On February 12, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA will host “Clean Water, Healthy Lands,” a workshop about streamside forests; their value and how to care for them. The workshop will be held at the Wysox Fire Hall, 111 Lake Rd., Wysox, Bradford County from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
At the workshop CBF also will recognize the achievements of local US Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency and Natural Resource Conservation Service offices by presenting them with the first-ever “Golden Tree” and “Golden Cow” awards.
The workshop will provide attendees a wealth of knowledge about streamside forested buffers, how to properly care for and maintain them, how to properly use pesticides, related agricultural regulations, and conservation planning.
The awards ceremony will honor conservation professionals work diligently to help farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife habitat, while also improving land management and farm viability.
Golden Tree Award
The “Golden Tree” award honors staff for their efforts and successes through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Pennsylvania farmers and landowners have successfully reforested thousands of miles of local streams. Many partners contribute to the success, but FSA and NRCS staff are the foundation of the program’s success.
The Golden Tree Award will be presented to:
-- The Bradford & Sullivan County NRCS and FSA offices. Together, along with partners, and farmers, they have established 3,652 acres of streamside forested buffers in Bradford & Sullivan Counties.
-- The Lycoming County NRCS and FSA offices. Together, along with partners and farmers, they have established 903 acres of streamside forested buffers.
-- The Susquehanna County NRCS and FSA offices. Together, with partners, and farmers, they have established 1,609 acres of streamside forested buffers.
-- The Tioga County NRCS and FSA offices. Together, along with partners, and farmers they have established 1,850 acres of streamside forested buffers in Tioga County.
-- The Wyoming County NRCS and FSA offices. Together, along with partners and farmers, they have established 292 acres of streamside forested buffers.
Golden Cow Award
The “Golden Cow” award is being presented to partners in the very successful Buffer Bonus program. Thanks to the support, dedication, and technical expertise from these conservation professionals more than 40 farms have established 36 miles of streamside forested buffers in the region. Additionally, 200 other on-farm conservation projects were installed to help improve water quality and farm viability.
CBF recognizes all of these efforts and will award local FSA and NRCS offices with the following:
The Golden Cow Award will be presented to the following partners in the Buffer Bonus Program:
-- The Bradford & Sullivan County NRCS office
-- The Bradford County Conservation District
-- The Lycoming County NRCS office
-- Pheasants Forever
-- The Susquehanna County NRCS office
-- The Wyoming County NRCS office
-- Mike Lovegreen, former Bradford County Conservation District Manager
-- Ed Zygmunt, retired Conservation Consultant
Workshop Presenters
Workshop presenters include:
-- Dr. Bernard W. Sweeney: Dr. Bernard W. Sweeney is Director, President, and Senior Research Scientist at the Stroud Water Research Center, an independent research institution focused on stream and river ecology located in Pennsylvania.
-- Art Gover: Art is a Research Support Associate with the Wildland Weed Management program in the Department of Plant Science at the Penn State University.
-- Mike Hanawalt: Mike is the Supervisory District Conservationist in Bradford and Sullivan County for the USDA- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). He is active in a wide range of projects from riparian forest buffers, grazing systems, to agricultural waste facility projects.
-- Kevin Brown: Kevin is an Agricultural Resource Specialist with the Conservation District and works with nutrient management, no-till, and other farm related topics.
-- Miranda Neville: Miranda is a Chesapeake Bay Technician/Ag Resource Specialist at the Bradford County Conservation District.
Partners in the workshop include the Bradford County Conservation District, Endless Mountains, Resource Conservation & Development Council, Bradford Sullivan Forest Landowners Association, USDA Farm Service Agency, Pheasants Forever, and the Sullivan County Conservation District.
A similar workshop and award ceremony will be hosted in Centre County on February 14 in Centre Hall, PA.