C26—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 15,1980 POCONO MANOR - Lebanon County’s George Wolff was recently elected president of the Penn sylvania Association of Conservation District Directors, Inc. during the 33rd Joint Annual Con ference of District Directors and the State Conservation Commission. In previous years, Wolff has served as the Associations’ second vice president and first vice president. He is also active as a public affairs consultant in Harrisburg. Wolff replaces last year’s president Robert Jones, a Northampton County alfalfa farmer. Wolff’s home county placed second in the annual Goodyear Contest, spon- sored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The Lebanon Conservation District was recognized as a District that has developed a broad and effective con servation program. Winners of the Goodyear Award were the members of the Nor thumberland Conservation District. The Lancaster County Conservation District was recognized as the third place District in the state for director with 89.3% at tendance. Tiemg for first place with a 94% score were Centre and Bradford Con servation Districts. A Cambria County farmer, Jerome Carl, was selected as the Conservation Farmer of the Year. Carl owns and operates a 400-acre gram and livestock farm and farms ’an ad ditional 400 acres of rented land in the Dysart section of Cambria County. When he became a cooperator of the District m 1966, he agreed to protect some of the best farming soils found in the county Since that tune extensive conservation practices have been installed or initiated. In addition to his con servation responsibilities, Carl is a community leader m many areas church, civic, sportsmen, and vir tually all county agricultural organizations. He is active in promoting legislative matters' dealing with 'the farming community and promoting resource con servation. Carl, through his 800-acre farm operation, has set a fme example of how working through a Conservation District can increase the yield per acre, promote the conservation of soil and water, and improve the quality of farming. A York County teacher was recognized as the -v | JB fsi ; y, r Newly elected president George Wolff, left, confers with Adams County’s Robert Lott, council member of NACD, at the recent annual meeting of the state's Association of Conservation District Directors. Wolff is new Conservation Assn, president Conservation Educator of the Year. Hampton is an En vironmental Science teacher in the South Western School District. He has developed and organized the following units for his seventh grade classes hunter education; wetlands ecology; wildlife management techniques; and winter wildlife ac tivities. His approach to Environmental Education is to have a program that will generate ecological awareness in each student kindergarten through twelfth grade. From the time the student comes through the classroom door he said he wants them to feel that he or she is some place different and special. He added he wants his classroom to be filled from terrariums and aquariums to skin and bones, to set the mood, to motivate the students to explore. From this beginning the environmental program at South Western has grown. Other conservation awards presented include. CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR Although Kiwanis Scout Troop 99, Elk County, is located in St. Marys, many of their varied activities are spread throughout the county One of their major on-going projects is with the St. Marys Sportsmens Club where they have planted trees, cut browse, and one stream improvement work for erosion control and to prevent road damage. The District Waterways patrolman has commanded the troop for the outstanding work that they have per formed throughout the county and the professional manner it was earned out The state primary purpose of the group is “to tram young men for the future in many areas of endeavor” and could also include a motivation and commitment to live in harmony with their surroundings. CONSERVATIONIST OF THE YEAR Robert Moorhouse, Lawrence County, a retired construction inspector, is county delegate and president of the Lawrence County Council of Con servation Clubs. He has been involved in the conservation movement for most of his life, and has made a significant contribution in education of both youth and adults, and promotion of conservation throughout the county and state His service to youth in cludes 27 years as Scout- r* r master and Merit Badge Counselor; chairman of the Penn State Junior Con servation Camp, and in 1962 he started a local con servation camp, which is still active. He has been a member of the National Outdoor Writers Association for 16 years and Penn sylvania editor for the Outdoor Journal Magazine for 17 years. In addition, Moorhouse is active in radio and T.V. Broadcasting dealing with conservation of resource matters, and is involved with numerous other county activities and clubs. MAURICE K. GODDARD FORESTRY AWARD The Perkins Tree Farm has been for many years an excellent example of what the private woodlot owner can do through good planting and management. Mr. Perkins formulated and implemented his own management program, requiring relatively little professional assistance. Through his fine example, many others were motivated to put good management to use m their woodlots. Mrs. Elizabeth Perkins has carried on the work started by her husband. She has remained a member of the American Tree Farm System and has been active in the local chapter of The Pennsylvania Forestry Assocation. The management of the woodlot included con sultation with the Penn sylvania Game Commission to maximize the wildlife benefits. Erosion and sediment control has always been an important part of Elizabeth Perkins’ woodland management. For thinning and har vesting operations, roads were laid out on grades six percent to eight percent on the average. Water bars were installed to reduce erosion. Filter strips were used to reduce the risk to streams. Stream crossings, for the most part, were non existent. Harvesting operations were not con ducted during rainy periods, further reducing the risk of erosion. Elizabeth J. Johnson and Ruth S. Weir have provided a unified voice urging municipal, county, regional, state and national officials to understand the “Watershed Approach” in solving resource problems. They have urged these officials to get better in formation on soils, hydrology and geology before decisions are made on land use and to consider the costs on all government levels and private citizens when decisions are made without such information. They have advocated the adoption of stronger or dinances and enforcement methods and designed symposiums to stimulate innovative tools and techniques for land con servation m western Penn sylvania. Co-founders of the Squaw Run Area Watershed Association, both ladies are active in a host of en vironmental and related groups in the Pittsburgh area Johnson is a graduate of Harvard Universiu and WATERSHED WOMAN OF THE YEAR _ Pk ... at Co., with the Conservation Farmer of the Year award Weir graduated from West Dauphin Conservation Chester State Teachers District, third place. College. ALUS CHALMERS WATERSHED OF EDUCATOR AWARD THE YEAR Louise Roslund’s out- The Loyalhanna Water shed covers 192,000 acres and is part of the Kiskiminetas River drainage m the lower Allegheny River basin. The Association, under the leadership of executive director Lysle Sherwm, was recognized for their most effective job of planning and development of natural resources The Watershed developed effective working relationships with various agencies such as the Con servation District, the county Soil Conservation Service, various divisions of the Pennsylvania Depart ment of Environmental Resources, and others in a coalition of public and private agencies working to protect the Watershed’s environmental, economic and social well-being. ANNUAL REPORTCONTEST Snyder Conservation District, first place; Nor thumberland Conservation District, second place; Fall alfalfa weed control COLLEGE PARK, Md. - With the ground still firm from summer drought, this should be an ideal fall to help insure weed-free alfalfa stands in 1981. So says Rcnald L. Ritter, extension weed control specialist and assistant professor of agronomy at the University of Maryland. Ritter suggets that alfalfa growers get to this task just as soon as silo-filling is finished, corn harvest completed, and the last cutting of hay taken off. First, inspect your hayfields to determine where the weed problems are. Then sketch a map to help you remember the problem areas. Keep in mind that certain weeds thrive during the winter months when the close-cropped alfalfa plants are dormant and unable to shade them out. These pests include winter annuals like chickweed, henbit and mustard, as well as winter growing perennial weeds like dandelions and dock. If wmter annuals are your problem and your alfalfa stand was established last spring or earlier, Ritter standing environmental education program at McKeesport School District, Allegheny County, developed by her, is for gifted students. A variety of projects and study areas are incorporated into the program. The study areas of science, math, social studies, language arts, art and design are interrelated and expressed by the students through activities such as environmental symposia, problem solving for academic games, science fairs, peer teaching, writing contest, citizenship contests, Presidential Awards, and other activities as they arise The environmental education program is ex tended to other areas of the school program, to other schools m the area, and to other states m the nation by peer teaching sessions, environmental symposia, student exchange program, environmental survey; academic games-problem solving. is time to begin recommends a broadcast spray of Prmcep at the rate of one pound of active ingredient per acre. This application may be made any time after the last cutting of alfalfa and before the ground freezes in mid- December. Read the label to determine actual amount of spray material needed to meet Ritter’s recom mendation. For established stands - one-year-old or older - three other herbicides are available. They are metnbuzm (Sencor or Lexone), Sinbar and Paraquat. These materials should be applied during alfalfa dormancy, from mid- December to early March. At low rates, metnbuzm and Sinbar control winter annual weeds, and at high rates they will control some of the .winter perennials. They also provide residual control of germinating weeds through early spring Paraquat is effective only against winter annuals, and it does not have a residual effect. Thus, it probably should not be applied until late winter. In addition, Ritter reports Irs. Jerome Carl Cambria ALLIS CHALMERS CONSERVATION DISTRICT AWARD The Allegheny County Conservation District’s Environmental Education Program consists of several integral parts. “Wee Willie Worm” Program was developed m 1978 to aid in spreading the conservation message to the youth. It consists of a costume, slides, flip chart, workbook and T-shirt. During 1979, approximately 3000 children heard the program. Also, an annual Clean-Up Campaign and Poster Contest is held. Scholarships are provided to teachers The District’s newsletter, the "Forecast” contains a special column, the “En vironmental Education Enformer”. This column is used to inform educators of various seminars and workshops of interest being held, different materials available, it also contains suggested environmental projects, and an exchange for school proejcts and ideas. “Wee Wilhe Worm” also writes a column for the newsletter for the youth he has observed an ' unusually large number of alfalfa fields across the state this fall which are infested with grassy weeds like or chardgrass and quackgrass. m He says this is so because grassy weeds endure drought conditions better than'does alfalfa. For those fields with grassy weed problems, Ritter recommends a late winter application of Kerb. This chemical will also control winter annuals and perennials about as well as metnbuzm. At the fairly high rate recommended, this chemical will also control some of the broadleaf winter perennial weeds. At low rates, it will control only the winter annuals For more information on alfalfa weed control, check with your county extension agricultural agent | .' T m m lim* WTM MOW*M Mrm
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