Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
Innovative Partnerships Key to Strengthening Chesapeake Bay Protection Initiatives
Members of Pennsylvania’s county conservation districts, the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD), state agency representatives, and the National Resources Conservation Service met in Lewisburg, Union County, to encourage and forge new partnerships that will serve to further protect the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
“Each of our organizations have continued to make great strides in an effort to safeguard and clean up one of the nation’s most valuable water resources,” said Robert B. Maiden, Executive Director for the PACD. “We need to create a stronger synergy of collaboration between our organizations that will result in a better Chesapeake Bay now and for generations to come.”
During the 2012 Chesapeake Bay Program Conservation District and PA Agency Staff Meeting, participants took part in the “Snapshot of Innovative Partnerships” session which featured presentations from two conservation districts that forged unique alliances to assist with their Bay efforts.
In addition, meeting participants heard updates from both Nicholas DiPasquale from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Kelly Heffner from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection who discussed the “state of the bay” and “Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake Bay Initiatives” respectively.
“Meetings like these provide our districts and their partners with the latest information regarding the Bay and how the work they are doing is contributing to its overall health,” added Maiden. “We must continue to be innovative and on the forefront of all Bay initiatives, including public education, that will improve the health of the Bay and ensure its sustained health.”
Presentations from the 2012 meeting are available at: http://pacd.org/calendar/2012baymeeting/.
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Canon Envirothon 2012 Seeking Volunteers for 25th Annual Event
Do you enjoy working with youth? Do you care about natural resources and the environment? Do you want to make a difference in education awareness about our environmental footprint? Here’s your chance to participate in all of these areas. Volunteer for the Canon Envirothon, North America’s largest high school natural resource education program.
From July 22 – 27, 2012, Pennsylvania will host the 25th annual Canon Envirothon at the Susquehanna University. Teams will come to Selinsgrove from nearly every U.S. state and Canadian province/territory, numbering close to 600 students, teachers, and others.
Examples of some of the volunteer responsibilities:
Registration – Check in teams; provide housing information; provide information about the area
Airport Greeters – Welcome teams to Pennsylvania; assist in directing teams to shuttle buses
Candid Photographers – Capture all aspects of the Canon Envirothon
Group buddies/Bus monitors – Serve as a non-biased chaperone for the teams; travel with the students to stations
There are nearly 50 different volunteer tasks and we will need close to 250 volunteers to fill them all. If you can help for a half day, a full day, or several days, we welcome you!
For more information, or to sign up as a volunteer, contact Karen Books, Volunteer Committee Chair – kbooks@pa.gov or visit the PA Envirothon website Canon Envirothon 2012 section at http://www.envirothonpa.org/.
Winter Meeting Draws Leading Conservation Officials
Sandy Thompson and John Larson with Rich Kadwill (center) as he receives the NACDE Outstanding District Professional Award.
During the annual winter meeting of the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) and the State Conservation Commission, more than 145 participants gathered in State College to address local and statewide resource concerns.
“These meetings provide our membership with a unique opportunity to come together and discuss the latest concerns facing the districts across the state”, said MaryAnn Warren, President of the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts. “This year we were honored to have many of the state’s leading conservation officials join us to have a frank and open discussion with our members about specific concerns and issues.”
Joining the members during the Conservation Partnership Forum, led by PACD President Warren, included: Michael Pechart, Executive Deputy Secretary of the Department of Agriculture; John Hines, Executive Deputy Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Gary Smith, Assistant State Conversationalist for Operations at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services; Kristen Saake-Blunk, Senior Extension Associate and Director for the Agriculture and Environmental Center at The Pennsylvania State University; and Karl Brown, Executive Secretary to the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. This open forum spurred discussion on conservation programs, issues and topics of interest.
“Issues relating to Pennsylvania’s environment and natural resources continue to dominate local, regional and state media outlets,” said Robert Maiden, Executive Director for PACD. “From Marcellus Shale to Growing Greener to dedicated funding, our membership engaged our state officials and each other to provide suggestions, alternatives and new ideas that will lead to stronger communication and better understanding of these challenges.”
In addition to the Forum, participants attended Leadership Development Sessions that are geared specifically to address the needs of the membership including ethics, funding and new social media opportunities.
PACD was honored to have John Larson, CEO of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) located in Washington D.C. attend the entire meeting. Mr. Larson spent his time sitting in on sessions and meeting with individuals to hear their comments and concerns about local and national conservation issues so he can better advocate for conservation districts at the national level.
Pennsylvania Farm Show: More Than Just Great Milkshakes
Each year thousands of people land in Harrisburg to attend the largest indoor agriculture exposition in the nation to experience all that Pennsylvania’s thriving agricultural industry has to offer including more than 6,000 animals, 13,000 exhibits and great food. But the 96 th Annual Pennsylvania Farm Show also provided organizations, like the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD), with the opportunity to speak one-on-one with individuals from communities throughout the commonwealth.
“The Farm Show allows our membership to showcase our vital conservation efforts and resources to a large, captive audience,” said Robert Maiden, Executive Director for the PACD. “Not only are we able to inform and educate attendees about our conservation and agricultural work in 66 counties, we are able to listen to the concerns and answer questions that residents from across the commonwealth have relating to our services and Pennsylvania’s ever-changing environmental concerns.”
In addition to educational information about the districts and the important work they do, volunteers working at the PACD booth distributed seed packets, sponsored by Covanta, to attendees with a link to the PACD website. As a result, the number of people visiting the PACD website during the week of the Farm Show increased by 13 percent with more than 776 visitors viewing more than 2,100 pages. At least 124 visitors clicked on the “Find Your Conservation District” page, which is a directory of Pennsylvania’s conservation districts.
