Back
At LDG, our culture encourages our people to make value-driven decisions for their clients, their communities, and themselves. Notes From the Road is a closer look at the learning opportunities and experiences of our employee owners from industry events, client engagements, and projects around the world.
What was the experience?
I was an attendee and presenter at the 2022 Pennsylvania in Balance Conference, which is organized by the Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences. This conference was launched in 2016 to bring together environmental and agricultural professionals in a collaborative manner to discuss clean water initiatives and policies in Pennsylvania.
Tell us about it.
I participated in a panel discussion with Countywide Action Plan (CAP) coordinators from across the Chesapeake Bay watershed to highlight some of the successes and challenges of partnering with state and local stakeholders on CAPs, which are blueprints to improve water quality on a local level. A CAP aims to implement projects to solve water quality problems unique to each county, while simultaneously improving the quality of the Chesapeake Bay.
To date, LDG has developed these plans for six counties in northcentral and northeastern Pennsylvania – Potter, Tioga, Bradford, Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Susquehanna – and is currently assisting them in the implementation phase. LDG also is assisting Clinton County in the implementation of its CAP and has been a stakeholder in four others. Based on this extensive experience, I shared several of our key successes, including:
More than $1.5 Million in CAP Implementation Funding. These funds for water quality-based projects helped overcome rising costs and were also leveraged as a match for other grants.
NFWF Small Watershed Grant. This $500k grant, Enhancing the Resilience of the Cowanesque Watershed through Collaboration, helped make improvements to a key Brook Trout Habitat and implement Soil Health Practices for 11,000 acres.
Forestry Landowners and Professional Education Symposium. Working with county officials, LDG established a series of educational and networking events for Forest Landowners and Professionals in Bradford, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties. Five more counties – P otter, Tioga, Lackawanna, Luzerne, and Sullivan – have been added to the schedule of events for 2023.
LDG also established a Non-Intrusive BMP (Best Management Practice) Verification Program, which uses publicly accessible data and field verification to collect Resource Improvement projects, for seven counties. These programs are designed to address landowner and county concerns with privacy and often use aerial imaging and digital data forms. More than 425 new BMP projects have been identified within these counties.
READ MORE: LDG Podcast: Pennsylvania Cleanwater Action Plans (CAP) – Larson Design Group
What was your favorite takeaway? How can it apply to LDG?
The collaboration of environmentally minded people discussing future policy and program changes was especially impactful to me. LDG was one of only three private sector businesses invited to the conference, which traditionally is government officials and non-profit organizations, and this puts us on the forefront of crucial changes and trends.
Joshua Glace is an Associate Project Manager with LDG’s Environmental team and is based in our Williamsport, PA office.
LDG’s Environmental Team is committed to providing innovative, environmentally sound, and economical solutions, working to conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment as we help clients navigate the complex regulatory landscape. For more information, visit Environmental – Larson Design Group.