UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A Penn State Extension webinar will focus on how community planners and other local leaders can utilize U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service and USDA Rural Development, for community plan creation and implementation.
Presenting the 75-minute webinar at noon April 20 will be Dayana Estades, with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Bob Morgan, the Pennsylvania state director for Rural Development.
When Americans hear USDA, usually food and farming come to mind. However, organizers note that Rural Development supports not only agricultural producers, but their communities as well. The agency administers more than 50 loan and grant programs to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. Funding supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities, including schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access.
Since 1935, the Natural Resources Conservation Service has aimed to help America’s private landowners and managers conserve soil, water and other natural resources. In addition, the agency’s Conservation Technical Assistance program provides technical assistance to land-users, communities, units of state and local government, and other federal agencies in planning and implementing conservation systems.
Though especially relevant when municipalities identify agriculture as a priority for community preservation or development, these agencies also can assist community development in nonagricultural areas, according to organizers.
This webinar is intended to help planners, elected officials and other community organizations better utilize resources from these agencies.
“NRCS and USDA RD: Funders That Planners, Municipal Officials and Other Community Leaders Should Know Well” is the fourth webinar in the monthly Penn State Extension Winter/Spring 2022 Land-Use Webinar Series that runs through May. The series informs municipal elected and appointed officials, planners, landowners, farmers, and community organizations about land-use issues and decisions in their communities.
All programs will be recorded and available for future viewing. Other topics and dates in the webinar series include the following:
— Jan. 19: “Traditional Neighborhood Development: Planning Walkable and Connected Communities.”
— Feb. 16: “COVID-19 and Residential Property Sales in Rural Pennsylvania.”
— March 16: “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.”
— May 18: “How Do Agricultural Practices Relate to Planning in Pennsylvania?”
The cost of the webinar series is $50 for all five sessions, or $95 for all five sessions for those who want to receive AICP certification-maintenance credits from the American Planning Association. The cost also is $95 for all five sessions for professional engineers needing PDH credits. In addition, registered landscape architects can receive continuing-education credits for a fee of $65.
For anyone interested in a particular topic from the series, individual session registration is available for a fee of $15 per session.
For more information, contact Peter Wulfhorst at 570-296-3400 or by email at ptw3@psu.edu. To register for the webinars, visit the Penn State Extension website.