Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts

We support Pennsylvania’s Conservation Districts who work for clean water and healthy soil every day.

2020 Poster Contest Theme “Where would we BEE without Pollinators?”

JUST IN TIME FOR BACK TO SCHOOL!! The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has announced the 2020 Poster Contest theme: “Where would we BEE without Pollinators.” PACD will be accepting photos of your county’s winners until June 30, 2020. We are very excited to see all the artistic entries for this year’s theme!

Click here to read more. 

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Washington County Conservation District Recognizes Staff

(Left to right) Matt Golden (5 year certificate and 10 year pin), Jennifer Dann (5 year certificate), Clarice Munk (15 year pin), and Tom Ulrich (5 year certificate).

Washington County Conservation District recognized staff for years of service at a monthly board meeting. These individuals have dedicated years to conserving soil and water health in Washington County and were recognized for their duty, dedication, and loyalty to Washington County Conservation District. Congratulations to Matt, Jennifer, Clarice, and Tom!

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PACD Announces State Level Winners of NACD Poster Contest

Leah Hartman’s poster (Carbon County) is pictured.

PACD announces the five state-level winners of the National Association of Conservation District’s 2019 “Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper” poster contest.

The winners in each category are:

K-1 Leah Hartman – Carbon County
2-3 Tvisha Jani – Delaware County
4-6 Karlee Dwyer – Delaware County
7-9 Marializ Jordan – Delaware County
10-12 Makenna Bankes – Carbon County

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/.

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Conservationists Recognized in Williamsport

Representative Donna Oberlander receives the 2019 Legislator Leadership Award. Left to right are: Dr. Robert Shannon, PACD North Central Region Director; Greg Hostetter, Deputy Secretary of the PA Department of Agriculture; Charles Duritsa, PACD President; Representative Donna Oberlander; Aneca Atkinson, Deputy Secretary of the PA Department of Environmental Protection, and Brenda Shambaugh, PACD Executive Director.

Representatives from across the Commonwealth traveled to the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport for the PACD/State Conservation Commission’s 72nd Joint Annual Conference. Several conservationists were recognized at an awards luncheon on July 17, 2019.

The 2019 PACD honorees are as follows: 

  • Legislator Leadership Award: Representative Donna Oberlander (PA 63rd District)
  • President’s Award: Denise Coleman, State Conservationist, Pennsylvania USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
  • Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director Excellence Award: Pownall Jones (Chester County)
  • Conservation District Employee Excellence Award: Carl Goshorn (Cumberland County)
  • Conservation District Employee Service Recognition Program Awards
    30 Years of Service
  • Martie Hetherington, Chesapeake Bay Program Coordinator, Schuylkill County
  • Rob Fetter, Resource Conservationist/Network Administrator, York County

 Click here to read the entire press release.

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Five Pennsylvania Farms Receive Clean Water Farm Award

The Martin Family receives the Pennsylvania Clean Water Farm Award on July 17 at the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference in Williamsport. Left to right are: Dr. Robert Shannon, PACD North Central Region Director; Greg Hostetter, Deputy Secretary of the PA Department of Agriculture; Josh and Brandi Martin, award recipients; Charles Duritsa, PACD President; Aneca Atkinson, Deputy Secretary of the PA Department of Environmental Protection, and Brenda Shambaugh, PACD Executive Director.

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD) in conjunction with the award sponsor, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), presented the operators of five farms with the Clean Water Farm Award during its annual conference on July 17, 2019 in Williamsport, 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.

DEP has sponsored this award for the past thirty-three years. Recipients receive a certificate signed by the DEP Secretary and a large Clean Water Farm Award sign to erect on their property.

This year’s award recipients are:

  • Snider Homestead Farm (Bedford County)
  • Hard Earned Acres, Bob and Barb Keefer (Cumberland County)
  • Martin Farms, Josh & Brandi Martin and Robert & Patsy Martin (Franklin County)
  • Iams Farm (Washington County)
  • Belview Valley Farms LLC, Eric Gemmill (York County)

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 for the entire press release.

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PACD Taking Conservation Award Nominations

The April 30 deadline to recognize a fellow conservationist by nominating him or her for a PACD Award is fast approaching.

  • 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 Jann McNamara at jmcnamara@pacd.org with any questions.

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PACD Accepting Award Nominations

Recognize a fellow conservationist by nominating him or her for a PACD Award:

  • 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

Nominations are due by April 30. Click here for more information and a nomination form. Contact Jann McNamara at jmcnamara@pacd.org with any questions.

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Westmoreland Conservation District Wins Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence

One individual and 17 organizations, businesses, and local governments in Pennsylvania have been selected by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to receive the prestigious 2019 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.

Congratulations to Westmoreland Conservation District for winning with their Stormwater basin retrofitting educational videos. The videos illustrate the function, design, assessment, retrofitting, and maintenance of stormwater basins. During the workshop held by the district, 382 individuals watched the video and provided feedback on their understanding of how retrofitting, inspection, and maintenance impact water quality.

Click here to view the entire list of recipients.

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Deadline for Nominations for PACD Conservation Awards is April 30

Do you know a staff person or director who has gone above and beyond the call of duty?

A legislator who champions conservation legislation? Or a Pennsylvania resident or Pennsylvania-based organization you would like to recognize for their contributions in support of environmental recreation? If so, nominate them for a PACD award!

The awards are:

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

The deadline for nominations is April 30, 2019. Click here for more information and the nomination forms.

Contact Jann McNamara at jmcnamara@pacd.org or 717-238-7223 with any questions.

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