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INSIDE THIS ISSUE… Fulton County Conservation District: Who We Are - - - - - - - - - 2
Meadow Grounds Lake, Continued - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3
2013 Fulton County Envirothon - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4
Hidden Valley Farm Conservation Enhancement Project - - - - 5-7
County Recycling Program - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 8
Creating a Vision for the Future of Fulton County - - - - - - - - - - 9
Local Environmental Action Group Forms - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9
If you want one year of prosperity, plant corn.
If you want ten years of prosperity, plant trees.
If you want one hundred years of prosperity...
educate people.
Chinese Proverb
Meadow Grounds Lake Group Forms
and Teams with Conservation District
Scott Alexander, Watershed Specialist
Most Fulton County citizens were dismayed this spring
as the PA Fish and Boat Commission and PA Department
of Environmental Protection announced that Meadow
Grounds Lake would be drained indefinitely due to un-
safe conditions at the Lake’s dam and spillway. Seepage
at the west side of the dam and a spillway that was under-
sized by current standards were said to present risks that
required the immediate draining of the Lake, and pro-
posed solutions were estimated to cost between 2 and 4
million dollars.
The Fulton County Commissioners sought a second opin-
ion from a reputable engineering firm, whose assessment
painted a much less grim, and much less expensive, pic-
ture. Unfortunately, local officials were informed of the
State’s plan at the same time as the general public, so
there was little hope of finding alternative solutions. A
(Continued on Page 3)
Spring/Summer 2013
A view of the now drained Meadow Grounds Lake from the
breast of the dam. Photo courtesy of Coy Hill.
fultoncountyconservationdistrict.org
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Who We Are
The Fulton County Conservation District is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and was organized under Act 217
(Conservation District Law) of the Pennsylvania Law. Under this law, County Commissioners could declare their county a Conservation
District by a simple majority vote. As a result, the Board of County Commissioners dedicated Fulton County a Conservation District on
December 8, 1945 and a Board of Directors was formed. We are guided by our directors - local citizen volunteers who are aware of local
issues and concerns. Directors are nominated by local organizations and appointed by the County Board of Commissioners for four year
terms. District staff and programs are funded through a variety of State, County and Federal sources.
Our purpose is to promote wise use and management of soil, water, air, plants, wildlife and other natural resources through four program
areas - watershed conservation, agricultural conservation assistance, erosion and sediment control and environmental education.
What We Offer
The role of the Conservation District has evolved in recent years. Having traditionally assisted agricultural producers and other landowners
in protecting soil and reducing erosion, the district also works closely with non-agricultural landowners, developers and local government
officials to protect our natural resources.
The Conservation District protects water resources by providing technical and financial assistance with conservation planning and
permitting requirements. In addition to implementing state-delegated programs, the District leads local voluntary efforts to improve water
quality and restore watersheds through education, grants, cost-share programs and other innovative approaches.
The District believes that education is key to effective pollution prevention efforts. Our programs target a wide range of audiences
including farmers, landowners, local officials, watershed associations, conservation organizations, civic groups, churches, schools, teachers
and youth.
Our Mission
The Fulton County Conservation District is dedicated to helping our residents conserve, protect and restore the natural resources of Fulton
County, promoting the sustainable use of those resources through education as well as technical and financial assistance.
2013 District Board Meeting Schedule
January 10
February 14
March 14
April 11
May 9
June 13
July 11
August 8
September 12
October 10
November 14
December 12
All District Board Meetings are held on the 2nd
Thursday of each month. Meetings start at 10:30
AM and are held in the District Conference Room.
Board of Directors
Directors: Associate Directors:
Neill Miller, Chairman James Schall
Mark Knepper, Vice-Chairman Gary Shives
Irvin Dasher, Commissioner Lonnie Palmer
Bob Swadley, Treasurer Boyd Cromer
Wayne MacDonald Gene Mellott
Russell McLucas Edwin Layton
Jake Richards Richard Mosemann
Jason Shives Brad Palmer
Carri Younker Christian Hann
Conservation District Staff
Phone: 717-485-3547, extension 4 Fax: 717-485-4423
Seleen Shives, ext. 121 District Manager
Denise Grissinger, ext. 116 Administrative Assistant
Scott Alexander, ext. 118 Watershed Specialist
Greg Reineke, ext. 120 Environmental Education Specialist
Eric Cromer, ext. 117 Agricultural Specialist
Andy Stottlemyer, ext. 122 Erosion & Sediment Control Technician,
Franklin County Conservation District
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(Continued from Page 1)
vocal crowd of concerned citizens greeted state offi-
cials at a public meeting in McConnellsburg, and ef-
forts continued behind the scenes for weeks after-
ward, but the draining of the lake went ahead as first
announced. The PA Fish and Boat Commission and
the PA Department of Environmental Protection de-
cided that the potential public safety concerns needed
to be the highest priority, and only a full draining of
the Lake would remove that risk.
The Lake has been a staple in the lives of many for
more than 50 years. Whether used as a place to fish,
hike, hunt, walk the dog, or just to visit on a Sunday
drive, the peaceful nature, unspoiled shoreline and
wilderness character of Meadow Grounds Lake has
been of great value to many inside and outside of Ful-
ton County.
Encouraged by the successful model of a community
group which had worked through a similar dam and
spillway repair at Opossum Lake in Cumberland
County, several local citizens began to plan for the
creation of a Friends of Meadow Grounds Lake com-
munity action group.
Early conversations focused on how to best engage
legislators and decision makers and what type of lo-
cal group should be created. A website
(meadowgroundsfriends.org) and a Friends of Mead-
ow Grounds Lake Facebook group were quickly de-
veloped. Planning to file for incorporation and then
pursue charitable non-profit status, the group has cre-
ated a preliminary board of directors and bylaws and
held their first public meeting at the Fulton County
Library on June 24th.
The primary goals of the Friends of the Meadow
Grounds Lake group are “to work tirelessly, honestly,
and proudly toward the repair of the dam at Meadow
Grounds Lake and toward the restoration of the lake
to its former pristine and non-commercial glory”.
They plan to do this by engaging local citizens in
large numbers, which will pressure legislators and
state agencies to continue the process of assessing,
designing, funding and implementing the needed re-
pairs.
Fundraising will also be a part of the group’s activi-
ties. Local monies are likely to be a small portion of
the funds needed for dam and spillway repairs, but
fultoncountyconservationdistrict.org
Check out the Fulton County Conservation District’s
website! You can learn more about who we are and
the programs and services we offer, you can view our
upcoming events and find out how to get in touch with
us.
The Conservation District is also on Facebook - “Like”
us to receive the latest updates from the field and infor-
mation on upcoming events sponsored by the District.
the group will look to utilize funds collected locally
in a way that will most effectively encourage the pro-
ject to move forward.
Anticipating that becoming a charitable non-profit
will take 6 months or more, the Friends of Meadow
Grounds Lake will be partnering with the Fulton
County Conservation District to raise and safeguard
funds toward the Lake project. The Conservation
District, able to accept tax deductible contributions
toward the mission of the District, will be able to ear-
mark donated funds in an interest bearing account,
that will be used toward the design, restoration, or
enhancement of the Meadow Grounds Lake. The
monies collected will be spent only with both the ap-
proval of the Fulton County Conservation District
and Friends of Meadow Grounds Lake boards of di-
rectors. It is anticipated the partnership will be for-
malized and monies may be accepted toward the end
of July 2013.
Pictures of the devastating effect of draining Meadow
Grounds Lake have been seen online and through lo-
cal news outlets. Even when refilled, it will be many
years before the quality and size of the fish popula-
tion is restored. While the draining of the Lake has
been discouraging and disheartening, the Fulton
County Conservation District and the Friends of the
Meadow Grounds Lake encourages all concerned cit-
izens to get involved with the Friends of Meadow
Grounds Lake group and contact PA State Repre-
sentative Dick Hess and Senator John Eichelberger,
requesting updates and encouraging further action,
such as the development of dedicated funding to
maintain and repair Fish Commission lakes across the
State. With at least 12 other lakes around Pennsylva-
nia in a similar circumstance, it will be important to
maintain a vocal presence with our legislators in or-
der to “stay on the radar”.
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Southern Fulton High School
“Weasels” Team Takes 1st Place
in Local 2013 Envirothon
Greg Reineke, Environmental Education Specialist
While the day was cool and dreary, teams from sever-
al local schools braved the elements to compete in the
2013 Franklin-Fulton County Envirothon competition
held on April 30th at Cowan’s Gap State Park.
This year, a team from Southern Fulton High School
took first place in the local competition. The South-
ern Fulton High School “Weasels” team led the field.
In second place was the ”Green Machine” team from
McConnellsburg High School. Following up in third
place was McConnellsburg High School’s team, “The
Mighty Oaks.”
The SFHS “Weasels” team was comprised of Sean
Bright, Austin Mellott, Dristin Mellott, Jacob Pryor
and Connor Litton. Teacher Joe Hollenshead is the
academic advisor for the SFHS teams, along with
Junior High teacher Van Duncan.
Each member of the first place team was presented a
Visa gift card, donated by F&M Trust, a first place
medallion, a certificate of achievement and a Fulton
County Envirothon t-shirt. Environmental Education
funds, raised by the Fulton County Conservation Dis-
trict through our annual Tree Sale, help pay the
team’s way to the PA State Envirothon competition.
Winning the local competition allows the team to rep-
resent Fulton County at the State Envirothon compe-
tition.
Second place at the Fulton County Envirothon was
taken by the “Green Machine” from McConnellsburg
High School. Team members were Andrew Smith,
Jesse Swope, Brandi Welsh, Tristin Deneen and Da-
vid Welsh, Jr. Teachers Craig Elbin and Dot Doyle
are the academic advisors for the MHS teams.
The third place team, “Mighty Oaks,” from
McConnellsburg High School, consisted of Ashton
Doyle, Larkin Shearer, Grace Youngblood, Sara Beth
Winegardner and Brittany Grace.
This year, the 30th Annual Pennsylvania State Envi-
rothon was held May 21-22 at Juniata College in
Huntingdon. The SFHS team placed 26th and com-
peted against Envirothon teams from 61 counties.
The winning PA team from York County will ad-
vance to the North American Envirothon, the interna-
tional competition to be held in Montana this year.
Left to right: F&M Bank Representative, Mary Truax, Sean
Bright, Austin Mellott, Dristin Mellott, Jacob Pryor, Connor
Litton and academic advisor, Joe Hollenshead.
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Hidden Valley Farm Conservation Enhancement Project Underway
Eric Cromer, Ag Specialist
Hidden Valley Farm, located along Cove Creek south of McConnellsburg in Ayr Township, is a 130-acre farm
owned and operated by Curtis and Lori Glazier. The farm consists of nearly 80 acres of crops and 35 acres of
pasture. The Glazier’s raise dairy steers and horses and like every livestock operation, there are “brown lots”
or areas where animals congregate that have little to no vegetation growing on them. Some may choose to
simply ignore these problem areas, but the Glazier’s have chosen to minimize the impact that their operation is
having on Cove Creek and the underlying groundwater.
Every year, the Fulton County Conservation District (District) submits grant requests to the PA Department of
Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Chesapeake Bay Special Projects Program (CBP-SP). This program pro-
vides funding to implement conservation practices to protect not only the Chesapeake Bay, but our own local
waterways. The Glazier’s first worked with the District to develop a Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) for
their operation. This plan included a list of conservation practices to be installed to minimize the impacts of
manure to surface and groundwater resources.
Once their NMP was completed, the Glazier’s decided to take the next step to implement some of the conser-
vation practices recommended in their plan. During the winter and early spring months, the horses were con-
fined to several sacrifice lots. Curtis and Lori noticed that these areas became extremely muddy and very hard
to work with. Slate was added in some areas to try to alleviate the problem to no avail. The District ap-
proached the Glazier’s about installing a stabilized, Heavy Use Area (HUA), which they agreed to. The HUA
will allow the Glazier’s to keep their horses on a stabilized, confined area during inclement weather and then
open up the gates and allow their horses to pasture when weather permits.
Working with the District through CBP-SP cost-share, Hidden Valley Farm will install over 15,000 square feet
of HUA protection, roof gutters, a new watering trough and will re-establish several acres of pasture that had
previously served as sacrifice lots for their livestock during the wet months of the year.
A brown lot is
an area around
the barn or in a
pasture that gets
a lot of animal
traffic, causing
areas of bare
ground. It is
necessary to
manage these
areas to keep
manure and soil
from flowing
into nearby
streams and
waterways.
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Excavation of the
stabilized Heavy
Use Area within
the existing brown
lot begins.
New fencing is
installed to create
paddocks. The
fencing will limit
the horses access
to pasture and
confine them to the
stabilized Heavy
Use Area during
wet periods of the
year. Geotextile is
put down before
clean stone is ap-
plied.
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Clean stone is
brought to final
grade and all are-
as surrounding the
new Heavy Use
Area are stabi-
lized.
GOT BROWN? If you have livestock, it is likely that you have a brown lot on your operation. Brown lots are referred to as Animal
Concentration Areas (ACAs) or Animal Heavy Use Areas (AHUAs). The following are considered ACAs or
AHUAs:
Barnyards
Feedlots
Loafing areas
Exercise lots
Other areas where grass will not grow
All ACAs or AHUAs must be addressed in your Manure Management Plan and Agricultural Erosion & Sediment
Control Plan. State regulations require you to:
Divert clean water away from the ACA/AHUA;
Collect or treat dirty water flowing from the ACA/AHUA;
Minimize the size of the ACA/AHUA;
Move feeding and watering areas away from streams;
Limit animal access to streams;
Routinely remove manure where it has accumulated.
To make sure the management of an existing ACA or AHUA on your operation is meeting the current regulatory
requirements, please contact Eric at 717-485-3547.
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Recycle Your Rechargeable Batteries
Greg Reineke, Recycling Coordinator
Has your cordless power tool battery gone bad, cell
phone battery died, cordless phone battery gone bel-
ly-up or your battery back-up system is no longer
holding a charge? The Fulton County Conservation
District is now your outlet for recycling rechargea-
ble batteries. M&M Electronics was accepting such
batteries, but they are no longer in business in Ful-
ton County. The Conservation District, in conjunc-
tion with the rechargeable battery recycling pro-
gram, Call2Recycle, is now your Fulton County
drop-off site for unwanted rechargeable batteries.
Please drop-off batteries during normal business
hours (8:00 AM—4:00 PM, Monday through Fri-
day) at the Conservation District Office. If you
have lead acid batteries, they can be dropped off at
any of the electronics collection sheds, or can be
recycled at R&D Recycling, located at 27438 Great
Cove Road, north of McConnellsburg. Please, no
regular household batteries will be accepted, only
rechargeable batteries!
If you have questions, please contact Greg at 717-
485-3547.
Hold Onto Your TV’s!
Greg Reineke, Recycling Coordinator
If you have a television to recycle, please hold onto it
for a few months. One of our electronics collection
sheds is literally spilling out into the parking lot. Our
electronics trailer is full, it has been for a month and
we are on a waiting list for an empty one.
So until the present backlog has a chance to work it-
self out, please hold onto those televisions for a while
longer. I am hoping that we will get an empty trailer
soon, but even if we do, the quantity of televisions that
keep coming in is overwhelming the state-wide elec-
tronics recycling program. There are apparently hun-
dreds of thousands of TV’s and they are extremely
difficult to recycle.
As you hopefully know, a law was passed making it
illegal to dispose of televisions, computers and com-
puter peripheral equipment in the garbage. Of course,
it has always been illegal to pitch it along the road, but
that is another issue. Fulton County, before the law
even went into effect, developed a program whereby
residents could take electronics to one of four “sheds”
that are near the current single stream recycling drop
boxes. The electronics were then collected, separated,
boxed or palletized and placed on a trailer. When the
trailer was full, it was picked up by a recycling compa-
ny and was switched out with an empty one.
That worked well enough, until the law actually went
into effect this past January. The amount of electron-
ics that have been pouring in has been nothing short of
mind-boggling. While we have quite a bit being col-
lected in Fulton County, there are counties in the state
that see more material in one week than we have in the
past year! The companies that wind up dealing with
all those electronics are completely overwhelmed and
every one of them has a huge backlog of material that,
at present, they cannot get rid of. Why should you
care? If they cannot deal with what they have, then
they cannot deal with what we collect!
Therefore, until the end of the summer, please do
not bring in any televisions to recycle. Just hold on-
to them for a while and hopefully things will smooth
out and we can start taking them again later in the
year. From the looks of many of the TV’s that come
in, many of you have had them around for many
years, so I am hoping a few months will not be an
imposition!
If you absolutely cannot handle having the TV
around, check with electronics stores such as Best
Buy, etc. and see if they will recycle your television.
Some stores will, but they have restrictions on size
and type. Call first!
COUNTY RECYCLING
PROGRAM
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Creating a Vision for the Future
of Fulton County
Seleen Shives, District Manager
In July, Conservation District Directors and Staff
will participate in the first of two, day-long ses-
sions to develop a Strategic Plan for the Conser-
vation District. Strategic planning is the system-
atic process of envisioning a desired future and
translating this vision into broadly defined goals
or objectives and a sequence of steps to achieve
them.
Over the past several years, the Conservation
District has been in “survival mode” due to a
number of factors beyond our control: county
and state budget cuts, program changes, addi-
tional workload, etc. The Directors and Staff
feel that it is time to regroup and refocus our ef-
forts with the resources that are available to us.
Ultimately, the Conservation District serves the
citizens of Fulton County. We want to make a
significant impact in our community. We wish
to create a better future for the individuals we
serve and the community we affect. The Dis-
trict’s Strategic Plan will serve as our “north
star” for the vision that we hope to create.
Local Environmental Action Group
Forms to Raise Awareness
Greg Reineke, Environmental Education Specialist
Are you interested in local environmental concerns?
Do you feel that there are pressing conservation needs
or concerns that are not being addressed in Fulton
County? Would you like to discuss larger, global envi-
ronmental issues and how they relate to Fulton County?
Do you have an interest in helping develop workshops,
tours, and other outreach for county residents to look
more closely at local environmental concerns and im-
proving life here in Fulton County?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then
please consider becoming a part of the Environmental
Action Group. This is a group of local citizens that is
meeting to address the aforementioned questions.
While the Fulton County Library and the Fulton County
Conservation District are supporting and assisting in
this endeavor, the group is primarily made up of inter-
ested citizens that have come together in their shared
concern for the welfare of Fulton County and its envi-
ronment. We want to welcome you and your contribu-
tions to this group.
At this time, the group has proposed to develop and pro-
vide a series of workshops over the coming year. The
Conservation District submitted an Environmental Edu-
cation grant request to the PA Department of Environ-
mental Protection and was awarded a mini-grant to help
facilitate the workshop series. We hope to start the pub-
lic education programs this September.
The Environmental Action Group desires to look at how
environmental and conservation issues can impact our
life here in Fulton County. We want to discuss what
steps can be taken - as individuals, as households, as
businesses and as a community at large - to successfully
guide us in addressing these issues. The group looks
forward to your active participation and suggestions for
discussion points.
To find out how you can participate in this group, please
go to the Fulton County Conservation District website,
www.fultoncountyconservationdistrict.org or “Like”
our Facebook page, or call the District at 717-485-3547.
Your voice and input is important!
2013 TREE SALE
The Board of Directors and Staff
would like to thank all those who supported
the District’s Environmental Education
Program by purchasing trees this year.
We hope you enjoy them!
Stay tuned to the 2013 Fall/Winter Newsletter
for details on next year’s Tree Sale!
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PLEASE HELP US UPDATE OUR MAILING LIST:
Contact us by e-mail, or clip and send this card to:
Fulton County Conservation District
216 North 2nd Street, Suite 15
McConnellsburg, PA 17233
e-mail: [email protected]
Name __________________________________________
Address ________________________________________
City ___________________________________________
State ______________ Zip Code ____________________ Check One: ______ I’m receiving duplicate copies. ______ Please add my name to your list.
______ Change of address.
______ Please remove my name from your list.
2013 Holiday Schedule:
The District Office will be closed in observance of the
following holidays:
January 1, 2013 New Year’s Day
January 21, 2013 Martin Luther King Day
February 18, 2013 Presidents Day
March 29, 2013 Good Friday
May 27, 2013 Memorial Day
July 4, 2013 Independence Day
September 2, 2013 Labor Day
November 11, 2013 Veterans Day
November 28 & 29 2013 Thanksgiving
December 2, 2013
December 24 & 25, 2013 Christmas
216 North 2nd Street, Suite 15
McConnellsburg, PA 17233
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Mailing
Address
Goes
Here
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