PACD sponsored a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sedimentation Control (CPESC) Review Class on October 25, 2022, at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey. Twenty-six technicians and engineers were in attendance. The review class is designed to help applicants prepare for the exam component in the CPESC certification process. To receive certification, applicants must prove they meet established standards of expertise, experience, and knowledge in E&S control.

Certification is offered through EnviroCert International, Inc. It provides public evidence of professional qualifications for individuals involved in erosion and sedimentation (E&S) activities such as the development and review of permits, design and review of E&S control and drainage plans, installation and inspection of E&S control practices, and other related activities. Anyone interested in learning more about CPESC should visit www.envirocertintl.org.

Two additional weeks have been added to the Agricultural Conservation Technical Training (Boot Camp Basic Level and Level II). Additional training is being held to accommodate more students. Conservation district staff are encouraged to take advantage of these free, week-long training opportunities, including classroom learning and experience in the field.

Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Basic Level
March 27-31, 2023 (Tentative)
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)

Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Level II
April 17-21, 2023 (Tentative)
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County) and the USDA NRCS State Office, Harrisburg, PA

Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Basic Level
May 1-5, 2023 (Tentative)
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)

Agricultural Conservation Technical Training – Level II
May 15-19, 2023 (Tentative)
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County) and the USDA NRCS State Office, Harrisburg, PA

Please note these dates are tentative pending funding.

The application period will open in early January 2023. 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, and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.

 

Ninety-four conservation district watershed specialists, DEP staff, and partners participated in the 22^nd Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting, which took place as a webinar series October 5-7, 2022. Participants learned about aquatic resource restoration with an emphasis on impairments and comprehensive aquatic resource restoration approaches; Legacy Sediment 2.0, an enhanced mapping and decision support tool; freshwater mussels and the work of the White Sulfur Springs National Fish Hatchery; how to use digital tools to model outcomes for best management practices (BMPs); legacy sediment as a wetland stream restoration BMP; how to empower landowners to implement BMPs; how to get started with PracticeKeeper; and more. Many thanks to our presenters for sharing their time and expertise.

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.

Mark your calendars for 102/105 Basic Technical Training May 23-26, 2023, at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg-Hershey in Harrisburg, PA. This training is open to conservation district and PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) staff who work with the relevant programs. The curriculum is designed for new or newer conservation district technicians and incorporates classroom learning and a field component. Registration will open in March. Questions? Contact Molly Burns with PACD at mburns@pacd.org.

This training was 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.

PACD is co-hosting a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) Review Course. The course will be held at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey on October 25, 2022. The cost is $365 for non-district participants and $175 for conservation district staff (contact hmiller@pacd.org for the discount code). Register online at https://envirocert.org/event/pacd-cpesc-in-person-training.

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

The deadline to register is October 15. Click here for more information. 

As part of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Outreach Program Office, the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts and CREP Program Partners will offer a virtual two-day CREP Partner Training to all partner staff involved in the program, including conservation district staff. Registration is free and required.

CREP Partner Training
November 9-10, 2022 | 9:00am – noon

Audience: New and experienced staff working with the CREP program in Pennsylvania

Please click here to view the draft agenda and here to register for the training. 

Contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org with questions.

Financial and other support for the CREP Partner Training is provided through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

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, including classroom learning and experience in the field.

Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Basic Level
March 27-31, 2023
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)

Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Level II
April 17-21, 2023
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County)

Please note these dates are tentative pending funding.

The application period will open in early January 2023. Being fully vaccinated for COVID-19 is currently required to attend this training. 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, and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.

Discounted conservation district registration is available.

PACD is co-hosting a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) Review Course. The course will be held at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey on October 25, 2022. The cost is $365 for non-district participants and $175 for conservation district staff (contact hmiller@pacd.org for the discount code). Register online at https://envirocert.org/event/pacd-cpesc-in-person-training.

The CPESC certification is a professional designation for erosion and sedimentation technicians, engineers, and other specialists involved in the design, construction, inspection, or other aspects of erosion and sedimentation control.

The review course will ensure CPESC applicants understand which concepts will be covered by the exam and acts as a review for most of those concepts. Applicants for the exam should have a sufficient combination of education and experience to be able to independently study the materials identified in the General Principles Review Manual.

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

*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. Please see the link below for certification instructions.

Click here for more information. 

Join the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Office of Environmental Justice and the Allegheny County Conservation District for a webinar on Pennsylvania’s environmental justice policy updates.

After 18 years, DEP is updating its Environmental Justice Policy. The current policy—the department’s first-ever—was adopted in 2004. Learn about how the revamp embeds environmental justice principles throughout the department. Also, learn about the department’s efforts to use new factors to define environmental justice areas in the Commonwealth.

Speaker: Ngani Ndimbie is a regional coordinator in the Office of Environmental Justice at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. She worked at the Black Political Empowerment Project, ACLU of Pennsylvania, and Bike Pittsburgh before earning her master’s degree in Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University. Ngani is passionate about fostering equitable, healthy communities.

Date and Time: Tuesday, August 16, 2022 | 1:00 PM–2:00 PM

Registration is free. Click here to register.

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 training is scheduled for November 1-3, 2022, at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey area) in Grantville, PA.

Intro to Conservation Planning is an introductory course for employees interested in writing conservation plans and becoming an NRCS Certified Conservation Planner. Eligible organizations include NRCS, State Conservation Commission, conservation districts, farmland preservation entities, and non-profits. The training is free, and lunch will be provided.

There is a pre-requisite for the course through AgLearn. 

Click here for the application to attend the course. 

Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org with questions.