applications for Act 13 Watershed Restoration, Mine Reclamation, Sewage, Flood Mitigation, Recreation Grants
The Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) will begin accepting applications for Act 13 Program watershed restoration, abandoned mine drainage abatement, baseline water quality data, orphaned or abandoned well plugging, sewage facilities, flood mitigation programs and recreation grants on February 1. The deadline for applications is May 31. These grants are funded by the Act 13 drilling impact fees paid by unconventional shale gas drillers.
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Susquehanna Greenway Partnership Awards Mini-Grants; New Grant Round Now Open
The Susquehanna Greenway Partnership is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Susquehanna Greenway Mini-Grant Program, and also announce that a second application round is currently open to distribute funds still available. The deadline to apply is March 1.
Eligible applicants include registered nonprofit organizations who are able to apply for DCNR-supported funding and public entities (such as a county, municipality, or municipal agency). Proposed activities must fit within one of the three eligible categories: Education & Outreach; Wayfinding & Signage; and Trail or Access Site Improvement.
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USDA Announces March 1 Application Deadline for Conservation Stewardship Program In PA
USDA announced the second deadline for USDA-NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications. Applications are due by March 1, 2024. Through CSP, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps farmers and forest landowners earn payments for expanding conservation activities while maintaining agricultural production on their land.
While applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit applications to their local NRCS office by the deadline to ensure their applications are considered for 2024 funding.
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USDA Continuous Conservation Reserve Program is Open
USDA’s Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (Continuous CRP) is open and applications are being accepted. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) encourages agricultural producers and landowners interested in conservation opportunities for their land in exchange for yearly rental payments to consider the enrollment options available through Continuous CRP, which also includes the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) offered by FSA partners. Additionally, producers participating in CRP can apply to re-enroll, if their contracts expire this year.
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U.S. EPA Accepting Applications for Environmental & Climate Justice Community Change Grants
The U.S. EPA is now accepting applications for Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants. EPA is accepting applications on a rolling basis through November 21, 2024.
EPA has $2 billion available to fund environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input.
Eligible applicants include a partnership between two community-based nonprofit groups or local governments and an institution of higher education.
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Myers Family Farm in Centre County Presented with the 2024 Leopold Conservation Award
The Myers Family Farm in Centre County has received the 2024 Leopold Conservation Award. Joel Myers of Centre County has a passion for agricultural conservation, an ability to bring people together, and a willingness to teach by example. As the driving force behind the creation of the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance, he was adamant that it be a farmer-led organization committed to promoting soil health practices. He even hosted its first meeting in a church next to Myers Family Farm.
Just as the Alliance remains a thriving force in the Keystone State, Joel is a highly respected authority and strong advocate for conservation practices, including no-till, cover cropping and planting green. Some credit Joel’s practical experience and outreach efforts as a major reason for the increased use of conservation practices in Pennsylvania. The amount of farmland acres managed with no-till rose from 20 percent in 2000 to about 70 percent today. Likewise, cover crops are now grown on 40 percent of planted acres.
Joel predicts 2024 will be the last year he plants crops at Myers Family Farm before renting the land to a similarly conservation-minded farmer. One thing is certain. Before a single seed is planted this spring, Joel’s years of stewardship will be felt across his land and beyond.
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Lancaster Clean Water Partners Hosts Full Partners Meeting
What were our successes in 2023? What is capacity? How can we, as a collaborative network, reach a broader audience? These were questions that were addressed and answered at Lancaster Clean Water Partners’ bi-annual Full Partners Meeting on December 18. 70 people, consisting of partners, local business leaders, municipal public service, higher education, conservation planning and non-profit management, attended the meeting.
Allyson Gibson, Executive Director of Lancaster Clean Water Partners, kicked off the event by congratulating the partners for achieving a 33% reduction in sediment and nitrogen load in the Conestoga River since monitoring began in 1985. The most popular part of the meeting was the breakout sessions, where attendees discussed successes in 2023, ways to maximize collaborative efforts and ways to communicate how the partnership benefits their organization.
Lancaster Clean Water Partners are currently planning their spring Full Partners Meeting.
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Cost Share Program Operating at Cumberland County Farm
Liquid manure doesn’t run off of Greg Strayer’s Cumberland County beef farm and threaten the Conodoguinet Creek any longer, thanks to a new 185,000-gallon storage area made possible with cost-share funds through Pennsylvania’s ACAP program.
Strayer, who also works full-time in law enforcement, received 90% cost-share funds for the $111,000 storage area from ACAP through the Cumberland County Conservation District (CCCD). The district received a total of $3.5 million in ACAP funding for technical and administration assistance, with $2.8 million to be invested in local projects. Conservation District Manager Carl Goshorn said three more ACAP projects have been approved to start in the spring, others are being evaluated, and the CCCD could be approving as many as 20 projects.
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Watershed Steward Program in Cumberland County Takes New Direction
Training begins in March for Cumberland County volunteers interested in participating in the Penn State Master Watershed Steward program. The Penn State Extension office recently hired Natalie Marioni as the full-time program coordinator to work directly with the county planning office on projects connected with the Countywide Action Plan (CAP) and the Clean Water Cumberland coalition.
The county developed the plan to partner with groups to implement 2025 pollution reduction goals outlined in Pennsylvania’s Phase 3 WIP. By educating and empowering volunteers, the steward program works to strengthen local capacity for the management and protection of watersheds, streams and rivers. Trained volunteers are encouraged to educate the public about watershed stewardship based on university research and recommendations.
To volunteer, email Marioni at nkm5342@psu.edu or call the local extension office at 717-240-6500.
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Grants Approved for Flood Relief in Blair County
Blair County Gaysport residents may finally get relief from flooding issues now that Hollidaysburg Borough has been awarded $690,000 in grants for stormwater projects. The borough plans to use part of the grant money to buy 7.8 acres of the 68-acre Stowell Farm in Gaysport to construct a stormwater facility that would address decades long flooding issues.
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Yaw, Pickett Announce Over $500,000 in State Funding for Bradford County
State Senator Gene Yaw and State Representative Tina Pickett announced $525,793 in state funding has been awarded to two projects in Bradford County through the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA). The projects include:
- Towanda Municipal Authority — $495,142 in funding for North Main Street Sewer improvements.
- Bradford County Regional Arts Council — $30,651 in funding for Performing Arts Organization programs and marketing.
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Ecological Gem in Centre County Protected Forever
The ClearWater Conservancy finalized an agreement to permanently conserve a 35.46-acre property in the Roaring Run watershed in Madisonburg, PA. The property is owned by the Snyder Family and is now permanently protected from development even if the property is sold in the future.
The Snyder’s’ property in Little Sugar Valley is a slice of quintessential Pennsylvania forest on the dividing ridge of Nittany Mountain, comprising high gradient clearwater creeks, mature oaks and hemlocks, and steep rocky slopes. The property is within the Roaring Run Biological Diversity Area, a designated Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Site. Conservation of the Snyder property protects water quality of tributaries flowing into Roaring Run, a stream listed by DEP as an Exceptional Value (EV) stream.
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Clearfield County Conservation District Agricultural Assistance Program Records Positive Year
In recent years, the Clearfield County Conservation District has brought a few new programs into the fold of its agricultural assistance programs. These programs are tailor-made for farmers’ specific needs and include agriculture programs, soil health, equipment rentals and agricultural resources.
Pennsylvania’s Ag Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) program has taken off over the last year, with 298 farmers seeing their investments with the program being reimbursed. In addition, over 966 acres was cultivated for crop planters in the county. These ag programs are going to continue through next year, as well as all other programs offered through the CCCD.
When working with the agricultural assistance programs, the district’s agricultural technician provides landowners with information on nutrient management, conservation planning, best management practices and technical assistance, as well as funding resources to install conservation practices.
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Columbia County Conservation District Installs Downspout Planters
The Columbia County Conservation District (CCCD) has partnered with the Berwick Borough to install downspout planters throughout high-trafficked areas. The CCCD received a DEP Environmental Education Mini-Grant to complete this project. Berwick Borough is subject to an MS4 permit, so the CCCD and the Borough partnered to receive MS4 credits for the Borough and work towards meeting the county's Countywide Action Plan (CAP) goals.
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Northcentral PA Conservancy Partners with Landowner to Preserve 64 Acres in Columbia County
On January 8, the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy had the opportunity to work with a local sportsman committed doing his part through the conservation of his 64-acre property in Columbia County. The landowner grew up hunting in the Berwick area and, through friendly connections, had the opportunity to hunt this particular plot of land on Knob Mountain Road in Briar Creek Township over the years. When the property came up for sale in 2004, he jumped at the opportunity to call this piece of woodland his own and quickly set to work stewarding the land and enhancing the wildlife habitat. He worked with a forester to develop and implement a forest management plan, collaborated with NRCS to create wetlands, install nesting boxes, conduct timber stand improvement activities, build brush piles for wildlife and plant trees.
The landowner reached out to NPC to explore donating his land into a conservation easement with NPC and in December 2023, the ‘Knob Mountain’ conservation easement is officially a part of the landowner and NPC’s legacies!
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Volunteers Aim to Restore Stream with Artificial Beaver Dams in Union County
50 volunteers helped build six streambed structures designed to mimic the engineering marvels of beavers. The goal of these “beaver dam analogs” was not so much to attract real beavers, though that is hoped for and may well happen in time. Rather, the immediate aim was to build something that does what actual beaver dams do: filter sediment out of rushing water, often aggravated by a lack of effective stormwater management upstream.
A total of eight newly built “dams” will slow down the onrushing water during rain events, blunting its force and causing the silt to back up and settle behind the walls of branches. A measured flow of relatively sediment-free water will pass through them. Scour chains were embedded behind the structures to measure the amount of sediment that will be trapped and, in theory, raise the streambed.
It’s also hoped the pools of water backing up behind the porous dams will overflow the banks, finding new channels and eventually forming shallow “braided” wetlands.
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"These [CAP] grants have proven to be effective in boosting projects restoring Pennsylvania streams, rivers and lakes. Since 2021, we’ve seen teams implement everything from streambank tree plantings to livestock crossing installations. I’m excited to see the ingenuity and progress made by this year’s grant recipients. Their work benefits not only their communities, but our Commonwealth and beyond.”
- Jessica Shirley, DEP Interim Acting Secretary
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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
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