Wayne Conservation District

10/13/2026

Fall brings along an array of beautiful colors in our landscape. Have you ever wondered what these colors are, or why they happen?

As days become shorter and the temperatures become colder, this signals trees to prepare for winter by conserving energy. Chlorophyll, or the green pigment that absorbs sunlight to make food through photosynthesis, begins to break down and is no longer produced. This process is called senescence!

As chlorophyll breaks down, pigments called carotenoids become visible, giving us yellow and orange hues.

Some trees express vibrant red hues, known as anthocyanins. Anthocyanins, unlike carotenoids, are not already present as chlorophyll breaks down, but are newly produced.

As you admire the cozy colors of fall and prepare for the winter months, think about how trees are doing the same!🍂🍁

10/09/2026

We are now hitting our peak fall foliage! 🍂

Whatever your plans are this weekend, take a moment to appreciate one of nature's greatest shows.

Ever wonder why the leaves change color? Check out this article from the Smithsonian: https://www.si.edu/stories/why-do-leaves-change-color-fall

10/06/2026

Last week, District staff went to help Northern Tier Hardwood Association with their 3rd Annual Sustainable Timber Harvesting event! 🌳🍃🪵

Even with the rainy weather, this event was a blast! Mark your calendars for next year's event October 6 - 9, 2027 with Saturday the 9th being the Public Day! 🗓

10/05/2026

🌱Fresh Sprout Friday 🌱
Are you a new homeowner? Long time resident of Pike/Wayne County? Looking to have your environmental questions answered? 🤔🏠🌱 Then be sure to stop by the Pike/Wayne Conservation Partnership's Homeowner's Resource Fair!
Browse partners' tables and get inspired with new ideas, gather up plenty of useful information, and meet local resources that will help you care for your home, property, and the planet.
📍Where: Milford Community House
📅When: October 16, 2026
🕛Time: 2:00pm-5:00pm

10/02/2026

Source water protection is important for drinking water sources large and small! 💧

If you don't have a private well at home, you are probably getting your water from a community water system/provider. 🚰

Check out this video about source water protection and how some water systems create protected drinking water areas: https://vimeo.com/64519605?fl=pl&fe=sh

More information about source water protection, why we should protect it, and examples from the EPA click here: https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/basic-information-about-source-water-protection

Take the Source Water Challenge! 💧

Do you know where your drinking water begins?

🔎 Identify your water supplier—or locate information about your private well.
💧 Find out whether your water comes from a river, reservoir, spring, or groundwater well.
📄 Read your annual Consumer Confidence Report if you use a public water system.
🗺️ Locate your home within its watershed and learn where water flows after it rains.

Private well owner? Pennsylvania law requires well drillers to complete a well log for every well drilled in the state. Your well log can provide helpful information about your well’s depth, construction, and surrounding geology. If you do not have a copy, contact your original well driller or search the records available through the Pennsylvania Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey.

Knowing the story behind your water is the first step toward protecting it—for your household and your community.

10/01/2026

🏠🌲💧 Protecting drinking water can start right outside your door!

These small actions upstream can make a big difference at the tap. Which one will you try first?

09/29/2026

This look for posts from us and our partners in the Pocono Source Water Protection Collaborative about ways you can protect your source of drinking water! 🚰💧

If you live in Wayne County, you are likely to have a private well on your property!

For more information about protecting our groundwater sources, visit https://www.ngwa.org/what-is-groundwater/Groundwater-Protection

🚰 Before it reaches your faucet, your water has a whole journey to make!

Source water is the untreated water that supplies our drinking water. It may begin as groundwater beneath our feet or as water in a river, stream, lake, reservoir, or spring.

What happens around these water sources matters. Pollution on the land can travel through soil, groundwater, and stormwater runoff—eventually reaching the water we depend on.

So next time you fill your glass, remember: clean drinking water starts at the source!💧

09/25/2026

Don't forget to join our friends at the Northern Tier Hardwood Association this weekend for this fun, FREE event! 🌳🍃

FREE OUTDOOR EVENT! Sunday, September 27th
Showcasing Pennsylvania's forest industry!

Deer Park Lumber, Inc.
Keystone Timber & Forestry LLC
Pinchot Forest District
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
Prosser Power Group LLC
Northeastern Loggers' Association Inc.
Five Star Equipment

09/23/2026

Still looking for something to do this weekend??

There is still time to register to join us on Saturday at 10am for a free streamside program!! 🌊🍂🐛

Looking for something fun to do this fall? 👀🍂

Join District staff and our partners at Pike - Wayne Trout Unlimited for a FREE streamside program this September!

Through this program we will be:
🌳-Discussing how trees are part of a healthy stream.
🐛-Investigating the kinds of aquatic creatures that live there.
🎣-Demonstrating what those creatures have to do with stream recreation, like fishing!

The program is free, but we ask that you register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/xAEMLhfPSS

If you have any questions, please contact Rachael Marques at 570-253-0930 or [email protected].

Funding for this project is being provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Environmental Education Grant Program.

09/21/2026

Prepare your garden for winter with simple, sustainable practices that protect plants and support beneficial insects. Learn techniques such as “no rake” and “chop and drop,” discover what to leave in the garden to provide winter habitat for beneficial insects, and explore how to save seeds f...