Bucks County Conservation District
At our Nov 6, 2013 meeting, Mary Ellen Noonan from the Bucks County Conservation District provided us with a very informative program. She has been the conservation district's Environmental Educator for 7 years. The conservation district has roots from the Dust Bowl of the 1930's when farmers were not treating the soil well. Originally called the Soil Conservation District, it worked mainly with farmers but today they work primarily with the construction industry anytime there is soil being disturbed or moved. The district is now a regulatory agency, enforcing the Clean Water Act.
Mary Ellen showed us pictures of soil erosion problems in the area and how they were corrected. Also included were photos and an explanation of the ubiquitous silt fences used to prevent erosion during construction. Did you know that a stream full of mud run off is very harmful to fish? It's like us walking into a room full of smoke. Neither can breathe.
Mary Ellen runs educational programs such as summer camps for children about conservation. She also runs teacher tours guiding teachers through construction areas and local conservation programs. The district recently partnered with the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful program in Bucks County. She stated that there are 123 illegal dump sites in Bucks county. At one site, they removed 232 tires from a ravine.
For more information about the great things that this organization does, visit their web site www.bucksccd.org