HONESDALE– The Wayne Conservation District employs an array of tools and programs to protect and conserve the county’s valuable natural resources, all in conjunction with the local landowners/stewards. District Manager Jamie Knecht discussed the ways she and her team are working in support of the agricultural community, when she recently presented the 2023 Annual Report to the Wayne County Commissioners.
GROWING GREENER GRANT
Since 2020, the Conservation District has been using a PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Growing Greener Grant to help farmers in the northeast region pay for Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMP) for their property. The plans are intended to identify best management practices (BMPs) farmers can use to mitigate their negative impact on nearby water resources by reducing nutrient run-off.
Thus far, 40 landowners have contracted with the agency to complete a plan, which will help make them eligible for grant funding to implement the recommended BMPs. The Northeast CNMP Program, which also includes Pike, Monroe and Lackawanna Counties, is set to end in the spring of 2025.
Knecht explained, “We saw a need for plans to be drawn up in order for famers to be eligible for federal and state funding, but the plans can be pricey.” The costs can range from $500 to $10,000, depending on whether it is a new plan or an update to an existing one.
CONSERVATION ASSISTANCE
On the heels of the Growing Greener Grant, the State Conservation Commission received $154 million in the 2022-23 State Budget through the Clean Streams Fund to allow individual Districts to implement a local Agricultural Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP). Wayne Conservation District received $1.173 million to now help farmers execute those plans.
“This type of planning expense can be difficult for operators to self-fund and then also have the cost-share money available to install the BMPs on the farm, if they are funded,” she said. “The timing (of the ACAP funding) was just lucky.”
In 2023, the Wayne Conservation District also acted as the sponsor for a significant agricultural project on the Twin Brooks Farm in Damascus Township, which is being funded in part by the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program, a Growing Greener Grant and potentially by an application to the ACAP Program, if funded.
That project will include a series of BMPs including erosion and sediment control measures, a concrete manure storage structure, a new well and pasture watering system, and construction of a roofed structure over the heavy use area and manure storage, among other work to be performed.
SUSTAINABLE AG SPECIALIST
In further support of agriculture during the past year, the District changed the title of the Nutrient Management Specialist to Sustainable Agriculture Specialist, who now splits time between the District and the Wayne Tomorrow! agriculture initiatives like the Food Locker Pilot Program, the AgroLegacy Certified Local brand and the development of the proposed Agriculture Innovation Center.
The Wayne Conservation District also approved the purchase of a new seeder, which enhances the ability to seed more acreage through the No-Till Program, which covered 80 acres last year. The Cover Crop Program, through which the District reimburses 75 percent of the cost of seed, secured more than 300 acres in 2023.
The Dirt & Gravel Road Program completed stabilization and upgrades on 11,600 linear feet of roads and completed two spread-footer bridges, one was part of a multi-year project in Canaan Township that was among the longest ever funded in the county at 65 feet. The Low Volume Road Program funded two projects, with one to address erosion and flooding in Damascus Township that finishes up this spring.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
The District also provides technical assistance to landowners regarding streams and ponds, welcoming a new Watershed Specialist, Vienna Newton, in the fall and executing a new contact with the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to fund the position through 2026.
Under Forestry Activities, the District has successfully distributed more than 7,000 seedlings to county residents through a partnership with the 10 Million Trees Initiative. Another 6,000 containerized trees will be distributed later in May.
Finally, the Conservation District administers the Erosion and Sediment Control and Waterways Encroachment General Permits through delegation agreements with DEP. Along with dozens of plan reviews and inspections, officials also held education and outreach programs for camp managers and earthmovers. Increasing permit application also prompted Knecht to return to a two-technician complement to maintain the quality of services provided to the public.
The Wayne Conservation District’s proactive, landowner-focused approach to the work of protecting the county’s natural resources has been noticed at the state level. “Your district does several unique activities I don’t see in other Annual Reports,” writes Jaci Kerstetter, Water Program Specialist at the Conservation District Support Section at DEP. She pointed to “creative and effective ways to promote conservation” through joint planning and technical assistance, Wayne Tomorrow! partnerships and specialized workshops.
For more information about the Wayne Conservation District, visit them online at www.WayneConservation.com.