Applications are now being accepted for the Agricultural Conservation Technical Training (“Boot Camp” Basic level and Level II). Conservation district staff are encouraged to take advantage of these free, week-long training opportunities which include both classroom learning and experience in the field.

Basic Level – April 2-6, 2018

Level II – April 23-27, 2018

If you do not receive confirmation from PACD, you will not be admitted. No walk-ins will be accepted. Both courses are held at the Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County). Questions? Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

These training opportunities are made possible by the following sponsors: Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Conservation Commission, and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.

Register Now. Time is running out to register for one of the Manure Management Manual Train-the-Trainer Workshops coming up in January 2018. You will learn how to use the Manure Management Manual to write plans and how to train others to use the manual. Techniques for conducting plan-writing workshops to help farmers develop their manure management plans are also covered.

PACD and the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) host these workshops for conservation district, DEP, Penn State Extension, and other agency staff members involved in helping agricultural producers write manure management plans. Both new and experienced staff are invited to attend. The workshops are free and lunch will be provided.

Go to the PACD Events tab at www.PACD.org or click on the link below for more information or to register. Dates and Locations are:

January 23, 2018 DCNR Bureau of Forestry Office, Clarion, Clarion County, PA
Click here for more information or to register for this workshop

January 25, 2018 Penn State Extension Building, New Bloomfield, Perry County, PA
Click here for more information or to register for this workshop

January 30, 2018 PA Department of Ag – Region 3 Office, Tunkhannock, Wyoming County, PA
Click here for more information or to register for this workshop

Mark your calendars for the Agricultural Conservation Technical Training (“Boot Camp” Basic level and Level II). Conservation district staff are encouraged to take advantage of these free, week-long training opportunities which include both classroom learning and experience in the field.

• Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Basic Level
  April 2-6, 2018
  Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)

• Agricultural Conservation Technical Training – Level II
  April 23-27, 2018
  Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)

Questions? Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

These training opportunities are made possible by the following sponsors: Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Conservation Commission, and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.

Twenty-nine students completed the Intro to Conservation Planning Course in Grantville from November 7-9, 2017. The training included classroom and field experience. The course targeted entry-level conservationists, introducing them to the conservation planning process, and related tools and technology in Pennsylvania.

PACD partnered with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the State Conservation Commission to deliver the three-day training.

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) recently opened in the Delaware River Basin (DRB). To ensure staff at CREP partner agencies and organizations in the DRB are knowledgeable about the program, the CREP Outreach Program Office of the PA Association of Conservation Districts sponsored a workshop on August 22, 2017. Thirty-six people attended the workshop at Penn State Lehigh Valley Campus and are now able to assist interested landowners and to encourage the installation CREP conservation practices.

Those attending heard from the Farm Service Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, PA Department of Environmental Protection, the PA Game Commission, and the CREP Outreach Program Office. They are now able to explain the benefits and responsibilities of the program and identify landowners who may be a good candidate for CREP. They are also prepared to answer inquiries about the program and to direct potential enrollees to the appropriate agency or individual. 

For more information about CREP, email info@CREPPA.org or go to www.CREPPA.org.

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office and this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection Grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from the USDA.

 

Please register now if you are planning to become a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) and wish to attend the Exam Review Course sponsored by PACD. The course will held on September 26, 2017 at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey, Harrisburg, PA. Register at the EnviroCert website – click here to view the flyer for details. 

The review course is open to anyone – district, agency, or private – who is actively pursuing a CPESC certification through EnviroCert International, Inc. Please pass this information along to anyone who may be interested.

CPESC is a professional designation for E&S technicians, engineers, and other specialists involved in design, construction, inspection, or other aspects of erosion and sedimentation control. The review course is designed to ensure that CPESC applicants understand which concepts will be covered by the exam and acts as a review for most of those concepts.

There is special pricing for PA conservation district staff. Contact Terry Fisher at tfisher@pacd.org for the district staff discount code or with other questions.

PACD is partnering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the State Conservation Commission (SCC) to deliver a three day Introduction to Conservation Planning course. This free training will take place November 7-9, 2017 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey area) in Grantville, PA.

Please note that this training is taking place this fall instead of next spring due to funding issues. There will not be an Intro to Conservation Planning Training offered in 2018.

The event is for entry-level employees of all organizations in Pennsylvania delivering conservation planning technical assistance, including but not limited to, NRCS, conservation districts, SCC, farmland preservation entities, non-profits, and private consultants. Lunch will be provided.

The application link will be emailed to those who are interested in taking the course after they have submitted their pre-requisite certificate of completion to swehinger@pacd.org. Click here for information on the pre-requisite. The deadline to apply is October 20, 2017.

The Conservation District Managers “Boot Camp” was held June 19-21 at Lake Raystown Resort and Conference Center in Entriken, PA.

This three-day training was specifically developed for district managers with less than five years of experience. The event focused on providing participants with a knowledge base that includes the history and structure of a conservation district, an overview of conservation district programs and activities, the responsibilities managing a district office, district finances and personnel, and working with a conservation district board.

The training was provided by Pennsylvania’s “Building for Tomorrow” Leadership Development Program.

 

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) is sponsoring a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) Review Course on September 26, 2017 at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey, Harrisburg, PA.

The CPESC certification is a professional designation for erosion and sedimentation technicians, engineers, and other specialists involved in design, construction, inspection or other aspects of erosion and sedimentation control. If you have not yet started the CPESC certification process, we recommend you go to the Envirocert International, Inc. website and review the requirements and process now.

The review course is designed to ensure CPESC applicants understand what concepts will be covered by the exam and acts as a review for most of those concepts. See the flier for more information on the review course and a link to information on the complete certification and exam process. Note that there is special pricing for PA conservation district staff. Before registering, contact Terry Fisher at tfisher@pacd.org for a district staff discount code or with any questions.

Twenty-two students attended the Intro to Conservation Planning training in Grantville, PA. The training was held May 16-18, 2017. The three days consisted of a mix of classroom learning and field experience.

The training was made possible by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the State Conservation Commission. Administrative support was provided by PACD.