+ Diaries Of The Diabolical

Have you noticed a ping pong ball or rubber duck floating along a stream in one of Allegheny County's parks recently? No need to worry. The items likely are not trash, but part of a three-year stream assessment by Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward volunteers.  These objects can help calculate the streamflow and provide useful data about the health of a stream. Three Master Watershed Stewards from Allegheny County — Laurie Maglietta, Stephanie Rakowski, and Lauren Terpak — are team leaders for the stream assessment in the county’s nine regional parks. "They've demonstrated remarkable professionalism, leadership, and dedication in their work on this extended project," said Mary Wilson, Master Watershed Steward coordinator in Allegheny County. The task arose when members of the Allegheny County government contacted Wilson, looking for help with stream assessment in the county parks. Wilson saw the opportunity for Master Watershed Stewards to assist. The proj

By Kristen Koch, Penn State Agriculture & Environment Center For 10 years volunteers have been partnering with the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center , Penn State Extension , and other conservation organizations in Dauphin, Lebanon, and Lancaster Counties through a program called Greening the Lower Susquehanna .  This program provides opportunities for individuals, families, and groups to spend a few hours planting trees, performing maintenance on past tree plantings, cleaning up litter, weeding rain gardens, live staking stream banks, or other practices that help improve the health of local waterways. Since the start of the program in 2012: -- 176 events have been held; -- 4,608 volunteers have attended events contributing over 12,000 hours of time; -- Over 12 tons of trash have been cleaned up from roadways and public land;  -- Over 8,000 live stakes have been planted in streambanks where they can grow into new trees;  -- 5 rain gardens have been planted;  -- Over 18,0

By Conservation Innovation Fund The Lancaster Revolving Water Fund and East Lampeter Township partnered to achieve critical water quality objectives in Lancaster County, a priority conservation area in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.   Under the partnership, East Lampeter Township has executed a forward-looking and cost-effective contract that improves local water quality while addressing Federal and state mandates under the Clean Water Act.  The Lancaster Revolving Water Fund, a partnership between the Lancaster Clean Water Partners and the Conservation Innovation Fund , expands the Revolving Water Fund's outcomes-based model into a critical agricultural landscape in Pennsylvania, where many local waterways remain impaired due to agricultural and urban runoff during storm events. Pioneered by i2 Capital , Stroud Water Research Center and the Nature Conservancy , the Revolving Water Fund is an innovative conservation finance program that funds and implements natural infrastructur

On October 20, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources issued its fourth Weekly Fall Foliage Report showing fall colors all across Pennsylvania. Although rain and wind stripped many colorful leaves from maples, exciting fall shades can still be found across most of the state.  The best color this week will be found in the central/southern Appalachians and the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania. Cold overnight temperatures should spur the last push of color in oak stands and southeastern Pennsylvania forests. Click Here to read the October 20 to 26 report . For more information, visit DCNR’s Fall Foliage Report webpage. Click Here for prime locations for viewing fall foliage in PA.  To make travel arrangements, check out the VisitPA website . Visit Explore PA Trails and Get Outdoors PA for recreation areas near you.   For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website , Visit the Good Nature