The Schuylkill County commissioners presented each of the area watershed associations with checks for $3,000 on Tuesday morning at the first monthly meeting of the new year for the Schuylkill Conservation District.
The annual contribution to the six nonprofit organizations is funded through the county office of solid waste and resource management.
Commissioners Chairman George F. Halcovage Jr. said the efforts of the watershed associations help make Schuylkill County a better place to live.
“It’s a matter of all of us working together to do the right thing for the county,” Halcovage said.
“I’ve been coming here for about 14 years now and it has always been a pleasure to come before this board,” Commissioner Frank J. Staudenmeier said. “Over those 14 years, some of the faces have changed, but the mission has never changed.”
Representatives from the Catawissa Creek Restoration Association, Mahanoy Creek Watershed Association, Northern Swatara Creek Watershed Association, Schuylkill Headwaters Association, Tri-Valley Watershed Association and Schuylkill County Trout Unlimited received the awards Tuesday.
Wayne G. Lehman, watershed specialist for the conservation district, thanked the commissioners for the annual contributions. He said although it may not seem like a lot of money, the funding is essential for the volunteer organizations that use it for projects or things like updating its websites, maintaining trails and covering insurance and liability costs.
“These grants allow these groups to continue what they do,” Lehman said.
The state budget was also highlighted at the meeting.
Peter Tarby, DEP representative, said that while the nutrient management and conservation district funds did not changed, many line items were not funded, like agricultural research, promotion, education, hardwoods and livestock shows.
Schuylkill County Conservation District Manager Elizabeth Hinkle said the lack of funding for research and diagnosis may be a concern with the threat of avian flu in the country.
“We need good emergency plans in place,” she said.
Avian flu was reported in multiple states in 2015. Although no cases were reported in Pennsylvania, the state has taken numerous precautions like banning poultry at the Pennsylvania Farm Show earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the Penn State Ag Extension program has yet to receive any state funding. Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed funding for numerous ag programs in the proposed budget just before the new year. Most of the $70 million for ag programs were headed to the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
“It really concerns me that they’ve been zeroed out in the budget,” Hinkle said.
Also at the meeting, Conservation District Chairman Glenn Luckenbill and Vice Chairman Scott Graver renewed their oaths of office.