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Chester Conservation District Breakfast Highlights Economic Benefits Of Conservation
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Key regional legislators recently attended the Chester County Conservation District legislative breakfast to receive updates on Conservation District activities and accomplishments including projects implemented as a result of federal, state, and private grants totaling $2.1 million that were awarded to the CCCD.
Legislators attending included Sen. Dominic Pileggi, Rep. Chris Ross, and Representatives-Elect Warren Kampf and Dan Truitt. Also in attendance were congressional aides from the offices of US Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr., US Congressional Representatives James Gerlach and Joseph Pitts, US Congressional Representative-Elect Pat Meehan, and PA House Representative Curt Schroder.
Other attendees included Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Reading and representatives from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Department of Environmental Protection, PA Association of Conservation Districts, USDA Farm Service Agency, and Chester County Association of Township Officials.
Chester County Commissioner and CCCD Board Member Terence Farrell thanked the legislators for their attendance and support of the District. Christian Strohmaier, District Manager, outlined many of the programs and projects undertaken throughout the year including the implementation of two grants totaling $2.1 million from ARRA/PennVEST.
As a result, 90 jobs were created or sustained from the installation of water quality best management practices in the Brandywine Christina and Octoraro, Elks and Northeast watershed.
Strohmaier also gave details of the $1m grant awarded earlier in November to the District from PennVEST for agriculture best management practice implementation on dairy and poultry farms in the Octoraro watershed Chesapeake Bay drainage. Other successful projects highlighted included USDA-NRCS contracts with agricultural producers that produced revenue for the county.
“We were pleased to have excellent representation from our legislators at this meeting,” said Tom Brosius, Chairman of the CCCD Board of Directors. “Protecting and improving water and soil quality is our main focus and having the support of our elected officials is a key component in our long-term success.” Brosius emphasized that the district staff is “extremely effective” in utilizing grants and fees for services, but said the District needs a more constant form of support.
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12/6/2010 |
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