On March 31 over 90 professionals came together to share their experiences working on land and water conservation issues.

The Lower Susquehanna Land and Water Conservation Summit, a ForumPlus event, was held on the Penn State Harrisburg Campus and hosted by the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center, The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation under the direction of the Lower Susquehanna Center for Land and Water Steering Committee.

The daylong event attracted non-profit groups, municipal and county leaders, environmental consultants, farmers, Master Gardeners, and regulatory agency personnel. This event was made possible through a grant by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The morning portion of the day focused on sharing success stories from the Lower Susquehanna region of Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster, York, and Cumberland Counties. These success stories featured both agricultural practices and municipal stormwater programs.

During a break, a presentation was given on the Homeowner’s Guide to Stormwater, a publication and online tool developed by the Little Conestoga Partnership in Lancaster County.

Linford Good, the lunch break Keynote Speaker, is the Vice President of Planning and Marketing at Landis Homes in Lititz, PA. The stream that flows through the retirement community has recently undergone extensive floodplain restoration and Mr. Good shared his experience as an “environmental novice” going through this type of project.

The restoration is not only helping to improve water quality but it has also benefited the company financially by eliminating the need for stormwater detention basins.

The afternoon session started with a County Panel where representatives from each of the 5 counties discussed the actions being taken in their region to protect water quality. An open dialogue between the panelists and attendees discussed ways for each county to learn from each other.

Roundtable discussions followed on a variety of topics ranging from “ag BMP adoption” to “influencing the behaviors and attitudes of the public.” Challenges and solutions were identified for each topic in the short time period given.

The day wrapped up with the unveiling of the Conservation Project Tracker Tool, an online tool being developed by Viable Industries under the guidance of the LSCLW.

The tool, which is being funded by The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds, will allow users to input spatially related data about projects that are proposed, ongoing, and completed. With search capabilities, the tool will help people and organizations find projects that they can partner on to share resources, expertise and funding.

Overall, the Summit, which will be used as model for similar ForumPlus events by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, was a huge success. It brought together those who have worked together for years but also introduced many new faces.

It is strongly believed that water quality goals will only be reached through partnerships and collaborative approaches and this event created a networking environment for these necessary partnerships to form.

The Lower Susquehanna Center for Land and Water is a coalition of over 30 organizations whose collaborative efforts are conserving land, improving water quality and aquatic resources, improving land use practices, and ensuring economic vitality throughout the Lower Susquehanna region.

(Written By: Kristen Kyler, Project Coordinator, Lower Susquehanna Initiative, Penn State Extension and reprinted from Penn State Extension’s Watershed Winds newsletter.)

5/5/2014