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OTTER NEWS

Summer 2002, Vol. 2 Issue 2

Clearfield County Conservation District (814) 765-2629 - Phone Number

650 Leonard Street (814) 765-1336 - Fax Number

Clearfield, PA 16830 clfdccd@penn.com - Email

Round 2 - 2002

Dirt and Gravel Roads Program

The Clearfield County Conservation District recently held a second round of funding for their Dirt and Gravel Roads Program. Letters were sent to all qualified Townships and Municipalities notifying them that grant applications were being accepted for the Dirt and Gravel Road Program. Fred Berry, Conservation Technician, met with each participant, viewed each road, and recommended the best way to implement erosion and sedimentation controls to the roads under application. All of the roads were on the eligibility list of dirt roads requiring improvements. Eight (8) Townships responded by submitting grant applications for Round 2 - 2002.

The Quality Assurance Board Meeting (QAB) was held on July 18, 2002 to discuss the Grant Application received. Consideration of the grants was based on priority of the most severely polluting site, previous township participation, amount of in-kind contributions, and amount of funds available for this round. The QAB discussed each road in detail. Several of the Township supervisors were present at the meeting to provide knowledge of their road projects. Since there was not enough grant money available to fund all eight projects submitted, the QAB funded the five applications listed below:

Jordan Township - T-418 Melvins Road; Union Township - T-408 Flowing Well Road; Ferguson Township - T-428 Norris Road; Penn Township - T-472 Keiser Road; and Pike Township - T-459 Piney Road.

The application Submitted by Lawrence Township, Covington Township, and Chest Township were not accepted.

These Townships will be given high priority at Round 1 - 2003.

Growing Greener Awards Granted

The Clearfield County Conservation District has recently been awarded two Growing Greener Grants. The first is for a baseline assessment of Moshannon Creek and the second one is for a start-up of the Moshannon Creek Watershed Coalition.

PA is Growing Greener!

Why Care About Water?

Rachel Kester, Lock Haven University Student,

Summer Intern with the Clearfield County Conservation District

Hello all! I hope that everyone’s summer went well so far and that everyone has found some time to relax and gear up for the fall season. As the summer comes to an end, I’m sure that many of you have found some time to enjoy a little swimming, fishing, boating and other activities in nearby waterways. With this in mind, I would like to tell you all a little bit about what I did this summer.

One week after my last final exam at Lock Haven University, I began an internship at the Clearfield County Conservation District. I was hired under a provision from the Growing Greener Grant to help in the assessment of the Clearfield Creek Watershed. I worked under the Supervision of the District’s Watershed Specialist, Donna Carnahan. Clearfield Creek and all of the waters form the tributaries that feed it, make their way into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and eventually to the Chesapeake Bay.

The waters of the Clearfield Creek Watershed are greatly impacted by Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) that finds it’s way into the waters from many of the abandoned mines that are present in Clearfield County. AMD raises the acidity of the water and may contain harmful metals, such as, aluminum, and iron. When water is too acidic, or contains high concentrations of metals, fish and other aquatic organisms can’t survive in it any longer. Even a healthy stream can be “killed” by one large discharge of AMD entering it.

While many of you were inside lounging in the air conditioning or working away busily at your desks, I was outside hiking through the woods taking water samples from streams all over Clearfield County. We measured the pH to determine acidity, the conductivity to check for metals, and also looked for macro invertebrates (bugs) in the streams. Until now, I never realized the importance of water quality. A stream can look perfectly fine, but can have no bugs or fish because the quality of the water is so poor.

The reason that I wanted to share all of this with you is because I am hoping that it will serve as a wakeup call. Not only are the streams here in Clearfield County in trouble, but those in other parts of Pennsylvania and elsewhere need help as well. What I did this summer by helping to assess the problems in the Clearfield County Watershed is only the first step in beginning the clean-up process.

While you are out there swimming, fishing or boating, think about the benefits that you gain from water and consider how you can help. Check out your local watershed group and consider volunteering your time to help assess, monitor, and clean up the waterways in your area. Contact Donna Carnahan at 765-8130 to find out how you can help, then enjoy the rest of your fall knowing that you have done something to make a difference.

FAIR!!

The Clearfield County Conservation District had a display at the Clearfield County Fair July 28 – August 3. Our booth was located in the Sportsmen’s Exhibit, and gave us the occasion to meet many of our friends and associates.

This year, visitors to the booth had the opportunity to take an interactive computer test to evaluate their understanding of pollution and it’s effect on the environment. A variety of literature and information was available.

The door prize – a Garden Gift Basket containing an 8-pound bag of Worm Wonder – was won by Trina Janocko.

We thank the Old Town Sportsmen for hosting us again this year. See you in 2003!

Memorial

This area lost one of its most loyal stewards of the environment on June 8, 2002 with the death of Claude Schickling.

Claude R. Schickling was one of the founding fathers and an original Director of the Clearfield County Conservation District, and served as an Associate Director until the time of his death. He dedicated his life to conserving and protecting our natural resources.

To ensure our environmental future, he established the Claude R. Schickling Foundation. Each year this foundation awards scholarships to college students who are enrolled in an agricultural or environmental course of study.

We offer our sincere sympathy to the Schickling family.

Janie’s Freezer Pickles

1 onion 1 tbls salt

1 green pepper 1/2 tsp celery seed

2 cups sugar 1 cup white vinegar

7 cups unpeeled pickling cucumbers

Wash all vegetables and cut into thin slices. Boil dressing ingredients but not celery seed for 1 minute. Let cool. Add celery seed and pour over cucumber mixture. Place in refrigerator for 24 hours. Pack into small containers and freeze. Mixture thaws quickly and cucumbers stay nice and crisp.

Submitted by Janie French

To send a recipe for the recipe corner send to:

Clearfield County Conservation District

c/o Recipe Corner

650 Leonard Street

Clearfield, PA 16830

Upcoming Events........

Tree Seedlings - Once again this year, The PA Game Commission is providing Tree Seedlings to the district. The forms should be going out the beginning of October. If you would like to receive an order form, and are not already on the list, please call the District Office at 814-765-2629.

Coloring Contest - The District is having its first annual coloring contest for students in second grade.

Volunteer of the Year

This past June the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Clearfield County held a special luncheon in Houtzdale to recognize the efforts of volunteers from all over the county. Carl Undercofler, a familiar face here at the Conservation District, was honored as the Volunteer of the Year for his work with the Environmental Alliance for Senior Involvement (EASI) and the Clearfield County Senior Environmental Corps (CCSEC).

Besides volunteering countless hours to hike streams, pull water samples, and help in various other ways, Carl has been appointed as an EASI ambassador and is also the president of the CCSEC. As an ambassador, Carl will be traveling around the nation providing training and support for newly formed Senior Environmental Corps.

No matter what he is doing, Carl always goes above the call of duty and performs every task with a smile on his face. So if you are lucky enough to know Carl Undercofler or cross paths with him somewhere, thank him for all the hard work that he has been doing and extend your congratulations for a job well done as Volunteer of the Year.

Clearfield County Conservation District

Board of Directors 2002 Ross Orner, Jr. - Chairman Dennis Norris - Vice Chairman Harold Webster - Sec./Tres. John Sughrue - Commissioner George Prisk Ross Forcey Mike Hollenbaugh	Conservation District Staff Susan G. Reed - District Manager Jamie Ulrich - Nutrient Management Technician Fred Berry - Conservation Technician Donna Carnahan - Watershed Technician Christy Bowery - Secretary/Bookkeeper Orvis “Buzz” Gulich, Green Thumb Worker
Associate Directors 2002 Rick Schickling Mike Kennis Robert Rorabaugh	Cooperating Agencies USDA, Farm Service Agency USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service PA Game Commission DCNR, Bureau of Forestry PA Fish & Boat Commission DEP

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