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.

The National Association of Conservation Districts 2019 Poster Contest theme is “Life in the Soil: DIG DEEPER.” PACD will be accepting photos of your county’s winners until June 30, 2019. We can’t wait to see all the artistic entries for this year’s theme! Contact Jann McNamara at 717-238-7223 x 106 or jmcnamara@pacd.org with questions.

Click here to read more.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Clean Water Farm Award Program recognizes Pennsylvania farmers whose exemplary farm management practices result in improved local and downstream water quality. Pennsylvania’s conservation districts may submit a nomination for a farm in their county. One award will be given in each of PACD’s six regions.

Each district that submits a complete nomination will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 pizza party for their office! Deadline: April 30, 2019.

Award recipients receive a large Clean Water Farm Award sign to hang at their farm, a signed certificate, and an invitation to the PACD/SCC Awards Luncheon in July.

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 more or contact Shannon Wehinger with questions.

PACD is pleased to announce the five state level winners of the National Association of Conservation Districts 2018 “Watersheds – Our Water, Our Home” poster contest.

The winners in each age category are:

K–1^st Grade: Aaliyah Basile, Carbon County
2^nd–3^rd Grade:            Tvisha Jani, Delaware County
4^th–6^th Grade:            Bethany Boecker, Sullivan County
7^th–9^th Grade:            Eric Chen, Bucks County
10^th–12^th Grade:        Paige Hollibaugh, Huntingdon County

To promote education on the importance of healthy watersheds, 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/.