Bradford County Conservation District s1
BRADFORD COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT
Stoll Natural Resource Center
200 Lake Road, Suite E, Towanda, PA 18848
Telephone (570)265-5539 Ext. 6
MARCH 2017 MEETING
The March 2017 meeting of the Bradford County Conservation District was called to order by Keith Heimbach, Chairperson of the BCCD, on March 6, 2017, at 12:30 PM, at the Stoll Natural Resource Center, Wysox, PA.
OLD BUSINESS:
Earth Day – Cathy Yeakel reported that we currently have $5,350.00 in donations from businesses, organizations, and partners for our first Earth Day event. It will be held on April 22nd from 10:00 to 2:00 at East Side Riverfront Park.
Chesapeake Bay Grant – There is about $12,000.00 left in our Chesapeake Bay grant that ended in December. Al Herman made a motion to approve a grant extension through June 30, 2017, in order to complete work on two farms in the Wysox Creek watershed. Josh Ford seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed.
Seedling Sale – Order deadline for the tree seedling sale is March 31st, with distribution day on April 29th from 9:00 to Noon. Seedling packing will take place on Wednesday, April 26th. We are in need of volunteers to assist with this.
NEW BUSINESS:
Watershed Specialist Contract – Tony Ventello made a motion to sign a contract for Watershed Specialist in the amount of $46,750.00 for two years; partial funding for the first year and $33,000.00 for the second year. Scott Lackey seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed.
Memorial - Josh Ford made a motion to make a $100.00 donation to Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC) in memory of Ted Keir. Scott Lackey seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed.
At the last meeting it was decided to develop a plaque that names can be added to as needed to honor those of the original Board of Directors, and those involved in the development of the Conservation District, who have passed on. Josh Ford made a motion to place a park bench on our property that name plates can be added to in memory of those who were a part of the Conservation District’s program from the past and in the future. Scott Lackey seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed.
D&G Contracts – Al Herman made a motion to approve the following three contracts for Dirt & Gravel Road projects:
LeRoy Township $65,344.00 for Jennings Road
Ridgebury Township $108,323.50 for Wilcox Road
Windham Township $186,704.60 for Merry Go Round Road
Tony Ventello seconded the motion and it was unanimously passed.
NRCS/BCCD MOU – Micheal Hanawalt reviewed the agreement between the Bradford County Conservation District and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, which was signed in 1997. There is also a 1619 agreement attached in 2010 to heighten awareness of confidential information. Under this agreement, NRCS and the Conservation District cannot give out individual landowner information without the landowner’s consent. We have landowner consent forms available.
PROGRAM UPDATES:
Team Retreats – Joe Quatrini reported that they had good staff participation at the Tech Team Retreat on February 15th. Cathy Yeakel, Dan Rhodes, and Nate Dewing also attended.
Nate Dewing reported that they had very good discussions at the Ag Team Retreat on March 2nd. Al Herman, Keith Heimbach, Mike Hanawalt, and Jennifer Johns joined the staff for this meeting; where they discussed ways to connect with the people they need to be working with.
The Tech and Ag Teams will get together soon to compare notes on the Strategic Plan.
Manure Management Planning Update – There has been an increase in requests for nutrient management planning. In 2016, 35 plans were completed for farms in the County. Just since the beginning of 2017, 55 plans have been completed. This is partially due to the increased presence of DEP representatives in the County, as well as our education and outreach efforts over the past several years. We have had very good response to the Open Door Days, where a landowner can walk in at any time during the day for planning assistance. The next one will be on March 22nd.
Upcoming Ag Events –There will be a Soil Health Conference at the Wysox Firehall on March 8th. Speakers will be Keith Burns from Green Cover Seeds, and Russel Wilson who is a grazer from western Pennsylvania.
The annual Farm Mishmosh BMP tour is planned for mid-April. Tour stops will include Josh Ford and Ron Forbes in the Wysox/Rome area.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:45 PM by Al Herman, Vice Chairperson.
The next meeting of the Bradford County Conservation District will be on April 3, 2017, at 12:30 PM at the Stoll Natural Resource Center, Wysox, PA.
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