Northampton Notes
A Quarterly Newsletter of the
Northampton County Conservation District
Volume # 17
Summer 2016
Issue # 3
What’s New at the District?
On July 22, 2016, Northampton County Council appointed Jeffrey Keifer to fulfill the
vacant position of Farmer Director on the Northampton County Conservation District
Board of Directors. This position was previously held by John Valkovec who resigned
from the Board in May 2016. John will be missed but we welcome Jeffrey’s knowledge
and guidance to assist in the conservation and enhancement of Northampton County’s natural resources. Welcome back Jeffrey!
The District continues to mourn the sudden passing of our manager, Chryss Buchman; her vast knowledge, guidance and expertise are a great loss and her dedication to the
Board Director: Jeffrey Keifer District’s mission is irreplaceable. However, the District must strive forward to continue
our civic responsibilities. Sharon Pletchan was appointed as Acting District Manager in
May 2016; she applied for and was officially hired as the District Manager in September 2016. Sharon has a Bachelor of
Science Degree in Biology/Environmental Science from Kutztown University and Master’s Degree in Biology/Ecology
from Villanova University. She brings over 10 years’ experience with District programs in her former position of Conservation Specialist with NCCD.
What’s New at PA DEP?
To achieve compliance with the EPA eReporting Rule, the NPDES permit numbering
system has changed statewide. NPDES General Permits will now begin with the prefix ‘PAC’
and Individual Permits will begin with ‘PAD’, followed by the associated county code (which
is 48 for Northampton County), continuing with the next sequential number of application received for that type of permit in the county. You may have already noticed this change, as the
new numbering system began with permit applications submitted to the Districts on or after
Bog Turtle
August 17th for any new permits, modifications, or renewals of an existing permit. Updating
the permit number will be handled administratively so no action is required of the permitteee. The old permit number
will be tracked with the newly assigned number to cross reference. However, upon receipt of the issued or acknowledged permit, the permittee and co-permittees should begin to reference the project by the new permit number. ESCGP
permits are not affected by this change.
Due to changes to required reporting, the NOI/application for NPDES permits for stormwater discharges associated with construction was then required to be updated and is now available online (Rev. 8/2016). Additionally, the Transferee / Co-Permittee Application for a General or Individual NPDES Permit for Stormwater Discharges Associated with
Construction has also been updated (Rev. 9/7/2016) and posted online at the PA DEP eLibrary
(www.elibrary.dep.state.pa.us). Starting Monday, October 10, all applicants will be required to use these updated applications.
There are also some changes to the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI). Users are required to register and login at http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/. After viewing environmental planning information associated with their project area, users can screen their project for potential impacts to PNDI
species and obtain a PNDI Receipt with conservation measures, avoidance measures and next steps
required. A convenience charge of $40 per project is now charged by DCNR for each receipt; this
receipt is required for most state and federal permitting so ensure that you are providing your consultant with the correct project area. If you have any questions or concerns about these changes, please
feel free to call and speak with the District staff.
Northampton County Junior Conservation School
NCCD Board Director, Brian Fulmer,
describing agricultural BMPs on his farm
The Conservation District participated in the 2016 Junior
Conservation School hosted by the Northampton County Federation
of Sportsmen. Conservation District staff conducted a program for
the students at Juniperdale Farms in Plainfield Township that took
place on July 15, 2016. The presentation included a brief summary
of Conservation District programs and a demonstration of construction site stabilization measures, types of erosion and sediment control Best Management Practices (BMPs) and the importance of
keeping the streams clean. Additionally, Conservation District
Board Member, Brian Fulmer, of Juniperdale Farms, presented an
overview of the farm operation and reviewed agricultural practices
installed on his farm. As in the past, the NCCD Board has again provided sponsorship to a student residing in Northampton County that
otherwise may not have the wonderful opportunity to participate in
this diverse environmental educational program.
Showing What We’ve Got
NCCD once again had the opportunity to provide our educational display at the Plainfield Farmers Fair
on July 19 - 23, 2016 and also at the Blue Valley Farm Show that took place on August 23-27, 2016. Our display highlighted the Erosion and Sediment Pollution Control Program, the Envirothon, Agricultural Programs
and additional environmental informational brochures for the Northampton County residents.
.
2017 Northampton County Envirothon
Northampton County’s 20th annual High School Envirothon will be held on April 27, 2017. The Current issue this year is: Agricultural Soil and Water Conservation Stewardship. School invitation letters will be
going out in the beginning of November which request pre-registration as we only accept 15 teams. Sponsorships of the event will again be accepted; solicitation letters will be going out in December. Sponsorship request forms will also be available on our website. More information to come.
2016 Act 48 Teachers’ Workshop: “Schoolyard and Backyard Conservation:
What Can You Do?”
The District held its annual Act 48 Continuing Education
workshop on October 20, 2016. The event hosted 22 area educators and focused on instructing them how to improve water quality and reduce non-point source pollution by incorporating Best
Management Practices (BMPs) into their home and school environments. NCCD staff, along with representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Penn
State Extension office, provided instruction and activities that
educators could integrate into their classrooms. The educators
learned about the landfill reducing power of composting, the water saving power of rain barrels, and the pollution reducing potenTeachers constructing Rain Barrels
tial of such practices as rain gardens and infiltration basins. All
attending teachers were provided with Professional Development Activity Hours, a rain barrel, and some great
educational resources to bring back to their classrooms. The District would like to thank everyone who attended and everyone involved in assisting with our workshop. We hope to see everyone again next year!
Farmland Preservation Update Submitted by Northampton County Farmland Preservation
Northampton County now has 167 farms preserved for a total acreage of 14,620.
The next application round begins on November 1 and ends by 4:00 PM on December 15, 2016. If your
property is enrolled in your township’s Agricultural Security Area, you will automatically receive an application.
If you didn’t, and feel you should have, please call our office. While funding will be unknown for next year, we’re
hoping to make use of innovative sources of funding, such as our Township Partnership program, in order to preserve as many farms as possible in 2017.
There has been speculation recently on the installation of solar panels on preserved farms. The Farmland
Preservation Program Guidelines addresses this subject under its “Rural Enterprise” section. It states that
“structures associated with the production of energy for use principally on the farm, including wind, solar, hydroelectric, methane, wood, alcohol, fuel and fossil fuel systems, and structures and facilities for the storage and treatment of animal waste, are permitted.” The key words here are “for use principally on the farm.” Energy produced
from the listed alternative sources is allowed under the agricultural conservation easement, but it must be used to
power buildings and equipment associated with the farm operation. Any excess energy produced, cannot be sold
back to the utility. It would then be considered a commercial enterprise. However, land that the owner may have
voluntarily excluded from the easement is not subject to this restriction. Also, the mandatory area around the
landowner’s home and/or buildings excluded at the time of the easement is not subject to this restriction.
We encourage our landowners to look into alternative energy sources to help alleviate the rising costs of
operating their farm. If there are any questions concerning this issue, please contact our office at (610) 746-1993.
A New Take on Agricultural Riparian Buffers
The virtues of riparian buffers are well known within the conservation community. However, many producers
struggle with choosing between keeping land in production, or establishing buffers to promote stream health. One increasingly popular method of balancing these concerns is the concept of a “multifunctional riparian buffer”. A multifunctional buffer includes woody and orchard crops that require little to no heavy equipment use or soil disturbance.
Fruit and nut trees, woody florals, berry bushes, or similar crops can provide many of the benefits of riparian buffers
when properly managed. At the same time, the farmer is still able to generate income from the land, as many of these
crops are high-value.
To promote these buffers, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources launched their Riparian Forest Buffer Grant Program this summer. A pilot round of applications is currently being considered, and awardees will
be announced later this year. The next round of grant applications for such projects is currently slated to open this winter, in January of 2017. If you are a farmer, or know of one, who may be interested in learning about establishing such
a buffer, please contact district Watershed Specialist Nate Pritchard for more information.
Municipal Minute
The District’s Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Roads Program has grant funding still available
to public road-owning entities to fix drainage issues on paved roads with a vehicle count of less than
500 vehicles/day. The road and associated drainage must have an environmental impact on a nearby
natural resource and the solution must provide a long term benefit to the road and to the environment. We just completed a great dirt and gravel project on National Park Dr. in Upper Mt. Bethel Township. If you
are in the area, please check it out. Any prospective applicant is to have completed the required 2-day Penn State Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance course prior to requesting assistance from the District. The next available course is
in Centre County on November 15 & 16, 2016. You can read more about the program and policy at
www.dirtandgravel.psu.edu/pa-program-resources/low-volume-roads. Please contact NCCD Conservation Specialist,
James Lawrence at 610-829-6276, if you have any questions.
Northampton County Conservation District
Northampton Notes
Gracedale Greystone
Complex, Greystone
Building Building
Nazareth,
14 Gracedale
PA 18064-9211
Avenue
Nazareth, PA 18064-9211
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RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Northampton County Conservation District
Greystone Building
14 Gracedale Avenue
Nazareth, PA 18064-9211
Phone: (610) 829-6276
FAX: (610) 746-1980
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web address: www.northamptoncd.org
Conservation District office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4 pm
DISTRICT DIRECTORS
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS
Donald Mack, Chairman
Brian Fulmer
Joel Geiger
Lynn Stauffer
Theodore Veresink
Jeffrey Keifer
Margaret Ferraro, County Council Representative
James Clause
Helen Maurella
John Mauser
Bruce Pysher
DISTRICT STAFF
Sharon Pletchan, District Manager
James Lawrence, E&S Technician
Amy Seidel, E&S Technician
Kristina Maurer, E&S Technician
Vacant, E&S Technician
Nathan Pritchard, Watershed Spec./Ag. Technician
Wendy McRoberts, Clerical Specialist
District Board meetings are open to the public and are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm on
the second floor of the Greystone Building.