Bradford County Conservation District
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Contact

CONSERVATION CORNER

A weekly blog for all things conservation

Conservation District Who?

7/22/2019

0 Comments

 
By: Nathan Dewing, Agricultural Team Leader
    For seven decades, Pennsylvania’s county conservation districts have actively engaged residents to understand management of our natural resources.  What is a conservation district anyway? 
    Let’s start by asking “why?”  PA county conservation districts were birthed with the 1945 passage of the PA Conservation District Law.  What was the issue requiring leadership?  Soil conservation.  Farming practices were degrading the soil resource, risking future productivity and affecting other resources like air and water.   The law provided for a “grass-roots” conservation effort to build awareness and capability of local landowners to voluntarily manage the resources well.  Potter County established PA’s first conservation district in 1945.  2019 marks 63 years for the Bradford County Conservation District.  Strong leadership has developed significant capacity to resource Bradford County residents in the task.
​
    Who?   A county conservation district is a seven-member, volunteer board of local residents.  County Commissioners have some input into the makeup of the board to properly reflect the county’s character.  The board is to consist of one county commissioner, not less than two or more than four farmer members, and not less than two or more than four public members.  Bradford County has designed the board to be one County Commissioner, four farmer members, and two public members.  To make good choices for the right people to direct a conservation district, approved nominating organizations submit nominations to the County Commissioners who make appointments to the board.  Directors serve a 4-year term.
Now let’s ask – “How?”  A conservation district inevitably ends up hiring staff to carry out its mission.  In PA, you find conservation districts with staffs ranging from two to 30 people, depending upon the support or leadership it receives.  A staff can often leverage resources two or three times its cost to help landowners make improvements.  The board then directs these resources to address priorities that they, more than any other group are best positioned to understand.  This idea of a conservation district has developed a reputation for being highly effective at taking limited resources and applying them where they will make the most difference.
     Conservation districts excel because of strong leadership and strong partnerships.  Look for opportunities to thank and engage with current conservation district directors including Commissioner Daryl Miller, Chairman Keith Heimbach (Windfall), Bruce Chase (New Albany), Anthony Ventello (Central Bradford Progress Authority), Al Herman (Alba), Josh Ford (Orwell), and Rob Miller (Columbia Crossroads).  Key partnerships include USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency, Penn State Cooperative Extension, PA Department of Environmental Protection, PA Dept of Conservation and Natural Resources, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and many more. 
     Your input is always highly valued!  Stop by our booth at the Troy Fair this week to introduce yourself and share your thoughts.  We will be there all week with activities for kids and adults alike.  Take a look at the inter-seeder parked in the exhibit area.  Doing the small things together, we can make a big difference.  Yes, even lasting seven decades from now.
    The Bradford County Conservation District is committed to helping people manage resources wisely.  You can visit the Bradford County Conservation District at 200 Lake Rd in Wysox across from the Wysox Fire Hall. Contact us at (570) 485-3144 or visit our web page at www.bccdpa.com.
 
​
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Authors

    Various staff at the Bradford County Conservation District

    Archives

    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

    RSS Feed

    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

Picture
Bradford County Conservation District
Stoll Natural Resource Center
200 Lake Road, Suite E | Towanda PA 18848
Phone: (570)-485-3144

Find Us on Social Media!
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Contact