Thursday, April 22, 2021

Gov. Wolf, Chesapeake Conservancy & Partners Announce Initiative To Restore 30 Agriculturally Impaired Streams By 2030; Recognized Champions Of Chesapeake

On April 22, Gov. Tom Wolf marked Earth Day by joining the
Chesapeake Conservancy to announce a new collaborative environmental initiative for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to restore the health of 30 agriculturally-impaired streams by 2030.  

“The Pennsylvania rivers and streams that drain into the Chesapeake Bay are the backbone of many communities across the Commonwealth,” said Gov. Wolf.  “Restoring those rivers and streams brings back recreation opportunities like fishing and boating, and improves water quality, which helps communities downstream. 

“This ‘30 x 30’ stream restoration effort will build on the type of work that my administration, the Chesapeake Conservancy and many others are doing every day to help Pennsylvania farmers restore streambanks, install best management practices, and continue to be stewards of the land,” added Gov. Wolf. “Restoring Pennsylvania’s waters pays dividends here in our communities and downstream, and I am proud to join this effort.”   

“On behalf of the Chesapeake Conservancy and our partners, we thank Gov. Wolf for his commitment to this exciting effort to restore 30 streams by 2030,” said Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn. “Partners working from Lycoming to Lancaster County have identified 30 streams where collaborative restoration can restore stream health most quickly and remove the stream from the impaired waters list. 

“While more resources are still needed, we are already seeing tangible results in Pennsylvania’s local streams from public and private investments,” said Dunn.  “The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has been a valuable partner in helping to shape this initiative and ensuring monitoring is in place to evaluate success at key milestones.” 

The “30 x 30” stream restoration initiative will support community-based efforts that are already underway to reduce pollution and sediment in Pennsylvania streams and provide healthy habitats for fish and wildlife, outdoor recreation, and better water quality for local communities. 

The effort directly supports agricultural landowners seeking to restore local streams near their land.  

Many community partners have engaged in this effort, including the departments of Environmental Protection and Conservation and Natural Resources, seven county conservation districts, as well as the dozens of nonprofits, research institutions, and local, federal, and state agencies involved with central PA Precision Conservation Partnership, Lancaster Clean Water Partners, and the Live Stake Collaborative.  

For more information, visit the Chesapeake Conservancy PA 30 x 30 Stream Restoration Goal webpage.

Champion Of The Chesapeake Award

To celebrate DEP’s and strong contributions to this community-based stream restoration effort, Gov. Wolf bestowed the “Champion of the Chesapeake” award on behalf of Chesapeake Conservancy to two DEP employees, Marcus Kohl and Jason Fellon.  

The award, which is Chesapeake Conservancy’s signature award celebrating conservation leadership in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, recognizes Kohl and Fellon’s longtime efforts and innovative leadership to improve the quality of Pennsylvania’s environment for the benefit of the Commonwealth’s people, wildlife, and habitats. 

The award further recognizes the outstanding contributions of DEP as a whole to improve and to protect Pennsylvania’s environment.  

“Marcus and Jason are just two examples of the exemplary work that DEP staff do day in and day out. This accolade is well deserved, and the type of work they have overseen and directed will be what achieves the '30 x 30' milestone,” said DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell. 

“Marcus and Jason epitomize one of the bedrock principles of my administration: Government that works. Their dedication and collaboration have led to millions of dollars in investments into clean, healthy streams, like the Turtle Creek watershed in Union County,” Gov. Wolf said. “I’m proud to acknowledge them for their roles in projects that make Pennsylvania a better place.” 

PA Chesapeake Bay Plan 

For more information on Pennsylvania’s plan, visit DEP’s Chesapeake Bay Office webpage.

How Clean Is Your Stream?

DEP’s Interactive Report Viewer allows you to zoom in on your own stream or watershed to find out how clean your stream is or if it has impaired water quality using the latest information in the draft 2020 Water Quality Report.

Related Articles This Week:

-- First Lady Frances Wolf Recognizes Earth Day In Virtual Celebration Honoring 50th Anniversary Of PA Green Amendment 

-- PennVEST Announces Investment Of $117 Million For 25 Water Infrastructure Projects In 19 Counties; Approves PFAS Funding Program 

-- PennVEST Now Accepting Applications To Fund Public Water Supply PFAS Remediation Systems 

-- PA Lake Management Society Accepting Applications For Lake, Reservoir Water Quality Improvement Mini Grants 

-- NRCS-PA Seeks Proposals For Innovative Approaches To Conservation On Agricultural Lands 

-- Commonwealth Financing Authority Announces $15+ Million In Act 13 Funding For 135 Environmental, Water Infrastructure Projects 

-- Gov. Wolf Announces $459,823 In Grants To Support Local Environmental Education Projects  Across The State

-- Gov. Wolf Announces Multimodal Transportation Project Funding, Including 13 Trail, Bike, Walking Path Projects

-- PA Organization For Watersheds & Rivers Announces Sojourn Grant Awards; Sojourn Schedule 

-- CFA OKs $4.4 Million In Grants For 5 Natural Gas Service Pipeline Projects

[Posted: April 22, 2021]  PA Environment Digest

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