Mark your calendars for Agricultural Conservation Technical Training (“Boot Camp” Basic Level and Level II). Ag conservation professionals interested in growing their technical abilities are encouraged to take advantage of these free, week-long training opportunities that include classroom instruction and field experience. The courses provide a foundation that will be supplemented by future on-the-job and formal training. Participants will expand their professional network, connecting with fellow attendees as they interact with senior staff and subject matter and technical experts who serve as instructors.

Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Basic Level
March 19, March 26, April 20 (virtual)
April 13-17, 2026 (in-person)
Union County Government Center, Lewisburg, PA
Both in-person and all virtual training sessions are required to complete the course.

Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Level II
April 17 and April 24 (virtual)
April 27-May 1, 2026 (in-person)
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA, and the USDA NRCS State Office, Harrisburg, PA
Both in-person and all virtual training sessions are required to complete the course.

The application period will open in early January 2026. Do not apply for both levels this spring.

Email Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org to receive a notification when the application period opens.

The following sponsors make these training opportunities possible: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission, Penn State Extension, and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.

Space is still available for the second session in Indiana County.

PACD hosted a Level 1 Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) training on October 30-31, 2025, in Berwick, PA. The training is two days: one day in the classroom and one day in the field.

This session will be repeated at Indiana County Conservation District on December 9-10, 2025 (snow date December 11). Usually, this training costs $475, but these sessions are free and exclusively for conservation district staff. 

Registration is a two-step process:

The first step is to fill out the online application here. 

The second step is to select your training date here. 

Staff DO NOT need to be located in the Chesapeake Bay to take the training. The training is a baseline credential in the design, installation, and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, with emphasis on properly maintaining stormwater best management practices.

Pre-class assignments and logistical details will come from Katie@cblpro.org  as we get closer to the date. Participants must pass a written exam to become certified. Continuing education credits are available from many organizations. The complete list is at cblpro.org.

Thank you to the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Indiana County Conservation District, and Native Creations for coming together to host this opportunity for district staff to become credentialed.

Questions? Contact melissa@cblpro.org.

Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc., through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Missed it? Join a webinar on October 9.

PACD partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to offer a riparian buffer boot camp in Snyder County. Nine conservation district staff attended the field day to learn how to complete new site visits, develop a planting plan, use flags to mark the site, and conduct maintenance. Participants planted and sheltered trees as part of the hands-on learning experience.

If you were unable to attend the in-person training, please join us for a virtual riparian buffer training for conservation districts by registering using the link below. 

Riparian Forest Buffer Training for Conservation Districts
October 9, 2025 | 9:00 a.m. to Noon

This training is partially financed by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship Fund, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

 

The 2025 Management Summit was held September 16–18 at the Wyndham Garden Conference Center in State College. Over 60 district managers, management staff, and partner staff attended. In addition to keynotes on managing uncertainty, understanding artificial intelligence, and communicating for influence, attendees participated in discussions on change management models, learned about audits and principles of accounting, and were updated on current legislative issues.

Financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program is provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. Guidance for the Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Conservation Partnership’s Leadership Development Committee.

Registration is open for Riparian Buffer Bootcamp! PACD has partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake to offer a hands-on riparian buffer learning experience for conservation district staff at JS Farm in McClure (Snyder County), PA, on September 23, 2025.

Registration is free and required. Space is limited to 25 participants. Lunch and snacks will be provided.

Please click here to register today! 

This training is financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

PACD is offering two sessions of the Level 1 Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) training for conservation districts. Staff DO NOT need to be located in the Chesapeake Bay to take the training. The training is a baseline credential in design, installation, and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, with emphasis on how to properly maintain stormwater best management practices.

The training is two days – one day of classroom and one day of field learning.

The sessions are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following dates/locations:

• October 30-31, 2025, in Berwick, PA
• December 9-10 (snow date December 11) in Indiana, PA

Registration is a two-step process:

• The first step is to fill out the online application here. 
• The second step is to select your training date here. 

Space is limited to 30 participants per session. The sessions are for conservation district staff only and are free of charge. Pre-class assignments and logistical details will come from Katie@cblpro.org as we get closer to the start date. There is a written exam that participants must pass to become certified. Continuing education credits are available from many organizations. The complete list is at cblpro.org.

Thank you to the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Indiana County Conservation District, and Native Creations for coming together to host this opportunity for district staff to become credentialed.

Questions? Contact melissa@cblpro.org.

Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc., through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

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 is scheduled for October 28-30, 2025, at the Iron Valley Golf Club, 201 Iron Valley Dr., Lebanon, PA.

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, and non-profits. This training is only for those interested in writing conservation plans and becoming NRCS Certified Conservation Planners or apprentices.

The training is free, and lunch will be provided.

The application period is now open. Click here for the application and more information.

The deadline to apply is September 12, 2025.

Fifty-three learners from 31 conservation districts and the PA Department of Environmental Protection convened for Chapter 102 Basic Technical Training at the Red Lion Harrisburg-Hershey in Harrisburg, PA, May 19-23, 2025.

Participants engaged in a combination of hands-on classroom learning, fieldwork, and presentations on erosion and sedimentation control topics, such as safety on the job site and how to conduct a technical plan review. The field day featured strategically placed learning stations at two sites, each in a different stage of construction. Special thanks to the Cumberland County Conservation District for hosting the field day—everyone’s favorite part of the week!

This training is funded through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection and made possible through the cooperation of the PA Association of Conservation Districts and Pennsylvania’s conservation districts.

Thirty individuals attended the Agricultural Conservation Technical Boot Camp Training – Basic Level, May 5-8, 2025, at the Union County Government Center in Lewisburg, PA. Attendees included staff from conservation districts, PACD, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and affiliates, the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Penn State Extension, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and a nonprofit organization.       

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Conservation Commission, Penn State Extension, and PACD coordinate the event.

Twenty-nine individuals attended the Agricultural Conservation Technical Boot Camp Training session – Level II April 7-11, 2025. The training was held at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County and at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office in Harrisburg, PA. Attendees included staff from PACD, conservation districts, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and affiliates, and the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the State Conservation Commission sponsor the training, which PACD coordinates with these partners.