Bradford County Conservation District
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • History
    • Careers
    • Board Meetings
    • Right to Know Request
    • BCCD Earth Day
  • Programs
    • Agriculture & Soils >
      • Woodchip Barnyard Project
      • No Till Garden
      • Interseeder
      • Farmland Preservation
      • Women in Agriculture Day
    • Dirt, Gravel & Low Volume Roads
    • Education >
      • Scholarship Opportunities
      • Envirothon
      • Conservation Field Day
    • Environmental Permitting >
      • Chapter 102
      • Chapter 105
    • Forestry >
      • Spotted Lanternfly
    • Watershed Restoration >
      • Pond & Lake Management
      • Stream Crossing Replacements
    • West Nile Virus
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Contact

CONSERVATION CORNER

A weekly blog for all things conservation

Eat, Spray, Tug: Aquatic Plant Management Methods

9/19/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
By: Tess Flynn-Belles, Natural Resource Specialist
During the growing season, the Conservation District can anticipate receiving several calls from landowners who own ponds asking how to control and treat aquatic plants. There are many options to consider, but the first question that needs to be addressed is, “What plant species are you trying to treat?”. The method of treatment will vary on what plant species you are targeting. In this article, we will briefly discuss the three basic methods of treatment (biological, chemical and physical) and some pros and cons of each. 


Read More
0 Comments

Your Pond Needs Some Love in the Winter, Too

1/31/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
By: Tess Flynn-Belles, Natural Resource Specialist, Bradford County Conservation District
Psst… hey you… yeah, you. The one wrapped up on the couch in that new blanket you got for Christmas from Grandma Tilly. It’s me, the pond out back. I know it’s cold out here, believe me! Have you looked at me lately? I have a giant sheet of ice and snow covering me. I KNOW cold! That doesn’t mean that I still don’t have a lot going on underneath it all. I’ve still got plants that are photosynthesizing, and fish are still swimming around doing their thing. There are also a lot of fun activities that you can use me for in the winter as well. Maybe you could layer up and come out and visit me for a little while? You’d be helping me and my friends out big time.


Read More
0 Comments

​Sounds of Spring

4/19/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
By: Jonathan VanNoy, Natural Resource Specialist
What do you consider to be the “official sign” that spring has arrived?  During daylight hours, many observe the first Robin of the year to be the sign that spring has sprung, or at least that winter’s grasp is weakening.  Other examples are the emergence of flowers such as Snowdrops, Crocus, or Daffodils.  However, one of the most prominent (and my personal favorite) sign of spring is the cheery chorus of the Northern Spring Peeper!  


Read More
0 Comments

What to Consider Before Building a Pond

3/1/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​By: Tess Flynn-Belles, Natural Resource Specialist, Bradford County Conservation District
This past year has provided a lot of us with plenty of time to reflect on our properties and home and come up with new ways to freshen the place up. With the amount of calls that the Conservation District received about new pond construction last year, it must have been high on some of your lists! So, with that, we thought we would provide some things to consider before you start.


Read More
0 Comments

What Can Wetlands Do For You?

6/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
By: Jonathan VanNoy, Natural Resource Specialist
     If I were to tell you to close your eyes and describe what comes to mind when you hear the word “wetland”, what would you describe?  A stagnant, slimy waterbody?  A grassy, soupy area with cattails?  Maybe that lower field that you can only make hay on every few years?  How about that special place that you love to hunt ducks, or trap muskrats?  You may have an archery stand on the edge of a swamp that comes to mind.  You might describe that spot in your woods that pools water each spring, and for one or two warm nights a year is just crawling with toads or salamanders as they congregate to lay masses of eggs.  (Go to a local vernal pool, pond, swamp or wetland on a warm, spring evening and pull up a chair and just listen and watch.  There is NOTHING that can compare to the sound you will hear if the frogs or toads have congregated!)


Read More
0 Comments

Fish Kills in Pennsylvania

5/11/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Tess Flynn-Belles, Natural Resource Specialist
     Imagine this; it’s an early spring morning, the sun is shining and most of the snow has melted. You decide to take a walk down to your pond and see if the ice has melted off. You’re enjoying your walk, the warm sun softening the crisp of the morning air. As you approach your pond, you take in the light sparkling off the water. YAY!! The ice is off, time to start casting a line out and see what you catch. You’re cruising the edge of your pond when you notice a dead sunfish…. A little more walking… a dead largemouth bass. You look up and notice that the shoreline of your pond is littered with dead fish!! It’s then that it hits you in the gut…… FISH KILL!!!


Read More
0 Comments

Lake Stratification and Turnover

10/7/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
By Tess Flynn-Belles, Natural Resource Specialist

    39.2°F.  What is the significance of this temperature? We hear “32°F” and automatically think, “Ah, yes, that’s when water freezes”. So, why is 39.2°F so unique? You may be aware that as water cools, it becomes denser and less dense when it warms. A practical example of this would be if you’ve ever tried to see how deep you can swim down in a lake on a hot summer’s day. You can feel the temperature change from warmer to cooler as you dive deeper. In winter, however, once water reaches the temperature of 39.2°F, its molecules actually start to expand and become lighter again, sitting on top of the warmer water!! At this point, the water can continue to cool to 32°F and turn to ice. If you are a pond or lake owner, the following facts will help you begin to understand why, during certain times of the year, your pond goes from crystal clear to cloudy and brown in a matter of days.
​

Read More
0 Comments

Do I Need a Permit to Build a Pond?

6/3/2019

1 Comment

 
By: Brad Cummings, Conservation Technician, Bradford County Conservation District
A pond can be an excellent addition to your property, offering many hours of fun and enjoyment for your family, friends and future generations, but it would be wise to do a little homework before committing the often significant financial investment for construction.  An essential part of this “homework assignment” should be to contact one of our friendly District staff and request a site inspection to assess what level of permitting your project may or may not require.  We hope the following brief guide to new and existing pond permitting will be helpful.

Read More
1 Comment
    Picture

    Authors

    Various staff at the Bradford County Conservation District

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019

    Categories

    All
    Agriculture
    Chapter 102
    Chapter 105
    Community
    Conservation Planning
    County Initiative
    Cover Crop
    DGLVR
    Earth Day
    Education
    Energy
    Events
    Farmland Preservation
    Floodplain
    Forest Pests
    Forestry
    Grazing
    Home & Garden
    Interseeder
    Manure Management
    Native Species
    No Till Garden
    Nutrient Management
    Outreach
    Permitting
    Pollinators
    Ponds
    Riparian Buffer
    Scholarship
    Soil Health
    Storm Water
    Stream Crossings
    Streams
    Watershed
    Wildlife

Bradford County Conservation District
​​
​Stoll Natural Resource Center
200 Lake Road, Suite E | Towanda PA 18848
Phone: (570)-485-3144
Programs
Agriculture and Soils
Dirt Gravel & Low Volume Roads
Education
Forestry

Chapter 102
Chapter 105
Watershed Restoration
West Nile Virus
Quick Links
Programs Resources
Blog
Events Calendar
Get Assistance
  • Home
  • About
    • Our Team
    • History
    • Careers
    • Board Meetings
    • Right to Know Request
    • BCCD Earth Day
  • Programs
    • Agriculture & Soils >
      • Woodchip Barnyard Project
      • No Till Garden
      • Interseeder
      • Farmland Preservation
      • Women in Agriculture Day
    • Dirt, Gravel & Low Volume Roads
    • Education >
      • Scholarship Opportunities
      • Envirothon
      • Conservation Field Day
    • Environmental Permitting >
      • Chapter 102
      • Chapter 105
    • Forestry >
      • Spotted Lanternfly
    • Watershed Restoration >
      • Pond & Lake Management
      • Stream Crossing Replacements
    • West Nile Virus
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Contact