State Rep. Sheryl Delozier, 88th Legislative District (Cumberland County), holds a 3-year-old female rainbow trout during the spawning process.
                                 Photo courtesy PFBC

State Rep. Sheryl Delozier, 88th Legislative District (Cumberland County), holds a 3-year-old female rainbow trout during the spawning process.

Photo courtesy PFBC

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<p>Waterways Conservation Officer Jonathan Stark was recently presented with a Lifesaving Award from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. From left: PFBC Executive Director Tim Schaeffer; Stark; former PFBC Board President Richard Kauffman; Col. Clyde Warner.</p>
                                 <p>Photo courtesy PFBC</p>

Waterways Conservation Officer Jonathan Stark was recently presented with a Lifesaving Award from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. From left: PFBC Executive Director Tim Schaeffer; Stark; former PFBC Board President Richard Kauffman; Col. Clyde Warner.

Photo courtesy PFBC

<p>Wooden post clusters are visible on the surface of Somerset Lake as the lake continues to refill. Short Vertical Plank Structures will be strategically placed into Somerset Lake using boats once the lake has refilled.</p>
                                 <p>Photo courtesy PFBC</p>

Wooden post clusters are visible on the surface of Somerset Lake as the lake continues to refill. Short Vertical Plank Structures will be strategically placed into Somerset Lake using boats once the lake has refilled.

Photo courtesy PFBC

<p>Fish habitat structures visible at Somerset Lake, Somerset County.</p>
                                 <p>Photo courtesy PFBC</p>

Fish habitat structures visible at Somerset Lake, Somerset County.

Photo courtesy PFBC

Staff and at the Huntsdale State Fish Hatchery near Carlisle, Cumberland County (Penn Township) this week conducted the spawning of Rainbow Trout.

The process includes collecting reproductive material from 3-year-old female and 2-year-old male trout, disinfecting eggs to prevent disease, and storing fertilized eggs in incubators.

After approximately 28 days, the eggs hatch and the tiny trout will live off of their egg sac for a short time before swimming and eating other foods at the hatchery.

Most Rainbow Trout are raised for approximately 18 months at the hatchery, where they will grow to an average length of 11 inches and weigh just over a half-pound before being stocked into public waterways across the state, mostly prior to the spring trout season which begins on the first Saturday in April.

Some fish — called brood stock — are kept at the hatchery for 2-3 years for spawning purposes before being stocked as large “trophy trout.”

Spawning operations will happen every Tuesday morning at the hatchery throughout August.

In addition to raising trout, the PFBC also raises several warm-water fish species at the Huntsdale State Fish Hatchery, including Hybrid Striped Bass. The fish are raised in ponds until they reach lengths of approximately 6 inches, when they will be stocked into several medium and large-sized lakes across Pennsylvania this fall.

Tim Schaeffer, PFBC Executive Director, offered comments:

“So, here we are in August, and we’re working on fish that will be stocked 18 months from now. The fish that we stock throughout the Commonwealth starting in February each spring attract millions of anglers every year to Pennsylvania. It’s a 24/7, 365 operation and it begins with today, the spawning of the fish.”

“The eggs we collected today are tiny, but before you know it, they’ll be beautiful fish that are tugging on the end of your line all across Pennsylvania.”

WCO Stark presented

PFBC Lifesaving Award

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) recently recognized Waterways Conservation Officer Jonathan Stark (Washington County) with a Lifesaving Award.

On Dec. 26, 2021, while off-duty, WCO Stark was in the parking lot of the Lowe’s store in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County, when he heard someone screaming for help.

Stark located a young woman who indicated that her three-month-old daughter was not breathing and was turning purple in the face.

Stark recognized that the infant had an obstruction that was preventing the child from breathing.

Without hesitation, Stark utilized his lifesaving training to deliver several back blows to the infant, which successfully cleared the obstruction and allowed the child to breathe.

Stark remained with the mother and child until local emergency medical responders arrived at the location.

“There is no doubt in my mind that WCO Stark’s quick thinking and decisive action in those stressful moments saved the life of that little girl,” said Col. Clyde Warner, Director of the PFBC’s Bureau of Law Enforcement. “We could not be prouder of Jonathan for going above and beyond the call of duty that day, trusting his instincts, and preventing disaster for the family of that child.”

Stark was presented with a plaque recognizing his lifesaving actions during the PFBC’s quarterly business meeting in Harrisburg on July 26.

Learn to identify insects, diseases,

weeds at PSU Extension workshop

An upcoming series of Penn State Extension workshops aimed at helping participants identify insects, diseases and weeds also will provide many opportunities to earn pesticide re-certification and certified arborist credits.

The “Landscape Pest Identification Walk Series” will occur in August and September in several locations throughout Pennsylvania:

August

Scranton, 12-4 p.m. Aug. 24

Doylestown, 12-4 p.m. Aug. 30

September

Hollidaysburg, 12-4 p.m. Sept. 2

Leesport, 12-4 p.m. Sept. 7

Easton, 12-4 p.m. Sept. 13

Collegeville, 12-4 p.m. Sept. 21

Mercer, 12-4 p.m. Sept. 28

North Huntingdon, 12-4 p.m. Sept. 29

The pest walks are designed for green industry professionals, such as landscapers, turf managers, parks employees, arborists, nursery growers and right-of-way weed control applicators.

According to organizers, the hands-on educational programs will cover the identification and management of insects, diseases and weeds that affect ornamental plants, turf-grass and right-of-way areas. Instructors will discuss pesticide use and safety and invasive and noxious weeds.

Pennsylvania pesticide re-certification credits are available in core, categories 05, 06, 07, 10, 18, 23 and private category. Each hour is worth two pesticide credits for the respective categories. For example, by attending the hour-long session focused on ornamentals, participants can earn two credits in each of the following categories in which they are licensed: 05, 06, 18, 23 and private category.

Participants can attend at multiple locations and receive pesticide re-certification and certified arborist credits for each session they attend, with no limit on number of sessions they can join. The turf sessions, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., do not qualify for certified arborist credits.

Participants are not required to stay for the entire four-hour event if only interested in attending specific sessions.

Participants may register for a fee of $20. The registration deadline varies by location, but most registrations are due by noon the day of the event. The workshops will occur rain or shine.

More information is available on the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/landscape-pest-identification-walk.

Call for nominees for

Mira Lloyd Dock Award

The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership is accepting nominations for the Third Annual Mira Lloyd Dock Partnership Diversity Award, given for conservation work in environmental justice communities in Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection considers any census block group where 20 percent or more individuals live in poverty, or 30 percent or more of the population identifies as a minority, to be in an environmental justice area.

The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership, coordinated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, will present the award during the Pennsylvania Forestry Association’s Annual Symposium on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Toftrees resort in State College.

For a nomination form visit — https://tenmilliontrees.org/contact/mld/.

Forms are also available by sending an email to — [email protected] — or by calling 717-769-4141.

The deadline for nominations is Sept. 30.

The winner will receive $5,000 worth of native trees and supplies from the partnership to be used for a 2023 tree project.

Nominations are open to anyone in Pennsylvania who has done tree planting, rain garden installation or planting, regenerative agriculture or urban farming/permaculture, or community beautification in an environmental justice community.

Awardees are ranked on their community engagement, collaboration, and environmental conservation work with environmental justice communities in support of planting ten million trees for Pennsylvania. Awardees are given credit for using science, research, innovative and creative approaches to conservation.

The award was created to honor the spirit of Mira Lloyd Dock, who pursued urban beautification and forest conservation at a time when women or people of color were not welcomed at the decision table.

Mira Lloyd Dock is recognized as the first Pennsylvania woman to lead the way in forest conservation. She was an advocate for Penn’s Woods and in 1901 was appointed to the State Forest Reservation Commission by Pennsylvania Governor William Stone.

The learn more about the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership, visit — TenMillionTrees.org.

Nearly $1M in grant funding available

for environmental educational projects

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) this week announced that $900,000 in grant funding is available for environmental education projects.

Environmental Education Grants are available to schools, colleges, nonprofit community and environmental organizations, county conservation districts, and businesses.

“This grant supports environmental education projects that engage teachers, youth and residents in actions that help protect Pennsylvania’s abundant natural resources and preserve its beauty,” said DEP ​Acting Secretary Ramez Ziadeh.

While all education project topics are considered, priority areas are water quality, climate change, and environmental justice. Project examples include tours, demonstrations, and hands-on learning experiences, and workshops on stream monitoring, rain gardens, wetlands, green infrastructure, and other watershed stewardship; solar and other renewable energy, alternative transportation, energy conservation, and other approaches to address climate change; and improving air quality and community and municipal partnerships to address local environmental challenges.

Projects with a local focus may receive up to $5,000 and regional or statewide initiatives may receive up to $30,000. Projects that engage students and teachers at three levels, local, state, and national, may be awarded up to $85,000.

DEP will hold a live webinar on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM regarding this grant funding. Program staff will review the application process, offer tips, and answer questions. The webinar is free, but registration is required. Registration details are forthcoming.

Electronic applications must be submitted through the Keystone Login (first-time users will need to register.) This grant round has an application deadline of Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, by 4:59 p.m. Instructions are available at Environmental Education Grants.

The Environmental Education Grants program was established by the Environmental Education Act of 1993, which mandates setting aside 5% of the pollution fines and penalties DEP collects annually for environmental education in Pennsylvania.

Since the program began, more than 2,100 projects totaling over $12 million have been awarded grant funds.

Grants awarded to Raystown,

Somerset lake habitat projects

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced that two lake habitat enhancement projects have been awarded funding through the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP).

Projects that were awarded funding in 2022 include:

• Raystown Lake, Huntingdon County; Raystown Lake Shoreline Habitat Barge Project.

• Somerset Lake, Somerset County; Somerset Lake Fish Habitat Improvement.

At Raystown Lake, the NFHP grant will fund $75,000 of a $611,629 project that will stabilize actively eroding shorelines. The rock structures will create better fish habitat and improve water quality. Additional funding for this project was provided by the Friends of Raystown Lake and through a consent order between the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Sunoco.

At Somerset Lake, the NFHP grant will fund $40,000 of a $119,876 project that will provide additional wood and rock type fish habitat for the future fishery at Somerset Lake. The lake was drained during a dam rehabilitation project but is now being refilled. This habitat project will complete phase two of ongoing large-scale habitat improvement efforts that began while the lake was fully drawn down. Additional funding for this project was provided by the Somerset Lake Action Committee.

“The best way to have a significant impact on the water through enhanced fish habitat is to increase the scale of the projects,” said Ben Page, PFBC Lake Habitat Section Manager. “These funds allow us to think big when planning and completing these projects and create the most substantial fish habitat that leads to great fisheries for anglers.”

Through the NFHP (www.fishhabitat.org), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners award federal funding that is leveraged with additional partnership project funding from other sources to boost locally led habitat enhancement projects. These projects can include streambank restoration, removal of barriers to fish passage, erosion reduction on agricultural lands, and monitoring and assessment efforts to identify conservation needs for fish and their habitats. Anticipated benefits of these projects include more robust fish populations, better fishing, and healthier waterways. This year, funding through the NFHP program resulted in a 9-to-1 leveraged funding match.