Watershed Project Sign-Up ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Fanning Staff LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) —For community water improve ment projects to succeed, groups must work in unison and as part ners. This kind of interest and lead ership must come from the grass roots level if federal project money is to be used to ensure safe drink ing water, according to the head of the Lancaster County Conserva tion District ' Don Robinson, district mana ger, indicated that time is running out for farmers to sign up for cost sharing for the Chickies Creek Watershed, including townships inclusive of and west of Manheim, under the national Environmental Quality Improvement Program (EQIP), Under EQIP, farmers and other landowners in parts of Rapho, Penn, East Donegal, West Hemp field, and Mount Joy townships can qualify for up to $50,000 a per son for the total of a five-year fed eral allocation of $1.5 million ($300,000 each year) to be spent on environment watershed protec tion projects. The sign-up, sponsored through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Lancaster, runs from Feb. 2 through Feb. 20 this year. The money for programs may be paid after Oct. 1 this year for qualified landowners, Robinson noted. NEXT REPOSSESSION SALE SAT., FEB. 21st, 1998 AT 9:00 A.M. Approximately 600 Repo’s & Off Lease Vehicles Will Be Offered KEYSTONE PUBLIC AUTO fvjTTjj EXCHANGE AH-000057-L 468 FIREHOUSE RO GRANTVILLE PA 17028 (717)466 7900 (717) 4694)311 (Fix) CHILDREN UNDER 16 YEARS OF AGE WILL NOT BE ADMITTED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES VERMONT - CASTINGS"] Prices Start At *999 For a Vent-Free Gas Stove SALE .PRICE $949 00 • Wood, Coal & Gas Stoves • Fireplace . Accessories^^^j 1060 Division Highway, Ephrata, PA 17522 (717) 733-4973 800-642-0310 www.bowmansstove.com HOURS: Mon., Tues., Wed. 10 to 6 't«m TST Thurs., Fn. 10 to 8, Sat 10 to 4 JSmH "iS" To qualify, landowners must submit a proposal to aid in the improvement of water quality on the property. Those improvements could include the establishment of stream bank fencing, barnyard runoff control, storm water diver sion projects, grass waterways, or some other water quality protec tion and soil conservation efforts. The Natural Resource Conser vation Service can provide free technical assistance and can write conservation plans, provide plans for terracing, contour strips, and other erosion control plans, and consult on proposals for the EQIP program. However, EQIP intends to look at those proposals that will provide ‘‘the greatest return for the dollars spent on the projects if several proposals are submitted. those with the greatest environ mental ‘return* will get funded,” said Robinson. The FSA County Committee of farmers will make the selections and approve the ranking of pro jects. The committee will meet in March to make the final approval. Recently the district sponsored water quality awareness meetings in the county to gauge what type of interest there was, literally, out in the field. The district and the EQIP program, however, is looking at “grass-roots” support from groups established to protect the water quality of the watersheds. ALL VERMONT CASTINGS STOVES NOW ON SALE Through March 2, 1998 with this ad ATTENTION 609 TOBACCO GROWERS If you want to sell part or all of your crop now, check with us before deliverying. - 3 Bin Bale boxes on special - What we have in stock. Rentals available. 609 seed, tobacco paper, and cotton twine for sale. PENN LEAF TOBACCO CO. 661 Vintage Rd., Christiana, PA 17509 610-593-6729 Call Mon.-Fri. 8:00 to 9:00 AM or leave message In Stock For Immediate Delivery I- Highly articulated nozzle designed 2- 24* dia mixing propeller provroing to sice and t >ak the top crust Item lull time agitation up to 21 500 US above the manure level as the pro- GP M even when loading a spreader pellet homogenises the liquid with the remaining Moating chunks . „ ..... .. —. , . * • 4- Rotative directional valve designed -asssr— —* ksst— Gear box oil bath protected by a greaseable 3 seals mechanism on each shaft. AHHliilHMi IKIOCPILBI e^sklr nt I SPREADER & PUMP RENTALS AVAILABLE “We’re Here To Serve You" SNOOK’S EQUIPMENT RD 3, Box 130, Mifflinburg, PA 17844 717-966-2736 l Ask For Ernest or Dejin “The people who live in the watershed deter mine what the problems are and how to approach them,” he said. Robinson pointed out that a typical group is the Save Our Creeks Association working toward improving the quality of the Cocalico Creek in Ephrata Boro. The 12 different Lan caster County water sheds are identified in a map supplied in the dis trict’s annual report. One successful “part nering” project, Robin son indicated, was the Donegal Creek improvement task undertaken by several organizations on a 6.7-mile stretch of the Donegal Creek. Groups who worked together to improve the riparian aspects of the creek included the Donegal Fish and Conservation Association, the local chapter of Trout Unlim ited, the conservation district, and other groups. Interested landow ners can contact the Farm Service Agency at (717) 397-6235 or the conservation district at (717) 299-5361. WE SHIP PARTS UPS LEBANON Rt #7, Box 405, Labanon, PA 17042 Rt 4191 milt Witt of Schaafftratown 717-949-2000 Serving Central PA Since 1921 STORE HOURS MONDAY-FRIDAY 7:30-5:00 SATURDAY 7:30-12:00 1950 Frultvllla Pike, Lencaeter, PA 17601 At Rout' 301 Frultvllla Pike 2 Locations CALL FOR DETAILS ON LEASING LANCASTER 717-569-2500