Farmer of the Year and others honored for conservation efforts
The Berks County Conservation District has named Dennis Bross of Shady Cove Farm as farmer of the year for a conservation project at his Bethel Township dairy farm.
The project involved replacing a leaking earthen manure storage lagoon that was more than 50 years old. It was replaced with a circular concrete manure storage.
In response to concerns from the Bethel Environmental Advisory Committee about streambank erosion, a concrete heavy-use area was constructed, 60 to 80 head of livestock were removed from Crosskill Creek and streambank fencing with grass buffers was installed.
Following the guidance presented in his Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Plan, Bross changed his chisel and disk tillage to no-till and adopted a multi-species cover crop after his row crops, the conservation district said.
The $453,000 project was funded through cooperation of several agencies and Bross. About $115,225.00 was allocated by the Growing Greener Grant program, with a $220,308 match contributed by the USDA-NRCS and an additional $117,106 of non-cash match from the Chesapeake Bay Special Project Program.
The conservation district also honored people and educators who have contributed to efforts to protect water and soil in the county. They are:
Conservation Individual of the Year
• Steve Tricarico of Bern Township
Tricarico graduated from the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program 2018 and is a member of the Tulpehocken Creek Watershed Association. An outdoor recreation enthusiast, he recently completed a round-trip bicycle ride with his son from Reading to Pittsburgh. Tricarico removed an acre of invasive plants from his property and planted planted 25 trees.
• Rich Cattermole of Upper Bern Township. A Master Watershed Steward , he also volunteers stream monitoring through Stroud Water Research and the Berks County Conservation District. He’s a Berks Nature Ambassador who helps at environmental programs showing local youth the importance of protecting the environment. He’s assisted with planting hundreds of trees with diverse community groups and is a member of the Tulpehocken Creek Watershed Association.
Environmental Educator of the Year
Lisa Delozier, assistant park and recreation director for Spring Township. Delozier said one of her favorite things is to see kids, parents, friends and family get excited about nature. She thanked all the presenters who have come out from the conservation district, Berks Master Watershed Stewards, Baird Ornithological Club and Berks County Amateur Astronomical Society and others. She also thanked the township parks and recreation director Judy Houck.
Consultant of the Year
Karen Krater is a landscape architect with John W. Hoffert PLS LTD in Shillington. She is on the Millcreek Township, Lebanon County, Planning Commission as well as involved with her community center board and a member of the Newmanstown Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary.
Contractor of the Year
Barwis Construction of Birdsboro. Founded in January 2004 on the premise of safely delivering only the highest quality projects, completed on time and within budget.
Low Volume Road Project of the Year
Marion Township’s School Road Project consisted of replacing an undersized stream crossing culvert. There were two undersized culvert pipes that frequently clogged during storm events causing the stream to overtop the road and eroding both banks of the road.
The outlet side of the stream crossing had considerable erosion and a large plunge pool was created that added to the scouring of the stream bed and banks. The project consisted of replacing the pipes with a single 8.5-foot wide span. Approximately 90 feet of each bank downstream of the outlet was repaired with mud sills to stabilize the banks and provide fish habitat. The project cost $173,221.
Dirt and Gravel Road Project of the Year
Penn Township’s Bootleg Road Project consisted of installing road drainage controls and raising the road profile to promote proper drainage. Prior to improvements, Bootleg Road would not drain properly, causing the road to rut, and potholes were formed over the entire length of the project, which was approximately 2,300 feet long.
To help promote better drainage, six cross pipes were installed, four new pipes and two that were replaced. Approximately 100 feet of underdrain was installed to stabilize a consistently wet and soft shoulder area. Two link belt water diversion devices were installed along a farmer access lane that diverted water run-off into a rip rap swale, which reduced water and sediment onto the roadway; 1,235 tons of road fill and 2A crushed stone was used to raise the road profile and graded to promote proper drainage. The project cost, including inkind funds, was $58,782.