The Venango Dirt and Gravel Roads program, administered by the Venango Conservation District, provides education and funding to municipalities to improve dirt and gravel roads in the county. Trout Unlimited found that sediment from dirt roads can be a major contributor of pollution to streams in Pennsylvania. As a result the Commonwealth allocates millions of dollars statewide annually to conservation districts for its Dirt and Gravel Roads program.
Thanks to Ashley Hazlett, the Venango Conservation District Dirt Gravel and Low Volume Roads Technician, this blog entry will showcase a Dirt and Gravel Roads program project in Victory Township. The Dennison Run Road project spans across 400 feet of a hilly dirt road. The section in question was consistently having drainage issues and was losing road surface during storm events. The funding requested for this project was $13.500.00. This funding helped provide for the addition of three new cross pipes. Ditches and banks were also stabilized and road fill was added to maintain a proper crown and a safe driving surface. The estimated value of the project is $18,913.00. Victory Township anticipates submitting an application for further Dirt & Gravel Roads program funding to continue drainage and road surface improvements to the upper hill area of the road.
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The Venango Conservation District will be conducting a series of classes and activities for children and their families at Two Mile Run County Park. Classes are free, but class registration is required. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The classes are a series of nature walks where participants will learn about bugs, water pollution, habitat, plants and other environmental topics. The classes will be held on three consecutive weekends in August.
Saturday August 15th, 10:00am at Pioneer Flats – a class on Streams. Participants will learn about how streams are formed and different types of pollution that can impair streams. The class will also cover aquatic life and how they can indicate how clean or polluted a stream might be. Participants should wear boots or old shoes. Saturday August 22nd, 10:00am at the Handicapped Fishing Pier – A program on lakes and wetlands. Participants will learn about why the lake is so shallow compared to 20 years ago. The class will also discuss what can be done to solve the problem. Participants should wear boots or old shoes. Saturday August 29th, 10:00am at the Nature Lodge – a class on forests. Participants will enjoy a nature walk on a trail near the lake. The program will cover topics ranging from trees, forest succession and critters of the forest. Participants should bring bug spray. Classes will be about an hour and one half long. This program is a great opportunity to get the family outdoors and have fun. You can register by calling Devin Lineman at 814-676-2832. The purple cone flower, like the ones pictured, are native to eastern and central North America. There are an herbaceous flowering plant of the genus Echinacea. They bloom from mid-summer through early fall.
There are nine species of Echinacea. Some species have been used for medicinal purposes. Native Americans use the roots as a traditional healing herb. Today the roots are used for herbal medicines. Two species are considered by the US Fish and Wildlife as endangered. They are E. Tennesseensis and E. Laevigata. The name “cone flower” is rooted from the Greek echinos which means “sea urchin”. Some Native Americans call them “elk root” because they observed that elk would seek out and eat the roots when hurt or unwell. We call them “cone flowers” because their petals are reflexed. At the Venango Conservation District offices, we planted purple cone flowers because they are a native plant. Our purpose was to provide wildlife food for our garden visitors. Butterflies and bees consume the nectar of our cone flowers, and in the winter, goldfinches eat up the seeds. Cone flowers also have network of root fibers so they can bind soil which protects against erosion. The Venango Conservation District recently completed repair work to Cherrytree Run that was eroding the stream bank, causing pollution and land damage to a property in Cherrytree Township. Storm water was picking up sizable rocks and depositing them in a new location, which was changing the path of the waterway. The land owner reported loosing several feet of his property. Staff from both Pennsylvania DEP and the Venango Conservation District was able to visit the property to view the damage in 2014. The group formulated a plan to remove the gravel bar that was forming and re-deposit the material at the original stream bank channel. This work will encourage the storm water to make its way back through the original waterway, thereby reducing erosion and damage to the land owner’s property. In June of 2015, district staff and landowners got together to make this work happen. The work took only about a day. Staff intends to return to inspect the progress of vegetation and stabilization of the work. It is expected that existing vegetation should re-establish easily. The district expects the water flow to be less damaging and that the re-established stream channel should now be more stable. The Venango Conservation District is very pleased with the completion of this project. The district intends to continue stream bank repair at other sites around Venango County that have been causing nonpoint source pollution as a result of high water events. Check back to read more about our progress. Noticing a bit of hub-bub about rain gardens? The Venango Conservation District has been working to get the word out about rain gardens with news articles, mailings and educational events. The district has been awarded funding to build rain gardens for educational showcases and most recently to build rain gardens for property owners in the Lower Two Mile Run Watershed (Cranberry/Seneca area). Why you may ask?
To reduce nonpoint source pollution. Nonpoint source water pollution is pollution that comes from many different sources, even your back yard. Stormwater runs off impervious surfaces of your property (rooftops, paved driveways, sidewalks etc.). That stormwater run-off causes nonpoint source pollution by adding a large amount of stormwater entering your neighborhood waterway and causing erosion. That stormwater also picks up contaminates on its way to the stream, and so causes additional pollution problems. What is a rain garden? Rather than a traditional raised garden bed, a rain garden is a sunken garden. A ponding area is created and layers of gravel, sand, and a soil/sand mix are added. Then native perennials are. The garden will collect stormwater to allow it to infiltrate rather than run off. Compared to a patch of lawn, a rain garden allows about 30% more rain water to filter into the ground. What are the benefits of a rain garden? Environmental – a rain garden reduces nonpoint source pollution by collecting stormwater, filtering it and allowing it to infiltrate or evaporate. Rain gardens provide food and cover for wildlife. Maintenance – rain gardens reduce lawn area that needs to be maintenanced. Rain gardens themselves are easy and inexpensive to maintain. A rain garden reduces flooding and drainage problems. The Venango Conservation District is partnering with the Oil Creek State Park to host an educational event for children. "Learning to Fish with Mom or Dad" will be held on Saturday June 20th at 9:30am at Two Mile Run County Park. Learn everything you need to know to start catching fish! All gear & bait will be provided, no licesnse needed. Dress for the weather. You may want to bring drinks, snacks, and bug spray. REGISTRATION REQUIRED, Call Oil Creek State Park at 814-676-5915 to register! Meet at the Boat Ramp.
See the OCSP post for more information https://www.facebook.com/events/656798317787199/ A grazing field day and tour will be held at the Wagner Therapeutic Riding Center, Venango Area Riding for the Handicapped Association (VARHA) facility near Polk, PA on Monday June 22, 2015. VARHA provides therapeutic horseback riding for children, adolescents, and adults with special needs.
The field day will focus on the details of an installed grazing system for horses that has allowed better pasture management. The program will run from 10:15am until 2:30pm and features sessions on forage selection and management, grazing management, fencing, watering facilities and manure and nutrient management. Scott Rushe, Agronomist with Seedway, will discuss forage management considerations. Becky Deeter, Venango Conservation District Agricultural Resource Technician will talk about various manure and nutrient management issues that horse owners should know about. Grazing management and how to create a grazing plan will be reviewed by the area NRCS Grazing Specialist. Lunch will be provided. A pasture walk, to allow a hands on review of the day’s topics will round out the day. For driving directions load VARHA, Wagner Equine Therapeutic Center, 150 Wagner Drive, Franklin PA 16323. For further information visit www.varhacenter.org. Submitted by M Muir. The Venango Conservation District is pleased to welcome Ashley Hazlett as our new Dirt Gravel and Low Volume Road Resource Technician. Ashley is a graduate of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania with a Master's degree in Park and Resource Management and a Bachelor's degree in Marketing with a minor in Management. Ashley has had experience with Natural Resource Education programming.
The Venango Conservation District is pleased to announce that a new Venango County Plat Book has been published and is available to purchase. A plat book is a reference guide to property ownership. The book includes color maps by municipality and includes tax map parcel information, parcel owner name and the number of acres owned. A landowner index for cross referencing is also included. The parcel maps are taken from 2014 County data.
The new Venango County Plat Book is available to purchase for $35 at the Venango Conservation District offices located at 1793 Cherrytree Road, Franklin PA 16323. For more information, call the Venango Conservation District at 814-676-2832 or stop by our offices. Spring will soon be upon us, and now is the time to make your planting plans. The Venango Conservation District is offering its annual tree seedling and groundcover sale through March 20th. Several species are available for conservation planting, landscaping, erosion control, or attracting wildlife. Wildflower seed mix is also offered. Trees available are: Norway Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, Fraser Fir, Douglas Fir, Eastern White Pine, Eastern Hemlock, Red Oak, White Oak, Sugar Maple, Button Bush and Red Chokeberry. Myrtle groundcover is also offered.
Click here for seedling descriptions and an order form. Order forms and seedling descriptions can also be obtained by visiting our office at 1793 Cherrytree Road, Franklin PA 16323, or by calling us at 814-676-2832. |
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