March 12, 2018, at the Elaine Langone Center, 2nd Floor, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA (snow date March 15).
Click here to register and for more information.
Spring 102/105 Technical Training – Basic/Refresher Registration Opens
Registration is now open for the 2018 102/105 Basic/Refresher Technical Training course. The course is open to conservation district and DEP staff and will take place March 21-24, 2018 at the Ramada Conference Center in State College, PA. There is little or no cost to attend. (See registration information for details.)
Registration for the Topic-Based session, which will take place at the same location on April 10-12, 2018, will be announced in an upcoming issue of Front Page. Click here to register or for more information about the March session.
Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training Application Period Opens
Photo by Holly Hunt.
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.
Manure Management Train-The-Trainer Workshops
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
Save these Dates for 2018 Boot Camp Training
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.
Intro to Conservation Planning Training Held
Instructor Duane Miller introduces the class to the planning process on the first day of training.
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.
CREP Partner Workshop Held in the Delaware River Basin
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.
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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. |
Reminder: Time to Register for the CPESC Review Course – Harrisburg, PA
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.
Intro to Conservation Planning Course Slated for November
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.
Boot Camp for New Managers Held in Huntingdon County
Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding addresses attendees at the District Managers Boot Camp on July 19. Photo taken by Brenda Shambaugh.
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.