The PA Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. this week awarded $54,000 in Chesapeake Bay Educational Mini-Grants to 22 county conservation districts.

PACD awarded grants up to $2,500 for projects throughout the state that promote clean water. Funding for the grants is provided through the Department of Environmental Protection's Chesapeake Bay Program.

The projects include:

· Berks Conservation District: No-Till Workshops ($2,000) Workshops focus on no-till farming and cover crop installation to improve overall health of the local watershed.

· Blair Conservation District: Public Water Festival ($1,250) Water festival provides education on clean water. Project also involves the development of educational materials and displays.

· Bradford Conservation District: Nutrient Management Field Day ($2,000) Field day aims to improve the knowledge and capabilities of practicing and future farmers in managing nutrient and soil resources for maximum benefit to the farming community and the environment.

· Cambria Conservation District: No-Till Field Day ($1,650) Field day highlights no-till, cover crops, and plots that show the benefits of conservation practices from environmental and farm profitability perspectives.

· Centre Conservation District: Agriculture Workshops & Pasture Walks ($2,000) Workshops provide education and encouragement for farmers to install stream-bank fencing, and to implement rotational grazing and cover crop/no-till systems.

· Clearfield Conservation District: Horses & Watershed Health ($1,445) Workshop provides education for horse owners on environmentally beneficial practices they can implement in order to improve water quality.

· Cumberland Conservation District: Promoting Stormwater Management by Using Rain Barrels ($2,000) Project provides educational information about water conservation and stormwater management. Free rain barrels are constructed by local Vo-Ag and science students.

· Cumberland Conservation District: What You Need to Know about your Well Water and NPS Pollution ($2,000) Workshop focuses on ground water quality and protection including septic system management as well as the effect of nonpoint source (NPs) pollution on drinking water.

· Dauphin Conservation District: Forested Riparian Buffer Education and Demonstration Project ($2,000) Forested riparian buffer is constructed along the Swatara Creek to serve as a NPS educational and demonstration project available for guided or self-guided tours.

· Franklin Conservation District: Rain Barrel Workshops & Distribution ($1,825) Workshops cover stormwater issues relevant to reducing NPs pollution and the concept "We All Live Downstream" - rain barrels are distributed to attendees.

· Lackawanna Conservation District: Stormwater Reduction with Rain Barrels ($2,000) Seminar focuses on impacts of stormwater, strategies for reducing stormwater runoff and watershed function as it relates to NPs pollution.

· Lancaster Conservation District: Watersheds: Making the Connection ($1,745) Interactive educational display at Cherry Crest Farm Maize Maze allows visitors to investigate nonpoint and point source pollution in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

· Lebanon Conservation District: Horse Pasture Management ($1,815) Workshop focuses on properly maintained pastures, how they are good for the horses that graze them, the soil, and nearby streams.

· Lycoming Conservation District: Lycoming/ Tioga Floodplain and Riparian Protection Summit ($2,000) Project brings together municipalities to explain stream dynamics and how riparian and floodplain management can help with flooding and NPs pollution reduction.

· Lycoming Conservation District: Rain Barrel Workshops ($2,000) Workshops address the importance of installing rain barrels as a means to decrease the harmful effects of stormwater runoff.

· Lycoming Conservation District: Urban Nutrient Management Workshops ($2,000) Workshops for homeowners on using soil samples as a tool to protect local waterways.

· Mifflin Conservation District: Agriculture in the 21st Century Conference ($2,000) Conference focuses on NPs pollution reduction, best management practices (BMPs), and everyday actions we can each take to make a difference in our local watersheds.

· Northumberland Conservation District: Tri-County Stormwater/Flood Summit Workshop ($2,000) Meeting covers stormwater management techniques that reduce NPs pollution. Participants will receive a "toolbox" of educational resources.

· Northumberland Conservation District: Twilight Meetings ($750) Meetings educate farmers about conservation and how to improve their practices including the installation of agricultural BMPs.

· Northumberland Conservation District: Winter Conference ($1,500) Conference works to create an awareness of watersheds and the NPS pollution present in them. Promotes wise use of our natural resources to improve local watersheds.

· Perry Conservation District: Aerial Seeding Field Day ($2,000) Field day includes an aerial seeding demonstration/presentation and education on nutrient management, no-till farming, and benefits of cover crops.

· Snyder Conservation District: Farmers Winter Meeting ($1,850) Meeting covers topics related to the reduction of nutrient, sediment, and chemical pollution in our surface and ground waters originating from farms.

· Snyder Conservation District: No-Till Informational Meetings ($1,000) Meetings to exchange no-till experiences among farmers. Content includes education on NPs pollution reduction and implications for the Chesapeake Bay.

· Snyder Conservation District: Women in Agriculture Forum ($1,250) Meeting geared towards women in the agricultural community. Topics include BMPs and environmental issues that affect the water quality in our streams.

· Sullivan Conservation District: Rain Barrel Workshop for Homes and Businesses ($1,525) Project educates individuals on doing their part in conservation and NPs pollution prevention by raising awareness of quantity and quality issues with storm water runoff.

· Sullivan Conservation District: Sullivan/Bradford Floodplain and Riparian Protection Summit ($2,000) Project brings together municipalities to explain stream dynamics and how riparian and floodplain management can help with flooding and NPs pollution reduction.

· Susquehanna Conservation District: Dealing with Your Streamside Property ($1,500) Workshop for homeowners on how they can effectively deal with living along side a stream and the responsibilities that come with it to protect local water quality.

· Susquehanna Conservation District: Heavy Equipment Contractors Workshop ($1,050) Workshop to educate and update contractors and municipalities regarding BMPs for erosion and sediment control and waterway management.

· Union Conservation District: Stormwater Runoff Reduction ($2,000) Stormwater workshops with free rain barrel distribution program and display that focuses on reducing stormwater runoff and improving infiltration.

· Wyoming Conservation District: Conservation Tour ($2,000) Tour demonstrates what steps can be taken to reduce NPs pollution. Tour encourages participants to take action based on what they have learned.

· Wyoming Conservation District: Wyoming/Susquehanna Floodplain and Riparian Protection Summit ($2,000) Project brings together municipalities to explain stream dynamics and how riparian and floodplain management can help with flooding and NPs pollution reduction.

For more information, visit the PACD website.

7/4/2008