The April 30th deadline to recognize a fellow conservationist by nominating him or her for a PACD Award is fast approaching. Contact Sandy Austin at saustin@pacd.org or 717-238-7223 with any questions.

• Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director or Associate Director Excellence Award
• Conservation District Employee Excellence Award
• Legislator Recognition Award
• Maurice K. Goddard Award for Excellence in Environmental Recreation

Click here for more information and a nomination form. 

Recognize a fellow conservationist by nominating him or her for a PACD Award. Nominations for the following awards are due by April 30.

• Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director or Associate Director Excellence Award
• Conservation District Employee Excellence Award
• Legislator Recognition Award
• Maurice K. Goddard Award for Excellence in Environmental Recreation

Click here for more information and a nomination form. Contact Sandy Austin at saustin@pacd.org with any questions.

The 2017 National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Poster Contest is now open! The theme is “Healthy Soils are Full of Life!” PACD will be accepting JPEG versions of your county’s winners until June 30, 2017. The digital versions of the posters have been a great help in cutting down on postage and handling costs, and NACD has assured us there are no discrepancies in judging JPEG’s versus hard copies. In fact, it’s their preferred medium. We can’t wait to see all of the artistic entries for this year’s theme!

Click here to read more.

PACD and the PACD Auxiliary are pleased to announce the five state level winners of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) 2016 “We All Need Trees” poster contest. The winners in each age category are:

• K – 1^st Grade: Sabrina Ibragimova, Berks County
• 2^nd – 3^rd Grade: Shricharan Ilayanambi, Delaware County
• 4^th – 6^th Grade: Sreekethav Vaka, Delaware County
• 7^th – 9^th Grade: Mara Yahner, Cambria County
• 10^th – 12^th Grade: Shaianne Perkins, Carbon County

To promote the importance of trees, students from kindergarten through twelfth grades entered posters conveying their thoughts and ideas through original artwork. Submissions were judged based on the entry’s conservation message, visual effectiveness, originality, and universal appeal. PACD thanks all of the participants in the contest for their interest and dedication to conservation. Best wishes to the state level winners in the upcoming national judging competition. For more information about the NACD poster contest, visit https://www.nacdnet.org/general-resources/stewardship-and-education-materials/contests.  

PACD presented the operators of five farms with the Clean Water Farm Award during its annual conference on July 27, 2016 in State College, PA. The honor is awarded annually to farmers who manage their daily farm operations in an environmentally conscious manner that helps to protect Pennsylvania’s water quality. This year’s award recipients are:

• South East Region: Barclay Hoopes (Chester County)
• South West Region: James A. & Billie Cowell, Jr. of Frosty Springs Farm (Greene County)
• North West Region: Elder Farms – Loren & Darren Elder (Lawrence County)
• North Central Region: Allen & Linda Wehr Farm (Union County)
• South Central Region: Randall & Sarah Patterson (York County)

The Clean Water Farm award was initiated in 1986. Recipients of the award are nominated by their local county conservation districts. Financial support for this award is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program and the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Education Office (administered by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.). Click here to read the entire press release.  

Conservation district staffs, state officials, and legislative partners convened in State College to honor conservationists during the PACD and State Conservation Commission’s 69^th Joint Annual Conference. The awards luncheon took place July 27 at the Ramada Conference Center in State College, PA. The 2016 PACD honorees are as follows:

• Legislator Leadership Award

Representative Tommy Sankey (Clearfield)

• President’s Award

Christopher Thompson (Lancaster)

• Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director Excellence Award

Kenneth Meck (Lancaster)

• Conservation District Employee Excellence Award

Karl Kerchner (Lebanon)

• Auxiliary Scholarship

Leah Wenhold (Lehigh)

Conservation District Employee Service Recognition Program Awards

• 30 Years of Service

Donna Fisher, District Manager, Blair

Maryruth Wagner, District Manager, Columbia

• 35 Years of Service

Ed Magargee, District Manager, Delaware

Greg Phillips, District Manager, Westmoreland

• 40 Years of Service

Barry Travelpiece, P.E., Resource Conservationist, Columbia

Click here to read the entire press release.