By: Nathan Dewing, Agricultural Team Leader
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   The Bradford County Conservation District celebrated difference makers at its annual appreciation dinner Friday night at the Troy Sale Barn. Volunteers were appreciated, land managers recognized, projects highlighted, supporters thanked and advances simply celebrated. 
    We all could stand to improve our habit of celebrating both big and little successes. 
   Conservation Districts set up within county jurisdictions across the country are boards of local residents who help promote sound use of natural resources in the community. Bradford County has excelled since its humble 1956 inception. Partnerships with land managers and community members are what make the wheels turn. 

By: Nathan Dewing, Agricultural Team Leader, Bradford County Conservation District
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You heard correctly – it is time to start your garden.  This week at the Stoll Natural Resource Center, we started our 2020 no-till demonstration garden. It may be new thinking, but we suggest you think of October as the beginning of your gardening season (November is not too late).  A few simple steps now can keep your garden soil working for you all winter. Read further for a step by step preparation guide. 2019 produced an excellent demonstration garden, with very little effort as we have reported.  Forty people attended the September Open Garden evening with lots of great questions and information sharing.  A big “thank you” to Chris and Jeanette Smith from Warren Township for mentoring the gathered gardeners.  

Excerpt taken from Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy (NPC) fall newsletter. To learn more about NPC or to sign up for their newsletter, visit https://npcweb.org/
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Halloween is less than a week away and chances are you’ve seen some kind of bat décor on display to complement the “spooky” festivities.  It’s probably bats’ nocturnal nature, unique appearance, and folklore affiliations (hint, hint: “I vant to suck your blood”) that have long left bats misunderstood and sometimes even feared.  However, bats are actually amazing creatures, vital to our environment.  Today, we’re helping to kick off Bat Week 2019 (visit https://batweek.org/ for lots of cool bat info), an annual, international celebration of the role of bats in nature, by sharing 3 reasons why you really should LOVE bats.
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By: Brad Cummings, Conservation Technician

Have you ever wondered who to call if you have a complaint or permit related question?  With all the different regulatory agencies and complex organizational charts within some of those agencies, this can sometimes be a daunting task.  We realize it can be frustrating if you don’t know who to contact, so we’ve created this brief guide to hopefully help point you in the right direction.
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By: Tess Flynn-Belles, Natural Resource Specialist
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   Hey all! It’s your old Uncle Conservation here and I’ve got a secret for you. And let me tell you, it’s a good one. Especially if you or someone you know lives near a stream which, let’s be honest, is the entire county. Ok, gather ‘round now. Ready for it? You can clear trees and woody debris out of a stream… WITHOUT A PERMIT!!! Holy Cow!! Did I just blow your mind?! I did, didn’t I?

By: Kevin Brown, Ag. Resource Specialist
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Yes, that is what I said, a garden that takes no work.  This is a picture of our garden here at the office.  I mulched it, planted it, spent maybe 15 minutes (total) weeding it at different times, and am now harvesting it.  I know there are a lot of non-believers out there.  My wife said it wouldn’t work.  My co-workers said it wouldn’t work and wanted to know who was going to be the one spending the time needed to weed and water it.  My response was, “if it works the way it is supposed to, no one”.  Even my mother said that when she read the first gardening article, I put out there, “I couldn’t believe your name was associated with it.  You never wanted anything to do with a garden”.  And she is right, I still don’t.  But Voilà !  Here we are.  I can handle a garden if I don’t have to do anything to make it a garden.  Doesn’t everyone like to have super fresh vegetables if all they have to do is go pick them?  Well, you can.

By: The Bradford County Conservation District
If you read last week’s article discussing stream permit options, there was mention of a “new” permit option for Bradford County. In this week’s article, we’ll discuss the evolution of that permit, what it is, and how you would go about qualifying for it.​