Looking back on 2021 successes!
2021 was a year of incredible, steady progress and collaboration for the Lancaster Clean Water Partners! With collaboration from our partner organizations and stakeholders, we continued to accelerate implementation of best management practices, identify and secure sustainable funding sources, mobilize the rapid stream delisting strategy, expand capacity, and educate existing and new partner organizations. 2021 was a full year and we expect that and more in 2022. We’re excited for all the possibilities 2022 will bring as we forge ahead with a bias towards action to achieve clean and clear water by 2040!
Read more to learn about specific accomplishments in 2021.
Photo by Michelle Johnsen courtesy of Lancaster Conservancy
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At the intersection of farmland preservation and clean water
As a “southern end” boy in Lancaster County, Jeff Swinehart spent his childhood playing in the Tucquan Glen creek and would often ride his bike after school to go fishing. He spent A LOT of time on farms, because, as he explains, there wasn’t much to do in the 80s and 90s in the southern end but to be on farms! He was fortunate to experience how agricultural best management practices can impact the rate and volume of stormwater early on in his life. It led his life’s work, which lies at the intersection of farmland preservation, agricultural best practices, and water quality.
Read more about Jeff Swinehart, president and CEO of Lancaster Farmland Trust AND chair of the Partners’ Steering Committee.
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Embolden Lancaster communities!
Join the Lancaster County Community Foundation (digitally!) on March 3 at 3 p.m. to learn about opportunities you can take to embolden Lancaster’s communities and environment, and create lasting positive change in your neighborhood. All grant opportunities from the Community Foundation, including the Lancaster Clean Water Fund, will open on March 3.
In the 2022 grant round of the Clean Water Fund opening on March 3, only the Community Conservation and Implementation Small Grant are open.
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Financial and Development Director position open
We're hiring! The Partners is looking for a talented team-player to lead and manage the financial strategy and unique, collaborative financing approaches needed for the countywide clean water effort. If you or someone you know enjoys working on a small, enthusiastic team, and collaborating with countless countywide partners, this position is a great opportunity!
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Action Team takes on water quality monitoring
Because of incredible successes and the need to evolve, the Data Management Action Team has narrowed its focus to water quality monitoring in 2022. To communicate this change, the team is now named the Water Quality Monitoring Action Team and will create training tools, coordinate QA/QC standards, monitor streams, conduct habitat assessments in delisting catchments, and more.
Photo by Will Parson, Chesapeake Bay Program
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Removing sediment to restore wetlands clears revenue paths
Dive into the public and private value of wetland, legacy sediment, stream restoration and floodplain reconnection! This article features Eric Scott, Senior Vice President of Real Estate Operations for Oak Tree Development Group, AND recently named Co-Chair of the Partners’ Steering Committee.
Photo by Sam Feibel/Franklin & Marshall College.
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Applications due April 6, 2022
DCNR’s Community Conservation Partnership Program (C2P2) grant can fund various projects related to riparian forest buffers, waterway conservation, statewide and regional partnerships, recreation and conservation planning, land acquisition and conservation, trails, and park rehabilitation and development.
Watershed Improvement Grants, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Applications due April 15, 2022
Grants are available from the PFBC to address habitat improvement and sediment reduction projects in York and Lancaster counties. To be eligible, projects must be in York or Lancaster counties and be a habitat improvement or a sediment reduction project. This round of projects is expected to be announced in July.
Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3), Chesapeake Bay Trust
Applications due March 3, 2022
Local governments such as municipalities, non-profit organizations, neighborhood/community associations, and other nonprofit entities can apply for funding to support design projects, financing strategies, and/or implementation of green street and community greening projects. Eligible award amounts are up to $15,000 for conceptual plans, up to $30,000 for engineered designs, up to $150,000 for implementation projects, up to $50,000 for community greening projects, up to $20,000 for white papers.
Small Watershed Grants, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Applications due April 21, 2022
Small Watershed Implementation (SWG-I) Grants of $75,000-$500,000 will be awarded for projects that result in direct, on-the-ground actions to protect and restore water quality, species, and habitats in the Bay watershed. Small Watershed Planning and Technical Assistance (SWG-PTA) Grants up to $75,000 will be awarded for projects that enhance local capacity to implement future on-the-ground actions through community-based assessment, planning, design, and other technical assistance-oriented activities.
Most Effective Basins Grants, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Applications due April 28, 2022
Grants of up to $1,000,000 are available for projects that accelerate implementation of cost-effective agricultural best management practices in selected basins of the Chesapeake Bay watershed of Pennsylvania. Technical assistance costs associated with conservation planning, the design and engineering of eligible practices, and oversight and management of practice implementation are eligible costs under the program (max. Of 10% of grant request).
Huplits Wildlife Grant, Allegheny Group Sierra Club
Applications due May 1, 2022
Proposals are sought to help protect animal wildlife and wildlife habitat in Pennsylvania. Preference will be given to proposals that work in partnership with Sierra Club and are aligned with the goals of local PA Sierra Club Groups and require a support letter from the local group. If interested in applying, please contact Joni Hauck, Treasurer of Sierra Club - Lancaster Group, at sierraclubevent@gmail.com before applying.
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NEWS, RESOURCES, & OPPORTUNITIES
Full-time and part-time positions open, Lancaster Farmland Trust
Lancaster Farmland Trust currently has two full-time and one part-time job opportunities open. All positions are a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the agriculture industry in Lancaster County and across Pennsylvania. Open job positions include Conservation Easement Monitoring Assistant, Conservation Program Specialist, and Land Protection Assistant.
2022 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report, PA Department of Environmental Protection
Comments due March 1, 2022
DEP has released for public comment the draft Pennsylvania 2022 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report, the biennial update on the health of streams and lakes statewide. DEP welcomes comments on the report and the deadline for comments is March 1, 2022. Comments can be made online through the DEP eComment system, may be emailed to ecomment@pa.gov, or can be mailed to the DEP Policy Office, Rachel Carson State Office Building, P.O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105. All comments must include the commenter’s name and address. Read the full press release here.
Watershed Assistant position open, Lancaster County Conservation District
Application due March 5, 2022
The Lancaster County Conservation District is seeking a Watershed Assistant to provide assistance with technical, informational and organizational assistance that will improve watershed organization development and the quality and quantity of the Commonwealth’s surface and groundwater resources.
Call for applications for Civic Engagement Fellow, Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment
Applications due March 7, 2022 at 5 p.m.
The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment is excited to continue its Chesapeake Fellowship Program with a call for applications to fill the position of Fellow, Civic Engagement. Based in Annapolis, MD, the Fellow will actively engage with partners to help manage and shape the Civic Engagement grants portfolio to advance the Foundation’s mission of restoring the Chesapeake Bay’s water quality and the communities that rely on it.
Conference Exhibitor opportunity, Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators
Registration due March 7, 2022
The Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators invites for-profit and nonprofit organizations to exhibit at its Annual Conference. Presentations will incorporate experiences and activities from community events, school programs, advocacy work, and staff trainings.
Telling Youth Climate Stories, Interfaith Partners of the Chesapeake
March 13, 1-3 p.m.
Join Lancaster One Water Partnership to learn about youth climate storytelling. Dr Bethany Wiggin will present on her research project My Climate Story, followed by facilitated discussion in small groups. Join us in-person at Grandview Church, host your own watch party, or stream via Zoom.
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The Lancaster Clean Water Partners is a countywide, collaborative partnership of diverse partner organizations that come together with a shared vision of clean and clear Lancaster waterways by 2040.
Learn more at www.lancastercleanwaterpartners.com.
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