Huntingdon County Conservation District

Just because we can't provide any in-person environmental education programs, doesn't mean the learning stops! Last week, 53 students at the Juniata Valley School District used the District's Wildlife Discovery Kit to learn about Pennsylvania wildlife. This kit was donated to the District by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and includes pelts, skulls, track replicas, and more! Although the students have plenty of time to decide, perhaps we have some future wildlife biologists in this class! This kit is free to use by any Huntingdon County school. For more information, please contact the District office.

Round up at the GIANT Registers!

An opportunity from our friends at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center!! Today is the last day to sign up for their FREE after-school nature journal club for 3rd-5th graders! Nature journaling incorporates science, art, reading, writing and math. Nature Journal Club on Tuesday afternoons from 4:00-5:00 p.m, starting tomorrow, April 6. For more information and to register, visit: https://www.facebook.com/flx/warn/

Here’s a great idea for your next nature walk! How many of these native spring ephemerals can you find? They’ll be gone by summer, so enjoy them while they last! : , ! Photo Credit: Karen Smith, an administrator of the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society Facebook page and wildflower enthusiast. Photos taken in Blair, Huntingdon, and Franklin counties.

In case you didn't see Saturday's The Daily News, the HCCD is excited to announce that we received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to complete a 13.4-acre buffer project at the Huntingdon Community Center's Detwiler Nature Trail along Standing Stone Creek! The first part of this project is to remove invasive species from the area. Invasive removal work is scheduled to begin this month, so keep an eye out for large equipment in this area! Once the invasive species are under control, we will implement the second part of this project in 2021, which entails planting a variety of native trees and shrubs. This will improve wildlife habitat and stream quality, as well as restore a natural aesthetic to the landscape. Questions or concerns? Contact the HCCD office at (814) 627-1626.

From our friends at Penn State Extension: In the world of the spotted lanternfly, autumn cues egg-laying season, which leads homeowners perturbed by the pest to ponder, What should I do about egg masses? The answer, in short, is to scrape, smash and squash. But new research also suggests that several oil-based insecticides can be effective in destroying egg masses when applied in the weeks before egg hatch.... The more egg masses we destroy now, the fewer we will have to deal with next season, said Heather Leach, spotted lanternfly extension associate in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Citizens are critical partners in helping to slow the spread. She added that adult females can lay up to two egg masses, each containing 30 to 50 eggs. While the adults cannot withstand winter temperatures, their egg masses can. Come spring, these masses will unleash the next generation of the ravenous insect intruders, Leach said. Identifying egg masses can be tricky, even for citizens who are committed spotted lanternfly sleuths, because there can be a lot of variation in appearance. In general, egg masses are about 1.5 inches long and brown or grey in color. They contain rows of small eggs, roughly the size of a sharpened pencil point. Eggs within a mass are yellow or brown. Read the rest here: https://news.psu.edu//penn-state-experts-address-what-shou Amy Duke November 04, 2020 Image: Heather Leach

Thank you to our farmers, who are stewards of the land. Take a moment to learn about soil health from a York County farmer. Farmers use no-till practices help soils to remain productive and stay on the field, instead of running off into the streams. Water that is absorbed into the field will benefit the crops, while water that runs off will take soil with it and cause pollution.

Have you seen the series of farm hacks that our friends at Penn State Extension Dairy Team are sharing? Follow them to see more!

In Fall 2018, the HCCD partnered with Huntingdon County Business and Industry, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Friendship Farms to complete a 10-acre riparian buffer project at the Riverview Business Center in Mount Union, PA. Two years later and we are beginning to see the results! More than 1,800 trees and shrubs were planted and many are starting to grow out of their protective shelters! In a few more years these trees will be several inches in diame...ter and 10-15 feet tall. This buffer was planted along an unnamed tributary to the Juniata River and to intercept runoff from surrounding agricultural fields. The buffer will serve to improve water quality without impeding agricultural production. To learn more about riparian buffer opportunities in Huntingdon County, please contact the HCCD office at (814) 627-1626.