CLEARFIELD – This year, the Clearfield County Conservation District (CCCD) is celebrating 50 years of preserving and protecting the county’s soil and water while also educating its local congregation about the importance of these natural resources.
In 1962, the board of commissioners – A.W. Pearson, Fred Rhoads and Wesley Read – established Pennsylvania’s 59th conservation district in Clearfield County, according to District Manager Susan Reed. But she said Hugh Hammond Bennett, the “father of conservation,” became a nationally-known pioneer for soil preservation during the Dust Bowl.
In the 1930’s, the Great Plains’ prairielands were devastated by an ecological disaster after a severe drought. The region’s soil began eroding and blowing away in dark, mammoth clouds, causing dust storms, blocking the sun and swallowing the prairieland. The Dust Bowl stretched across American soil from as far south as Texas and as far east as New York.
Bennett testified about soil and water conservation issues and eventually influenced the passage of the soil conservation act on April 27, 1935, which created the Soil Conservation Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That same year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote all of the states’ governors, recommending legislation that would allow landowners to form soil conservation districts.
Reed said Bennett understood natural resources and that the conditions varied from state-to-state and even from county-to-county, and so he spear-headed the development of locally-based soil conservation districts nation-wide. She said his efforts helped American farmers develop and implement soil conservation practices.
Fifty years ago, she said the district was established to oversee soil erosion and water quality county-wide, and its mission hasn’t changed and remains the same today. In the 1960’s, she said the district focused mainly on agricultural issues and education, according to annual reports from the district’s infancy.
“In the beginning, there weren’t any employees, and the board of directors carried out the district’s work,” she said. “They were meeting with the farmers, laying out strips (for soil conservation) and handling all the management of conserving soil.”
In the 1980’s, Reed said the district added erosion and sedimentation technicians, which monitored construction projects that included any earthmoving activities. In 1998, the district introduced the dirt and gravel road program to improve water quality.
According to her, early settlers built roads alongside streams, and these roads followed the streams. During periods of rain, she said the dirt washed into the streams, deteriorating the road and muddying the stream. She said this program stabilizes dirt and gravel roads to prevent run-off from entering the streams.
Two years later, she said the district hired a full-time watershed specialist who is responsible for protecting and restoring water quality. She said the watershed program aims at stabilizing soil, preventing sedimentation from entering streams and maintaining healthy habitats for fish.
“Only so much soil exists, and we want to keep it in place,” Reed said. The district also suggests management practices to farmers so that soil is collected or stopped by vegetative strips, keeping animal nutrients from entering waterways.
In addition, she said the county’s rich lumber and mining heritage has created the district’s greatest issue – acid mine drainage. She said the district has installed treatment systems, where affected waters flow through a series of ponds and becomes cleansed.
The district’s mission also emphasizes the importance of educating and promoting its work. She said its biggest event is the Conservation Celebration each September at the Curwensville Lake and Recreation Area. All activities are free and some include live amphibians and reptiles, a butterfly display, an interactive recycling game, stream dynamics and “make it and take it” projects.
Last year, Reed said the district was forced to cancel the educational celebration for the first-time ever. Tropical Storm Lee dropped heavy rains through the night, and Reed and her staff were greeted with sunshine by daybreak. However, the host pavilion and recreation area had been flooded.
“It was a beautiful, sunny day and the water just got higher and higher. You could see it rising. But the dam is a flood control project, and it was doing what it was supposed to do,” she said. “There was a string of traffic coming in, and we could only see the peak of our pavilion.”
The district has a conservation race series, including the Upper West Branch Triathlon, the Curwensville Dam Scramble and Dam Darkness.
This year, the triathlon will be held Saturday, May 19, beginning near the Curwensville Lake, where participants run for 4.8 miles to the Curwensville Civic Center. There, they paddle (canoe/kayak) five miles down the West Branch of the Susquehanna River before biking 15 miles back to Curwensville Lake.
Both the Curwensville Dam Scramble and Dam Darkness are endurance hikes with the latter being held at nighttime. The first challenge offers two course options of varying lengths around Curwensville Lake. One is approximately 10 miles long for those who enjoy a “shorter jaunt” in the woods.
However, the second option poses an approximate 20-mile “scramble” around the lake. Most trails are single-track through the woods that are coupled with beautiful views of the lake and a hilly terrain to get the heart pumping.
Dam Darkness will be Saturday, Oct. 13, and it’ll be a trail race also held at Curwensville Lake. The challenge is completing the race in the dark. Participants must provide their own illumination for this race that will cover approximately seven miles of trail.
Reed said that all proceeds from the race for conservation events directly benefit the district’s educational programs, specifically, the Conservation Celebration. She added the district also hosts the county Envirothon and Earth Day celebrations as well as demonstrations to school and scout groups and civic organizations.
“The more people understand the reason for conservation principles, the easier it is to encourage them to participate. Once you understand how it works, you’re more accepting,” she said. “Our kids understand these principles and are learning them in school. They understand it.
“Usually, (at the Conservation Celebration), the parents and grandparents are learning as much as the kids. We have stream and groundwater demonstrations that are hands-on. It helps them see and visualize it – how it works.”
Reed said the district celebrated its 50th anniversary at its awards banquet March 29. She said the first-ever chairman, secretary, district manager, agricultural technician and watershed specialist were all in attendance, making for a special evening.
The district currently has six, full-time employees and is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The district office can be reached by phone at 814-765-2629 and online, or you can visit at its new location at 511 Spruce St., Suite 6, Clearfield.
