All district staff are invited to participate in the 2023 CliftonStrengths Initiative, which includes an online strengths assessment and a team-building workshop scheduled at a PA State Park. Stay tuned for coming announcements, but in the meantime, please mark your calendars for the workshop date closest to you:

• Tuesday, February 28 – Hickory Run State Park
• Thursday, March 2 – French Creek State Park
• Tuesday, March 7 – Bald Eagle State Park
• Wednesday, March 8 – Moraine State Park
• Thursday, March 9 – Keystone State Park
• Tuesday, March 14 – Lackawanna State Park

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.

 

Employment Law Seminars Announced for 2023

Adam Long of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC will present a series of seminars on Employment Law for Conservation Districts on February 21 at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Cranberry, February 22 at the Ramada State College, and February 23 at the Country Inn & Suites Lehighton-Jim Thorpe, with a follow-up webinar planned for March.

The presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of practice and policy for lawfully and effectively managing conservation district staff. Topics will include hiring considerations and employment policies such as harassment training and policy, employee absences, leave wage, employee classification, and best management practices for staff communication, confidentiality, conduct, and performance concerns.

All conservation district managers, directors, and associate directors are encouraged to attend. Seminars will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch is provided, and all attendees will receive a bound reference document to supplement the presentation. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register. 

Apply Now for 2023 Strategic Planning Grants

The State Conservation Commission has allocated funding for grants to reimburse up to $1,500 in expenses related to developing a district strategic plan for the 2022-23 program year. The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent for 2023 is December 23, 2022. Click here for information and program requirements, or contact Leadership Development Coordinator Matt Miller at mmiller@pacd.org.

Submit Your 2022 Entry for the 3rd Annual Conservation District Video Awards

All districts that produced and shared video or animated content this year can submit entries for the 3^rd Annual Conservation District Video Awards, scheduled for February 16. Click here for the submission form. All entries must be received by December 31, 2022.

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.

It’s that time of year again – time to submit your videos for the 3^rd Annual Conservation District Video Awards! Who will win the coveted CONDIVA trophy this year? We’ll have to wait until February to find out, but in the meantime, all districts that have produced and shared video or animated content this year are encouraged to submit their entries by December 31, 2022. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Building Blocks of Trust webinar on November 16. Links to the presentation recording, a Building Blocks of Trust summary, and a full report with case studies are posted at Building for Tomorrow. 

Reminder: The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent for the 2023 Strategic Planning Grants Program is December 23, 2022. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information, or contact Matt Miller, Leadership Development Coordinator mmiller@pacd.org

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.

There’s still time to register for the final session in our 2022 Fall Leadership Webinar Series. River Network’s April Ingle describes the Building Blocks of Trust as a constellation of foundational best practices to help cultivate and strengthen partnerships. Using case studies from several projects and partnerships involving PA’s conservation districts, this presentation will examine what is required to create these partnerships, the circumstances required for them to succeed and flourish, and ways that we can create more effective partnerships to protect our waters.

Register for Building Blocks of Trust, Wednesday, November 16, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

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 still open for the Fall Leadership Webinar Series. All directors, staff, and partners are encouraged to join us for a lunch & learn session on Wednesday, November 16, with River Network’s April Ingle. Continuing in the partner relations theme from Management Summit, the Building Blocks of Trust program will examine best practices for establishing and maintaining the trust-based partnerships critical to protecting our waters. The session will include examples involving partnerships with Pennsylvania’s conservation districts. Participants will learn what is required to create these partnerships, what circumstances are needed for them to succeed and flourish, and how we can use these lessons to catalyze even more vital partnerships for healthier waterways.

Register for Building Block of Trust, Wednesday, November 16, Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Strategic Planning Grants are available for 2023. The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent is December 23, 2022. Click here for program information and requirements or contact Matt Miller, Leadership Development Coordinator mmiller@pacd.org.

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.

The 2022 Fall Leadership series starts November 2 with a Tech Roundtable on DIY video production for conservation districts. A CliftonStrengths for Managers Debrief meeting will be held on November 9, followed by a presentation on November 16 from River Network’s April Ingle on the Building Block of Trust. For more information and to register for these sessions, please visit Building for Tomorrow.

The 2022-23 Strategic Planning Grants program is accepting Letters of Intent through December 23. Visit Building for Tomorrow for program requirements and contact Matt Miller, Leadership Development Coordinator mmiller@pacd.org  to discuss your district planning needs.

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.

Conservation Districts are encouraged to regularly reevaluate and update their strategic plans and Building for Tomorrow supports districts by offering grants to offset costs associated with strategic planning activities. The State Conservation Commission has allocated funding for grants to reimburse up to a maximum of $1,500 in expenses related to developing a strategic plan for the 2022-23 program year. Priority will be given to conservation districts that did not receive a strategic planning grant in the past five years—Visit Building for Tomorrow  for information on program requirements. Contact Matt Miller, Leadership Development Coordinator, at mmiller@pacd.org with questions and to discuss planning facilitation and support needs.

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.

The 2022 Management Summit was held September 13-15, 2022, at the Wyndham Garden State College. The Tuesday Pre-Con was attended by 30 new assistant managers as well as partner staff. The total Summit attendance was 58. Summit attendees participated in group discussions on strengths-based management, partner relations, and program cost assessment and budgeting. 

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.

All management staff and aspiring managers are encouraged to register for the 2022 Summit and Pre-Con, September 13-15 at the Wyndham Garden State College.

This year’s Summit begins on Tuesday, September 13, with a dedicated Pre-Con meeting on Leadership Fundamentals, perfect for first-time and new managers, assistant managers, team leaders, and other staff who aspire to management roles. The Leadership Fundamentals workshops will focus on foundational interpersonal and self-leadership skills for managers and future managers. The morning session, presented by Jacqui Catrabone of Erie-based Strategy Solutions Inc., will look at team roles and dynamics and will examine the concepts of engagement and empowerment and their role in healthy organizational culture. Jonathan Cleck of Greencastle Consulting Associates of West Chester will present the afternoon session focusing on the roles of self-awareness and regulation, trust and vulnerability, crucible moments, and resilience in developing high-performance leaders.

Strengths-Based Management is the theme of the Wednesday, September 14, Keynote workshop. This session will begin with an introduction using reports from the CliftonStrengths for Managers initiative; all registered attendees will be invited to participate in this assessment before the Summit. The workshop by Jonathan Cleck will guide participants in identifying and understanding their dominant and secondary talent themes. It will also examine ways to integrate their strengths with management roles and styles to improve performance, team cohesion, and problem-solving. The Wednesday afternoon session features an interactive workshop and panel discussion on Partner Relations and Communications, facilitated by Rita Coleman-Graham. Participants will explore aspects of working collaboratively and communicating effectively with various district partners and will interact with partner panelists on improving communication and interactions by understanding shared goals, expectations, and roles.

The Summit wraps up on Thursday, September 15, with a manager networking TEDx screening, a facilitated group discussion on Budgeting, Assessing Program Costs, and Other Financial Questions, and a Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership presentation.

The deadline for registration is September 2 – visit Building for Tomorrow for Pre-Con and Summit registration links and event agenda.

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.

 

All management staff are encouraged to register for the 2022 Management Summit, September 13-15 at the Wyndham Conference Center State College. This year’s conference features a dedicated Pre-Con meeting on Tuesday, September 13, that will examine fundamentals of team management and personal leadership development and is suitable for all new and first-time managers, assistant managers, team leads, and other aspiring management staff. In addition, summit attendees will be invited to participate in the CliftonStrengths for Managers assessment. The focus topics for Wednesday, September 14, include strengths-based management and partner relations, with two interactive workshops and a facilitated panel discussion. Thursday, September 15, will include a group discussion on program cost assessment and other budget issues, along with a presentation from the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership.

Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information to register for the 2022 Pre-Con and Management Summit.

The deadline for reservations from the Wyndham room block is Friday, August 12 – please see the event registration pages for room reservation instructions.

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.