News & Notes March 2007

2007-2008 Educational Mini-Grants Available

The PACD announces the opening of the application period for the 2007-2008 educational mini-grant programs for conservation districts. Grants up to $2,500 are awarded for educational projects that address Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS) and Chesapeake Bay Pollution Prevention.

This funding allows conservation districts to implement educational programs to increase local awareness of water quality issues, promote the theme "We All Live Downstream," and encourage citizen participation in activities to improve water quality in local watersheds.

Applications for the Chesapeake Bay grant program are available online at http://www.pacd.org/resources/cb/minigrants/app.htm and Nonpoint Source Pollution at http://www.pacd.org/resources/nps/minigrants/app.htm. General grant information, including guidelines, reporting requirements, and current and previously-funded projects, is available at http://www.pacd.org/resources/grants.htm.

For more information about our mini-grants program, please contact Hannah Smith at hannah-smith@pacd.org. Applications must be received by May 15, 2007.

Funding for these grants is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Chesapeake Bay Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Program.

The term "rain garden" might raise curiosity in some people. What exactly is a rain garden? Do rain gardens help create rain? And why would conservation districts promote them? On of the easiest and most effective measures you take to help control stormwater is to establish a rain garden. Capturing rainwater runoff from your roof, driveway and sidewalks and diverting it into a rain garden (or rain barrel that flows into a rain garden), allows water to slowly soak into the ground and help recharge water supplies. Controlling rainwater runoff helps filter contaminants that might otherwise enter storm drains and make way to nearby creeks and streams. Rain gardens also improve the aesthetics of your yard and neighborhood, which can be a particular benefit in urban locations.

Two mini-grant projects this year have focused on teaching homeowners about rain gardens. Both Bucks and Luzerne County Conservation Districts have worked to educate residents of their counties on the benefits of using rain gardens to help manage stormwater runoff.

Luzerne CCD's watershed specialist, Shawn Rybka, conducted a Chesapeake Bay educational mini-grant funded workshop, Beneficial Landscaping Techniques in Luzerne County, where the attendees actually built the rain garden. The District received $1,545 for this project.

In Bucks CCD, Mary Ellen Noonan, environmental educator for the District, has designed and planted not only a rain garden, but developed promotional materials and presentations to publicize it. Bucks CCD received $2,500 for this nonpoint source pollution educational mini-grant project titled, Rain Gardens for Clean Streams. A highly visible location for the rain garden was chosen so that progress on the project can be seen and appreciated by the community and interested groups at the Plumstead Township Building.

Funding for these grants is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Chesapeake Bay Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Program. See the "2007-2008 Educational Mini-Grants Available" article on this page for details about applying for an educational mini-grant.

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