CONSERVATION CORNER
A weekly blog for all things conservation
Lacy Powers, BCCD, Conservation Technician The cold chill of the winter months is finally working its way behind us as summer rounds the corner in Bradford County. This is a special time of year as everyone, as animals to plants, start to shake off the winter frost and embrace the birth of the new season. We begin to notice the tips of trees start to turn green and little seedlings make the mighty break through topsoil to bask in the sun. This burst of excitement can be observed around the pond too, as the ice melts and the pond’s inhabitants are finding new life in the warmer days. One such amphibian that is awakened this time of the season is the Spring Peeper.
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Kevin Brown- BCCD, Ag Resource Specialist One of my favorite sayings- In this day and age, EVERYONE is trying to get into your pocket and get as much money out of it as they possibly can. This pressure has really built up over the last decade or two. As I try to think of examples from “back in the day”, I can only think of one or two that really stick out. However, lately, we get it from every angle. They can come up with anything to get a few more dollars from you. I love music. I was listening to an app on my phone one day and a really good song came on. I thought, “I would like to hear that again” so I hit rewind. A message came on that basically said, “we would love to play this song again for you, but you have to be a subscriber in order to do that. Please click here and for a low, low amount of $5/month and you can rewind every song you want”. Really? I need to be charged to hear a song again? No thanks. Ryan Reed, A reprint from Forest Fridays, a DCNR publication Across much of the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states, sugaring season is well-underway. Of course, the bell cow for syrup production, the sugar maple, is the species most commonly tapped for this purpose. Maple sugaring seems to be trending upward in recent years (perhaps due to social media attention), but not everyone has a stand of sugar maples with which to work, which has led to some innovation. If you don’t have sugar maples, then why not try something else? A quick review of a few web sources reveals that some folks are indeed trying alternative species, with some interesting results. Some common species used in lieu of the sugar maple are red maple, silver maple, Norway maple, and boxelder (a close maple relative). These species make good options but require quite a bit more effort since their sugar contents are lower. Patrick Cullen, BCCD, District Engineer I tried something different and submitted a prompt to AI (Artificial Intelligence, for us old people who don’t keep up with the latest in technology (Kevin Brown)) to write an article on how it can be utilized in Conservation Efforts. The following is the response. Important disclaimer: This content was generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain errors or inaccuracies and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. AI: Hello human, I am a GPT powered AI chat bot. Ask me anything! You: Write a 400-word article on how AI can help with conservation efforts. Patrick Cullen, BCCD, District Engineer Let’s talk about Rome. (Pull this one out at parties to impress your family and friends!) Roman concrete is world renowned for its strength and durability. People are often perplexed why the Romans could’ve built such durable structures that have last 2,000yrs and we can only get a fraction of that. Scientist have spent decades trying to recreate the Romans’ formula for their concrete. And so far, they have identified some key factors. Cole Sutton, Mansfield University Student, BCCD Intern What are mussels? Freshwater bivalves, commonly known as mussels, belong to the order Unionoida and are found on every continent except Antarctica. Bivalve means having two sides or shells. They inhabit lakes, ponds, creeks, and rivers. Mussels’ main food source is algae. They obtain algae by filtering or straining the water; Along with filtering out food they also filter out heavy metals and dirt particles in the water. Nonedible particles are deposited into the ground rendering clearer water. There are approximately 50 species of mussels that reside in Pennsylvania. However, 12 species have already been extirpated, which means that they are no longer found in the state. Patrick Cullen, BCCD, District Engineer I had pleasure to be able to sit in a statewide meeting for Conservation Engineers where we talked about several topics, one of them being a new type of concrete being seen throughout the state and country. Below are some summarizations of the meeting and the topic itself, as far my knowledge takes me. In the past year there has been a big change in the concrete world here in the US. The concrete has changed from a Portland Cement Formula to a new formula, Portland Limestone Cement Formula (it is called a “green” concrete and “sustainable” concrete.) It has been a long time coming. In Europe and Canada, they have been using this concrete for years. So what changed? Kevin Brown- BCCD, Ag Resource Specialist
For a recap on the first article- What is causing the impairment of streams in the state? Ag takes a lot of the blame (75% worth), but is that where the focus should be? In round 1, I wrote about the correlations of population density to impaired streams (82%) and cattle density to impaired streams (53%). People seem to be much more correlated with it. As I was explaining this to a counterpart of mine, she said, “Well the people that I have worked with have attempted to make the connection between tree canopy and impaired streams”. That was a new take on it, and I had to run right back to my office and get working on those numbers. Again, some very interesting numbers came out. Kevin Brown- BCCD, Ag Resource Specialist
Last week’s article from Miranda seemed to be a nice segway into something I have been working on lately. We here at the District focus on clean water- keeping clean water clean, and attempting to take “dirty” water and make it clean before it heads downstream. The first one is easier, usually. We use all tools available to get it done- gutters, diversion ditches, drop boxes, etc.- to take clean water, and divert it around areas that could potentially pollute it. Cleaning the water can sometimes be a bit more complicated than keeping it clean in the first place, but not always. What is Mother Nature’s way for cleaning water? Filtering it, just like we would do. How does she filter it? Soil! Lots of living, breathing, water infiltrating soil. If we take water that is laden with nutrients or sediment, and run it through some really good soil, it comes out the other end- clean. It’s magic. However, that means you have to have some good soil that water can infiltrate and clean it as it goes through it. Miranda Neville, Agricultural Resource Specialist, BCCD “I only have 2 horses. I’m not a farm. Do I need a Manure Management Plan?” In an effort to reduce nutrient loads in the Chesapeake Bay, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), has been conducting agricultural inspections on any operations that have livestock/production animals, (yes…even a few chickens) over the past several years in all counties within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. DEP requires operations that have livestock, land apply manure, or do any tillage to crop ground to have a Manure Management Plan and/or an Agricultural Erosion and Sediment Plan. Bradford County is included in the Bay watershed. Bradford County is included in the Bay watershed. By this point, the majority of our farms are aware of the visits and planning needs, but those who may not classify themselves as ‘farms’ may not know that they need a Manure Management Plan. |
AuthorsVarious staff at the Bradford County Conservation District Archives
March 2024
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