Juniata Watershed Journal

In only a few short weeks, the Juniata Clean Water Partnership (JCWP) will reach a major milestone. After more than three years of planning, holding meetings, gathering information, holding more meetings, surveying municipal officials, holding still more meetings, and writing, the JCWP is set to release the Juniata Watershed Management Plan. The action items listed in the Plan will lead to cleaner water in the Juniata River and its tributaries, and an improved quality of life for watershed residents.

The Juniata Watershed Management Plan (hereafter referred to as the “Plan”) does not represent the work of only one person. Rather, the Plan was completed thanks to the effort of numerous people throughout the Juniata River watershed, including concerned citizens, watershed association members, county conservation district managers, county planning directors, and many more.

The Plan will be presented officially at a series of public meetings held throughout the watershed. Beginning in mid-October, these meetings will provide residents with an opportunity to learn more about the Plan’s recommendations for the watershed. Attendees will also learn how to use the Plan to launch important river protection and restoration projects in their communities.

After the public meetings are finished, the JCWP will petition the DCNR to have the Juniata River watershed placed on the Rivers Conservation Registry. The Registry is a list of rivers and watersheds throughout Pennsylvania that have approved River Conservation Plans. Rivers on the Registry become eligible for DCNR funding assistance through the Rivers Conservation Program.

In anticipation of the Plan’s completion and the achievement of Rivers Conservation Registry status, the JCWP is already beginning to work with local communities to prepare grants for possible conservation projects. Now is an especially good time to request funding, because the Environmental Stewardship and Watershed Protection Act (a.k.a. Growing Greener) provides millions of extra dollars for watershed conservation projects, including $1.4 million for the Rivers Conservation Program. The deadline to submit proposals for this year’s DCNR Bureau of Recreation and Conservation grant round is November 3. Please contact the JCWP if you would like assistance on using the plan to acquire Rivers Conservation grant money.

Now that the planning phase is nearly complete, the JCWP is preparing to shift its focus to its other goals:

The JCWP partners represent an excellent source of skill and energy, and they will often be the point people in carrying out the Plan in their particular regions. However, the partnership itself will continue to play a crucial role in coordinating the multitude of activities so that they lead to a meaningful result.

The value of this Plan goes well beyond the information found in the written document itself. The planning process has led to information sharing, awareness raising, collaborative action, and strengthened partnerships, the impacts of which transcend the pages of the Plan.

This planning process began in 1997, when the Chesapeake Bay Foundation Juniata Project coordinator helped catalyze the formation of the Juniata Clean Water Partnership, working with two neighboring Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Councils, county planning agencies and conservation districts. This partnership chose to pursue a Planning Grant through the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Rivers Conservation Program. They felt that this would be the best way to begin fulfilling their mission to enhance, protect, and restore the river resources of the Juniata watershed. In May of 1998, the DCNR awarded a grant to the Mid-State RC&D, Inc. and Southern Alleghenies Conservancy, on behalf of the JCWP, to assemble a River Conservation Plan for the Juniata River and its watershed.

Respecting the value of local knowledge, the members of the JCWP designed the planning process to incorporate the ideas and concerns of many local watershed residents. In the winter of 1999, the JCWP held nine meetings throughout the watershed, setting the groundwork for the rest of the Plan (see JWJ, Summer 1999). A water resources survey was sent to municipal officials in the summer of 1999, gathering vital information on localized concerns and upcoming projects (see JWJ, Winter 2000). Finally, a draft version of the Plan was presented and reviewed at another round of public meetings held in early 2000 (see JWJ, Spring 2000). Suggestions from these meetings were incorporated into the Plan over the past few months. The JCWP is now ready to unveil the final document.

The Plan may be finished, but the work has only just begun! Let’s get out there and make our watershed an even better place to live!

Project Impact grants are awarded to one community per state per year, to help that community undergo a thorough assessment of its potential vulnerability to disasters.

After a year of planning, the committee is about to begin “on the ground” work. The plan of action involves removing the concrete channel walls of Little Kish Creek and restoring the stream banks and a natural vegetated floodplain. PennDOT will assist by modifying the Route 655 bridge to allow for greater flow volumes. Ultimately, the goal is to convert the restored area along the stream into a community park.

What was once an ignored, paved area threatened by potential flooding will become an attractive public recreation area that also helps reduce flooding threats to the rest of town!

The JCWP would like to welcome the addition of the Watershed Specialists to the county conservation district offices in Bedford, Blair and Juniata-Mifflin counties. The watershed specialists will be providing technical assistance to watershed organizations and working on restoration projects focused on protecting groundwater and surface water resources within their watersheds. Feel free to contact the Watershed Specialists to introduce yourself, and let them know what you or your organization is doing.

James Barefoot

Blair County - 814-696-0877 ext. 5

James Eckenrode

Juniata-Mifflin Counties - 717-248-4695

Cadie Pruss

By Deborah Nardone

In Part I of this article in the Spring edition, we talked about the initial steps to starting a watershed association: finding partners, holding the first meeting, and developing a mission statement. This article is the second in a series of articles that will focus on the role of watershed associations and how you can help form a group and keep it running smoothly.

This article will focus on creating a name for your organization, writing bylaws, and recruiting a board of directors.

Choosing a Name

So, now your organization has a mission that describes where your focus is and what goals you hope to achieve. The next step is to create a name for your organization that defines your identity. The name is extremely important, since it will be the way you communicate with the public, the media, decision makers and fundraisers. A good effective name is positive, descriptive, memorable and simple. When someone hears your name for the first time, they should be able to determine the type of issues your organization is centered upon and your positions on those particular issues.

The name you choose should be:

• Proactive and capture the spirit of your campaign.
  
• Catchy. You may even want to focus on creating a catchy acronym.
  
• Not too difficult to pronounce.

Remember to check with the Corporation Bureau of the PA Department of State to make sure that the name you choose is not already used by another organization. You may want to play around with possible names to think about how it sounds and how it may look on a brochure or in the newspaper. Most of all, take your time in choosing the right name – you may be using it for a while!

Writing bylaws is about deciding what your organization’s purpose is and how it is going to be organized, led and run. It helps give structure to your organization and may help prevent conflicts and disagreements by governing the internal affairs of your organization. Primarily, the bylaws dictate how your board of directors will be elected and operate, the number of meetings to be held, the number of officers and committees, how the finances will be managed and the purpose of the organization.

Some critical questions you need to ask when creating your bylaws are:

• What does our mission statement say?
  
• What is the purpose of our organization?
  
• Will we have members?
  
• What will be the structure of the governing board and what are their responsibilities?
  
• How will the meetings for the board of directors be structured?
  
• What officers will we have?
  
• What are the limits of their authority?
  
• Will we have committees?
  
• How will the committees be appointed and run?
  
• What will be their responsibility to the board?
  
• Are there special rules that must be clearly stated – such as how money will be handled and who will keep the records?
  
• How can the bylaws be amended?

Those questions will cause each person to think carefully about the way the organization should be run. If you feel uncomfortable with these questions, you may want to recruit someone with board development experience to facilitate the discussion. Model sets of bylaws are available through the JCWP office.

Bylaws are not the end-all for your organization. Bylaws can be amended, revised or deleted as the board sees it necessary and appropriate. Bylaws should also be reviewed periodically and revised to fit your watershed association’s activities.

In recruiting board members, it first must be decided how many board members there should be, and how they are nominated to the board. It may be the initial organizing committee that decides this, by self-nominating itself as the board. Or, you may ask local entities (such as your township, borough, or local community organizations) to nominate someone to serve on the board. Either way, usually a small nominating committee is established to seek qualified candidates for the board position.

The nominating committee should not haphazardly choose anyone to be a board member. Two characteristics that should be considered in each board nominee are, 1) a willingness to commit time and energy to the new organization and 2) a willingness to put the interests of the new organization first.

So, how do you find and recruit that type of person? First, the job of each board member should be defined. A job description should be written up of what is required to be a board member. Generally, board members should be required to have knowledge and skills needed to supervise the running of the organization and to carry out fundraising and fiscal monitoring. Board members should be chosen because they are committed to the cause and want to address the issues of concern.

Next, the nomination committee should identify where your board needs assistance or where skills are lacking. By answering a few questions you will be able to figure out who is missing.

• What skills are required to answer the questions that have come up most often and what kinds of people have those skills? (e.g. financial questions, technical questions, etc.)
  
• How much time will it take to be on the board and when will you meet?
  
• In what part of your community do you need to have someone act as a spokesperson for you? Do you want someone affiliated with politics, local community groups, or industry?
  
• Will this board member be required to do any type of fundraising?

By answering these questions, you should be able to successfully target a few individuals within the community who fit the description. The nomination committee must approach these persons to see if they are interested in the position(s). A copy of the job description, bylaws and an explanation of expected responsibilities should be provided at the outset. Always remember that an active and successful organization is only as strong as its board!

The next newsletter will feature the next steps in creating a watershed association – how to create a case statement and action plan for your organization.

If you are interested in forming a watershed group and would like additional information or assistance, please contact the Juniata Clean Water Partnership at 814-627-5391 or jcwp@jcwp.org. We will be happy to assist you with the creation of your group.

More than 20% of municipal waste could be eliminated from landfills through the composting of yard and food waste. Composting is an easy way to recycle your organic home and yard waste while at the same time creating excellent compost for your garden and shrubs. Composting is the natural process which utilizes microorganisms to change organic material into a dark crumbly substance called humus or compost. When used as mulch, compost can return nutrients to the soil, modify the soil temperature, improve soil texture, reduce erosion, control weeds and improve moisture retention.

Composting can be started at any time of the year and can be used throughout the year. Compost should consist of a good mixture of 75% “browns” (materials such as dead leaves that are high in carbon) and 25% “greens” (such as fresh grass clippings and garden prunings that are high in nitrogen) according to the Basics of Home Composting.

    Items to add to your compost pile:

• Yard trimmings (grass, leaves, plant trimmings)
  
• Garden debris
  
• Vegetable and fruit scraps
  
• Horse, cow, chicken, and rabbit manure

    Items not to add to your compost pile:

• Diseased plants
  
• Persistent weeds (poison ivy, multiflora rose, etc.)
  
• Human or pet feces
  
• Meat, dairy products and kitchen vegetables cooked with animal fats
  
• Plants that have gone to seed

The first step to composting will be to decide what type and size of bin will suit your needs. Composting bins are on average 4 foot by 4 foot and can be easily created out of chicken wire, scrap lumber or even used shipping pallets. Commercial bins can also be purchased at local gardening and hardware stores. The bin should be located in a shady area. This allows for the compost to remain moist. Composting materials should feel moist and warm to the touch. Be careful in maintaining the proper temperature and moisture. The proper temperature for a compost pile is 160 degrees (F) in the center of the pile and warm to the touch except during the cold winter months. The pile should be constantly moist, but never wet to the point where there may be run-off from the pile. To avoid any unpleasant odors turn the compost pile once a month to add oxygen. A small amount of topsoil should also be added to the compost pile monthly to maintain the necessary organisms in order to continue the decay process. A properly managed compost pile should not give off any strong odors and should not be a nuisance to you or your neighbors.

Compost is ready to be used when it looks dark, crumbly and earthy smelling (not ammonia smelling). Compost can be applied directly around the base of trees and shrubs to serve as mulch. The mulch will help in water retention and reduce the amount of weed growth. The compost can also be added to the top six to eight inches of the soil in gardens and flowerbeds for increased organic matter to help in water retention and for the addition of nutrients.

In an effort to enhance Pennsylvania’s recycling efforts the DEP in partnership with Penn State Extension County offices are offering backyard compost bins to Pennsylvania residents this fall. Residents that attend a training session conducted by their participating Penn State county extension office will be eligible for a free backyard compost bin. For more information contact your local Penn State County Extension office.

        Department of Environmental Protection: Guide to Home Composting

Late last fall, a group of property owners in Tyrone Township (the borders of which roughly correspond with the Sinking Valley watershed) began to ask ourselves this very question. With no Comprehensive Plan and only one land use ordinance, could our township retain the rural charm and quality of life that attracted us to this area in the first place? Or would our township fall victim to haphazard or poorly planned development? We decided we needed to take action.

The result was the creation of the Friends of Sinking Valley – a grassroots organization formed to take a pro-active approach to land use planning in our municipality. The primary objective of our group is to empower local landowners so that, as a community, we can decide our future rather than letting outside developers decide it for us.

Our first priority as an organization was to form alliances with several different agencies and community groups. To date, we have enlisted the support and guidance of the Tyrone Township Board of Supervisors, the Juniata Clean Water Partnership, the Blair County Conservation District, and the Blair County Planning Commission. As we continue to grow, we will strive to involve other stakeholders in the valley including the large and growing Amish community, local business people, and farmers.

We then developed a Community Survey to gauge the values and concerns of local landowners. The survey, which showed that residents were concerned with issues such as uncontrolled growth and farmland preservation, was followed by a Town Meeting in June. This Fall, the Hamer Center for Community Design Assistance and Landscape Architecture students at Penn State University will conduct a detailed study of Sinking Valley. The purpose of the study will be to broaden and deepen our knowledge of the area, identify and explore the issues that the valley faces, and look for possible ways of minimizing the negative impacts of future change while maximizing the positive values of the landscape. The information collected by the Hamer Center along with the survey results and discussions at Town Meetings will be used to guide future growth in the valley. For additional information, please contact Jody Wallace at 814-684-2425 or Sarah Miller at 814-684-2226.