While kids are home from school and parents are looking for activities, why not suggest the 2020 Poster Contest to your county residents via Facebook? The 2020 theme is, “Where would we BEE without Pollinators?”

Conservation districts that wish to participate can collect nominations via email, judge them, and forward the winners in each grade category to PACD. PACD will then select the statewide winners to move on to the national contest.

PACD will accept photos of your county’s winners until June 30, 2020. Entries can be emailed to jmcnamara@pacd.org. Click here for more information on the contest. 

Thanks to Celina Seftas, manager at Huntingdon County Conservation District, for the idea to promote this to families at home!

Do you know a staff person, director, or associate 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, 2020. Click here for more information and the nomination forms.

Nominations should be emailed to Jann McNamara at jmcnamara@pacd.org.

Know a Pennsylvania farmer or forester who goes above and beyond in the care and management of natural resources? Nominate them for the 2020 Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award®.

Sand County Foundation presents the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 20 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In Pennsylvania, the $10,000 award is presented annually with Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and Heinz Endowments.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes landowners who inspire others with their dedication to land, water, and wildlife habitat management on private, working land. In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage.

Submit a nomination on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves. The application is available at www.sandcountyfoundation.org/ApplyLCA. Email applications to award@sandcountyfoundation.org by August 1, 2020.

The Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award is made possible through the generous support of platinum sponsor, Heinz Endowments, and the assistance and support of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Sand County Foundation, USDA NRCS, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts.

The Leopold Conservation Award is presented at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January.

National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), in partnership with the NACD Auxiliary, announced the winners of the 2019 Photo Contest during the 74th NACD Annual Meeting. The 2019 Poster Contest theme was “Life in the Soil:  DIG DEEPER.”

Congratulations to Tvisha Jani and the Delaware County Conservation District for winning second place in the grades 2-3 division!

Click here for information on the 2020 poster contest. “Where would we BEE without Pollinators.” PACD will be accepting photos of your county’s winners until June 30, 2020.

On January 10, Dean & Rebecca Jackson Of Mt-Glen Farms in Columbia Cross Roads (Bradford County) were presented with the PA Leopold Conservation Award.  This third-generation dairy farm is a leader in conservation. Click here to read more about the operation. 

PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh attended the awards presentation, which was held during the PA Farm Show in Harrisburg.

Click here to read more about the award presentation.

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. 

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!

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/.

Representatives from across the Commonwealth traveled to the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport for the PACD/State Conservation Commission’s 72^nd 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.

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.