Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts

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

Thank You, Farm Show Volunteers

Staff from Schuylkill Conservation District interact with the public on January 10, 2025.

Thank you to all the volunteers who made the conservation district booth at the PA Farm Show a success!

Thank you to the following conservation districts who sent volunteers:

  • Berks
  • Carbon
  • Centre
  • Chester
  • Franklin
  • Fulton
  • Lebanon
  • Mifflin
  • Schuylkill
  • Snyder
  • Westmoreland
  • And the PA Envirothon

Continue Reading

PACD Hosting Free Webinar on Legislative Process

Join PACD’s Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh for a free webinar on “Conservation Districts and Pennsylvania’s Legislative Process.” Brenda will share her more than three decades of experience building relationships with legislators during the webinar. Attendees will learn how conservation districts can engage legislators, the best time for engagement, and ideas and resources for making your efforts as effective as possible.

The event will occur via Zoom on February 5, 2025, from Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Click here to register. 

Continue Reading

Bradford County Conservation District Launches Renewable Energy Trailer

The Bradford County Conservation District and Bradford Solar recently announced their partnership with the launch of a new Renewable Energy Trailer at the Green Jobs Fair at Mount Pisgah State Park.

The Renewable Energy Trailer is an educational tool that will travel around the county to fairs, schools, and community events to teach people about renewable energy. The trailer offers a unique, hands-on experience that will appeal to people of all ages.

At the exclusive event, attendees had the chance to visit the Renewable Energy Trailer and the Bradford Solar vendor booth, where the team answered questions and shared more information about the trailer and the Bradford Solar Project.

Continue Reading

Columbia County Conservation District Holds Water Education Day

Students work at a stream table using flags to identify various parts of a stream, like headwaters, mouth, delta, cut bank, deposition, and erosion. Photo provided by Columbia County Conservation District.

On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the Columbia County Conservation District held its 8th annual Water Education Day at Briar Creek Lake Park in Berwick. About 240 eighth-grade students from three different school districts in Columbia County attended the event. The students rotated through six stations, learning about various aspects of our water sources, water quality, and aquatic ecosystems.

Click here to read more about the event and to see more photos.

Continue Reading

Elk County Conservation District Holds Forestry Days for Districts

Photos provided by ECCD.

The Elk County Conservation District (ECCD), in collaboration with neighboring conservation districts and other industry partners, hosted “Forestry Days for Districts” from July 29 to 30 in Johnsonburg, PA. This two-day workshop was open to all conservation districts statewide, and representatives from over 20 districts were present! The objective was to provide “training by districts, for districts,” focusing on timber harvesting and effectively communicating sustainable timber practices.

Throughout PA, each district encounters varying degrees of forestry sites and timber operations. “Forestry Days for Districts” allowed district employees from all corners of the state to come together to discuss their own experiences and learn directly from those in the forestry industry.

Click here to read the entire article and see more photos. 

Continue Reading

Winners Announced in State Poster Contest on Forests

The poster winners are (left to right from the top): Kaelyn Duncan (K-1); Kinley Farabaugh (7-9); Jion Kim (2-3); Alekhya Doddapaneni (4-6); Halena Nguyen (10-12); and Kira Dillon (10-12 Digital).

PACD is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 “May the Forest Be with You Always” statewide poster contest.

The winners and the county conservation district that submitted the posters are:

Category: Kindergarten through First Grade

  • Kaelyn Duncan, Greene County Conservation District

Category: Second through Third Grades

  • Jion Kim, Delaware County Conservation District

Category: Fourth through Sixth Grades

  • Alekhya Doddapaneni, Allegheny County Conservation District

Category: Seventh through Ninth Grades

  • Kinley Farabaugh, Cambria County Conservation District

Category: Tenth through Twelfth Grades

  • Halena Nguyen, Delaware County Conservation District

Category: Tenth through Twelfth Grades – Digital Poster

  • Kira Dillon, Cambria County Conservation District

Each state-level winner will receive $50 and will be submitted for judging this winter’s upcoming national competition. The National Association of Conservation Districts sponsors the national contest. Click here for more information.

 

Continue Reading

2024 Lebanon County Envirothon Soils Training

NRCS Soil Scientist John Chibirka leads students in a soil texture exercise at the 2024 Lebanon County Envirothon Soils Training.

Submitted by: Lebanon County Conservation District Watershed Specialist Katie Hollen

On March 20, 2024, approximately eighty students attended the Lebanon County Envirothon Soils Training. Middle and high school students participated from ELCO; the Lebanon, Northern Lebanon, and Palmyra school districts; Lebanon Christian Academy; and Myerstown Enrichment Center.

The Lebanon County Conservation District hosted the hands-on training at the Lebanon Expo Center. Soil Scientist John Chibirka (Berks) and Assistant State Conservationist Charlie Hanner (Lebanon) from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) were special guest instructors.

John began the morning with a presentation on soil forming factors, soil texture, soil horizons, and more. Students viewed a soil map of Pennsylvania and learned about the importance of understanding soil properties when making land-use decisions. They also learned about our state soil, Hazleton.

After the presentation, students used the soil textural triangle to classify different soil samples. John assisted the students as they practiced making ribbons with soil and estimating the amounts of sand, silt, and clay in each sample. He also showed them how to use Munsell Soil Color Books to determine the color of each soil sample. Charlie introduced students to topographic maps and led an exercise in which students used soil surveys to determine the soil types at their schools.

Continue Reading

Northampton County Conservation District Honors Former Manager Chryss Buchman

Photo provided by Northampton County Conservation District.

During the 2024 Northampton County Envirothon, a prize was presented in honor of Chryss Buchman, the district’s former manager, who passed away in 2016. The award was given to the highest-scoring team at the Current Issue Station. The 2024 winner is the team from Moravian Academy.

Continue Reading

Susquehanna County Conservation District Celebrates Earth Day with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Photo provided by Susquehanna County Conservation District.

The Susquehanna County Conservation District held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new ¼ mile interpretive trail around the district office to celebrate Earth Day. The trail includes an area for pollinators and a live-stake garden.

Click here to view a local news report about the project.

Continue Reading

Westmoreland Conservation District Holds Annual Engineers’ Workshop

Photo provided by WCD.

The Westmoreland Conservation District (WCD) recently held its annual Engineers’ Workshop. It attracted nearly 400 attendees from 18 counties and three states! Participants heard program updates from PA Department of Environmental Protection staff. They also learned about erosion and sediment control, riparian buffers, stream crossings, and other topics from WCD staff and guest speakers.

Click here for presentations from the event. 

Continue Reading