RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Matthew Long, Lycoming County Conservation District manager provides an update of accomplishments at a District legislative breakfast on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport.

Pennsylvania state representatives discuss need for conservation funding at Lycoming County Conservation District legislative breakfast

By JON GERARDI

jgerardi@sungazette.com

It didn’t matter who was speaking to those in attendance Thursday morning at the Genetti Hotel as part of the Lycoming County Conservation District legislative breakfast. The message was the same from every speaker: more funding is required for conservationism in the area.

It was a topic and issue that was important to all who spoke, and a need that should be addressed by lawmakers.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, R-Kreamer speaks of federal legislation at the Lycoming County Conservation District legislative breakfast on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport.

“We have to find a way to educate the public so that the public will push elected officials to do what they need to do on the funding side,” Lycoming County Commissioner Rick Mirabito said. “We have great representatives here at the state and local level and around the state and in our own communities. We need to get the public engaged in what the conservation district does because it affects their lives in a way they don’t realize.”

Mirabito was one of a handful of individuals who spoke Thursday at the legislative breakfast agenda. Others who spoke included U.S. Rep. Fred Keller, R-Kreamer; state Rep. Jeff Wheeland, R-Loyalsock; state Rep. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township; Elizabeth Vollman, constituent specialist for state Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Loyalsock; and Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts executive director Brenda Shambaugh.

Keller noted how some Title II programs work with wetland programs, land retirement programs, easement programs and partnerships for grants.

“We’re just looking at how we can make sure our conservation districts have the resources that Matt (Long) lined out of what’s happening here in Lycoming County,” Keller said. “Right now in D.C., the budget is a big issue and we want to make sure when we’re looking at how we’re spending your money, it’s going to programs that benefit us in the future. Our team is working to make sure when the authorization comes up next year, your input is in that.”

Long is the district manager for the Lycoming County Conservation District and provided a brief presentation to start the breakfast.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent State Rep. Jeff Wheeland, R-Loyalsock speaks of state legislation at the Lycoming County Conservation District legislative breakfast on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport.

That presentation included a five-year recap of accomplishments from the conservation district. The district received just over $2 million for dirt and gravel projects, which funded 36 and improved 22.3 miles of roads. It also received $663,049.45 in funding from grants for low volume roads, funding 16 projects which improved 4.41 miles of roads.

The conservation district received $783,177 in funds toward Growing Greener grants for six projects and had five conservation plans written. The presentation noted that there are more than 100 Agriculture Erosion and Sedimentation plans which would cover 5,800 acres.

The Growing Greener project is something Wheeland spoke on.

“Growing Greener 3 is still being negotiated, but it’s looking good. I think there’s going to be a lot of bipartisian support in Harrisburg for that. … That’s kind of exciting because it was first introduced in 1999. The funding went up, trickled off, then it was going up and trickled down,” Wheeland said. “I certainly supported Growing Greener when I was a county commissioner. It did a lot of good things here in Lycoming County, but we need a lot of dedicated funding for that going into the future.”

Wheeland also mentioned that a hot topic is stream stabilization, something he aw when he and other representatives went to Tioga County over the fall to see damage with state Rep. Clint Owlett, R-Liberty.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Elizabeth Vollman speaks for Senator Gene Yaw at the Lycoming County Conservation District legislative breakfast on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport.

“They’re still suffering the consequences of that. A lot of work is being discussed and Rep. Owlett has pieces of legislation,” Wheeland said. “The most frustrating thing for municipalities is who do you go to? Is it just DEP? There’s total confusion on who is in charge of certain streams.”

That issue of who is in charge of streams is something Hamm is looking to address with the introduction of HB 2407, which would clarify that the PA Fish and Boat Commission has no authority for permitting or enforcement related to stream clearing or maintenance activities. That authority would belong solely to DEP and the county conservation districts as appropriate.

“I was a local township supervisor not too long ago, and it was the conservation district who was really instrumental in helping us with a stream project. The conservation district does a lot of great work right here in our community,” Hamm said.

Hamm listed numerous other bills which are part of the Stream Maintenance Package. That package is co-sponsored by Hamm, Owlett and six other state representatives. The bills in the package include:

• HB 2404 would allow for local government organizations to apply for a permit for continuing maintenance for a period of at least 10 years for the streams within their jurisdiction. The permit will grant an affirmative duty too the local government entity to properly maintain the streams and will not require the local government to get pre-approval for maintenance projects;

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent State Rep. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township speaks of state legislation at the Lycoming County Conservation District legislative breakfast on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport.

• HB 2405 will create a program that allows counties to opt-in to address hazards within their streams by allowing for emergency maintenance permits in consultation with their county conservation district;

• HB 2406 will create a permit specific to smaller maintenance projects for the mitigation of flood-related hazards of less than 250 linear feet. It shall be reviewed and issued by the local county conservation district;

• HB 2408 will declare that no permit or authorization shall be required for maintenance activities conducted on a culvert;

• HB 2410 will state that no permit shall be required for stream maintenance activities conducted 50 feet or less upstream or downstream of a bridge or culvert;

• HB 2411 will require DEP to issue an annual report to the General Assembly regarding flooding and stream maintenance and restoration.

“We understand we have a problem here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and we’re putting bills forward to wrok on that. In the budget, I think we have to better prioritize our dollars. In 1997, it was $16 billion. Today, 25 years later, it’s $41 billion. So $25 billion in 25 years, we can’t sustain that kind of spending in Pennsylvania,” Hamm said. “We can’t ask hardworking Pennsylvanians to dig into their pockets. We have to better prioritize our dollars. Dollars that go into our conservation district? That’s important.”

Another bill which is being introduced which is intended to help regarding conservationism is from Yaw’s office. That is SB832, which is a clean streams fund for Pennsylvania; SB284 for the bonding of solar installations; and SB251 for a fertilizer bill.

“The fertilizer bill is the first comprehensive update to a fertilizer bill in 25 years regarding water quality for application of turf fertilizer,” Vollman said, noting in addition that it does not affect farmers.

Yaw’s office is also in the process of a clean stream maintenance bill, but that legislation has not yet been introduced according to Vollman.

“Senate Bill 832 establishes a clean stream fund for Pennsylvania,” Vollman said. “Pennsylvania has thousands of miles of rivers and streams, but a third of those are currently impaired. It would provide funding for mine issues, management practices and storm water practices.”

SB832 notes that of the known sources of impairment, 75% are attributed to either agriculture, abandoned main drainage or developed areas. They are known as “non-point” sources and diffuse across the landscape, often on private land, and are not regulated like an end-of-pope or “point” source such as a wastewater treatment plant would, according to the bill.

The bill would look to treat sewage and industrial discharges, non-point sources through green infrastructure known as best management practices, which include stream buffers, cover crops and no-till, managed livestock stream access, barnyard improvements and manure storage, street trees and rain gardens, stream restoration and AMD passive treatment pools.

“This is one of Senator Yaw’s passionate areas. He loves talking about conservation and storm water maintenance,” Vollman said. “He’s working on pieces of legislation.”

Shambaugh, who’s the executive director of the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, stressed the importance of funding to help keep the organization functioning. According to Shambaugh, PACD is asking for $1.78 million in funding.

“You’ve heard all of the wonderful things that Lycoming County Conservation has done the last handful of years, but there’s 65 other districts across the commonwealth and they have phenomenal accomplishments in their local counties,” Shambaugh said. “Funding in state appropriation has not been increased since the 2004-05 fiscal year. That means they’re taking on more and more programs for less and less money because the inflationary costs have decreased their net income.”

According to Shambaugh, a recent study showed that over the last two years, conservation districts have lost 25% of their staff.

“That’s a huge flare-up for conservation districts,” she said. “Twenty percent is a lot of folks to lose in a short period of time.”

The conservation district’s five-year recap presentation touched on the CleanWater Action Plan, which the district partnered with Lycoming Planning and Development on the county’s CAP plan. Lycoming County Planning received $100,000 for a coordinator position in the past two years, handles the reporting and grant writing for the CAP and received $336,391 for three stream restoration projects to be implemented in 2022. The Lycoming Conservation District helps to identify the potential CAP projects, works directly with landowners and does BMP verification, which it received $30,000 for.

There is also vector management for mosquitos and ticks, which the district received grant funds of $255,695 for.

The district has 122 education programs, which reach more than 12,250 people and five emergency watershed protection sites with a value of $346,212. Of the 20 stream projects the district has, they have a value of nearly $400,000. Lycoming County Conservation District also reviewed and issued 112 permits regarding erosion and sediment control and inspected 220 sites, reviewed 130 small projects.

Other district-involved programs include the Keystone 10 Million Trees, which has planted more than 1,600 trees in 2021 to create and enhance eight acres of buffers. In addition, more than 3,600 trees have been planned for this year.

There is also the Nature Learning Trail, a one-mile trail with conservation signage throughout open to the public year round.