In September, PACD published an article about Susquehanna County Conservation District’s (SCCD) eel program. Did you know that Watershed Specialist Jillian Pagnnotti is also raising worms? The worms provide an additional food source for the American eels.

According to the SCCD’s Instagram post, “live food helps train the eels to hunt and be able to provide for themselves once released, and not to mention that they love to eat worms! Here at the SCCD office, Jillian has made a vermiculture! A vermiculture is essentially a worm farm. The worms are kept in a controlled environment, fed throughout the week, and used as live food for the eels. Our vermiculture contains red wigglers. A stable, controlled environment will allow the worms to reproduce and provide an endless supply of live food for our eels. The worms eat organic waste, such as kitchen scraps and yard waste, and convert it into rich, dark, crumbly compost. The process also produces a liquid called vermitea, which is collected and can be used as a nitrogen-rich fertilizer for houseplants or gardens!”

On October 29, 2025, the Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) held a dedication for the Glenn Seidel Board and Conference Room at their office.

The BCCD Board of Directors attended the event with Glenn’s wife, daughter, grandson, brother-in-law, and sister, as well as friends and colleagues.

Glenn served as a director of the Berks County Conservation District for over 25 years. He served on the PACD Executive Board for five years. In that time, he served as 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President, and as President from 2015 to 2017. He was also a member of the PACD Education and Outreach Committee.

 

On October 28, 2025, PACD Project & Event Specialist Molly Burns participated in a restoration site tour hosted by the Lebanon County Conservation District as part of the Hammer Creek Partnership. Also in attendance were Joe Marsicano, Funding & Resource Specialist for the Pennsylvania Senate, and representatives from the offices of U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, State Senator Chris Gebhard, and State Representative Russ Diamond.

The tour showcased several sites where restoration activities are planned as part of a comprehensive restoration plan for the Hammer Creek Headwaters. This multi-site landscape-scale project aims to maximize environmental benefits by restoring multiple sites through voluntary landowner participation. The project will take years to complete. Once finished, it will reduce flooding and reap benefits for local landowners, the wild trout population, and water quality, both locally and downstream to the Chesapeake Bay.

The Hammer Creek Partnership includes the Doc Fritchey Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Nature Conservancy, Ecosystem Planning & Restoration (EPR), Spring Hill Partners, and the Lebanon County Conservation District. Project partners also include the Lancaster Farmland Trust, and Pheasants Forever.

In Tunkhannock, in Wyoming County, PA, Jay Jadick and his partner, Jordan Delzell, are writing a new chapter on Jay’s family land. Together, they operate Twofold Farm and Studio, a blend of market garden and papermaking studio, coupled with a bold vision for perennial agriculture. 

Jay, a fourth-generation farmer, is shifting ground that once grew continuous corn into a more resilient future with trees. “We’re hoping to find a blend between art and agriculture in our daily lives,” he explained. “Long term, we want to focus on perennial crops like chestnuts and work more cooperatively with other artists and farmers in the region.” 

Twofold Farm’s vision began moving forward in June 2023, when Jay and Jordan first met with the Wyoming County Conservation District to share their ideas. With the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) newly launched, planning moved quickly.

Click here to read the entire article. 

This summer, Chester County Conservation District planted 0.36 acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer in the White Clay Watershed. The project cost $5,256.00 and was paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program. 

 

Submitted by Doug Beri, Jr., Executive Director, Indiana County Conservation District.

The Indiana County Conservation District’s annual Apple Festival once again drew thousands of visitors to celebrate Indiana County’s agricultural heritage, local artisans, and conservation programs.

The festival grounds came alive with the sights and scents of autumn as visitors enjoyed fresh-pressed apple cider, with more than 180 gallons produced on-site, alongside local foods, handmade crafts, and nature-inspired goods. Vendors offered a wide range of fall favorites, from caramel apples to handcrafted soaps, jewelry, and artwork.

In addition to local shopping and food, the festival featured hands-on learning experiences that brought conservation to life. Attendees explored educational booths on stormwater management, watershed protection, native plants, and pollinator habitats. At the same time, families enjoyed children’s crafts, a petting zoo, and live music by Mountains Meet the Moon Band, whose blend of Appalachian and Celtic tunes kept the crowd entertained throughout the day.

“The Apple Festival continues to grow as a celebration of everything that makes Indiana County unique; our farms, our forests, our creativity, and our sense of community,” said Douglas Beri Jr., Executive Director of the Indiana County Conservation District. “It’s an event that blends fun and education, helping residents connect directly with conservation in action.”

With a record turnout, strong community support, and participation from dozens of local vendors and organizations, the festival has solidified its place as one of the region’s signature fall traditions.

For more information about upcoming events and conservation programs, visit www.iccdpa.org.

 

The Allegheny County Conservation District was named one of the top 15 best mid-size workplaces in Western PA by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The district was ranked 13th in the medium category (25-49 employees).

The staff celebrated this recognition at a Pittsburgh Pirates game at PNC Park. (The Pirates lost to the Cubs 8-4.)

Click here to read more. 

 

Susquehanna County Conservation District (SCCD) recently welcomed new “Eels in the Classroom” to their district tank! This is SCCD’s second year raising eels, and these juveniles are already much bigger than last year’s.

Eels in the Classroom (EIC), offered by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, gives educators juvenile American eels to raise and release back into the Susquehanna River. The program partners with natural resource agencies, schools, and Conowingo Dam operators to help restore eels to their native waters.

Public educators interested in joining the EIC program can fill out the form here. 

Cumberland County Conservation District funded a stream restoration project along the Mountain Creek of Mount Holly Springs. This project successfully restored 640 feet of stream bank with the use of saw-tooth modified mudsill, log-framed cross vanes with rock throats, saw-tooth stone deflectors, and log-framed stone deflectors.

By installing these practices, the district and partners:

• Improved water flow & oxygen
• Reduced erosion
• Created a better habitat for trout & aquatic life

Project partners included the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Habitat Management Division, Western PA Conservancy, the Mountain Creek Trout Club and Conservation Society, and Gleim Excavating.

The project was funded with $50,337 from the Unconventional Gas Well Fund (Marcellus Shale).

 

On Saturday, September 6, 2025, the Lehigh County Conservation District partnered with the Lehigh Valley Zoo to raise awareness about the damage invasive plants can do to our landscape and ecosystem.

Participants in this unique new event met on The Trexler Game Preserve with a two-fold mission. First, learn all about invasive Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), then collect berries and foliage. After discussing identification, look-alikes, and native berry producers, the group paraded back to the Zoo grounds with harvest in tow to make a tasty jam and provide enrichment to resident megafauna!

Although E. umbellata is not preferred browse for PA native whitetail and elk, its thorny branches are similar enough to the Masai giraffe’s beloved Acacia foliage to be thoroughly enjoyed! With each jar of jam, participants brought home the knowledge to prevent thousands of new autumn olive seedlings from taking root in our public lands each year.