Conservation district directors, associate directors, managers, and partners–there’s still time to register for the March 9 Virtual Director Workshop: Staff Retention, the Employee Life Cycle, and Post-Covid Policies. The workshop presentation includes three parts:

• Part 1 will begin at 9:30 a.m. with an overview of workforce trends and data from the January 2022 Conservation District Staff Retention survey.
• Part 2, from 10:00 a.m. – Noon, will examine shifting attitudes and generations in the workplace, the employee life cycle, and the role of performance management concepts in a successful retention strategy.
• We will break for lunch at noon and reconvene for “virtual” networking starting at 12:40 p.m.
• Part 3, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m., will include a report and group discussion exercises focusing on retention strategy priorities identified at the 2021 Summit conference and in the 2022 Staff Retention survey.

Districts are encouraged to host watch parties for their board members; please contact Leadership Development Coordinator Matt Miller at mmiller@pacd.org for more information.

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 District Video Awards Announced

The 2022 Hybrid Staff Conference was held February 16 and 17 at the Wyndham Garden State College and streaming via Zoom. Over 180 virtual and in-person attendees participated in sessions on dealing with difficult people, managing stress, and public opinions on conservation work, as well as breakout sessions on working with rural landowners, cybersecurity, grant management, and outreach challenges.

The conference also included recognition for training achievement in Clean Water Academy (see the article below) and the 2nd Annual Conservation District Video Awards.

The videos awarded are:

1st place high score and winner of the General Public category:

• NatureWorks Park Riparian Buffer – Blair County Conservation District

2nd place high score and winner of the Landowner/Homeowner category:

• The Homeowners Guide to Stormwater – Introduction: 3 Steps to Managing Stormwater – Westmoreland Conservation District

K-12 Educational Category winner:

• From Seed to Market – Wayne County Conservation District

3rd place overall runner-up:

• ICCD: Get to Know Us – Indiana County Conservation District

All finalist entries are posted on the Building for Tomorrow website.

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.

Directors, associate directors, and managers – there’s still time to register for the 2022 Director Training workshop on staff retention, the employee lifecycle, and post-COVID policies. This year’s program builds on themes presented in last year’s Management Summit and Fall Leadership webinar series. In addition, it will examine staff retention challenges in the contexts of generational and other workforce changes, focusing on district staffing and employee policies in the wake of COVID-19.

The program is free of charge, and lunch is included for in-person attendees. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register

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 to attend the 2022 Hybrid Staff Conference on February 16-17, 2022. Day 1 sessions take a close look at how we handle external and internal stress and highlight the talent and hard work that went into conservation district video production from across the state in 2021. Day 2 sessions focus on outreach, working with landowners, and grant management. Individual staff can register to attend in person, and managers can register their districts for virtual access – the deadline for registration is February 7.

Two Days of Learning and Networking, Two Ways to Participate: visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

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.

District directors, associate directors, and managers are invited to participate in this year’s Director Workshop Series: Staff Retention, the Employee Life Cycle, and Post-Covid Policies, presented by Mary Kay Williams of State College-based MindShift Consulting and Matt Miller with PACD. The workshops will give an overview of the current district staffing situation, background, and concepts that underlie successful retention strategies for conservation districts. These sessions are intended to allow district leaders from across the state to share and discuss their own problems and solutions. Workshops are scheduled for February 24 at Westmoreland Conservation District, March 3 at Clinton County Conservation District, and March 9 in Harrisburg (and streaming online via Zoom). They are free of charge and include lunch for in-person attendees. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

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.

Public perception of conservation work is generally positive, but sometimes navigating the gap between perceptions and reality can be frustrating. Staff Conference Day 2 on February 17 begins with a general session, presented by Eric Eckl of Water Words that Work, on The World Outside: What They Say About Why Your Work Matters. The presentation will explore what polls, surveys, focus groups, and other research tools used by social scientists and market researchers teach us — and how they mislead us — about the public’s attitudes toward conservation work.

Eric will focus specifically on agricultural outreach in an extended breakout workshop on Closing the Deal With Rural Landowners. This session will cover successful strategies and tactics for getting rural landowners to say yes to conservation practices. In addition, it will cover landowner decision-making, negotiations, the roles of persistence and cultivating your reputation, and how to provide good customer service while managing an ever-expanding workload.

Other Day 2 breakout sessions will focus on technology. Cybersecurity and internet safety best practices for work and home are especially important now that the boundaries between workplace and home have become more fluid. Grant Management Tools will build on the foundation of last year’s QuickBooks webinars with tips and tricks to ensure accuracy in tracking and reporting. Lastly, a facilitated panel/roundtable discussion on Outreach and the New Normal will provide an opportunity for staff to share and compare successful outreach strategies and tactics and to discuss new tools, technology, and best practices to help get the most out of virtual events.

Two days of learning and networking, two ways to participate – Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and registration. The deadline for 2022 Hybrid Staff Conference registration is February 7.

Eric Eckl, Owner/Principal of Water Words That Work, has over 20 years of environmental outreach and communications expertise. Drawing from his experience in both the private and public sectors, Eric is a sought-after speaker, has appeared on CNN, and has been quoted in the New York Times.

Kevin Stouffer, CPA, has over 17 years of experience working with local governments. Kevin is an instructor for SEK’s in-house training programs on governmental accounting, serves as a member of the firm’s Accounting & Auditing Committee, and presents on grant guidance, fraud prevention, internal controls, and audits.

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 Hybrid Staff Conference will take place February 16-17, 2022.

Dealing with difficult people and situations involves developing and applying skills not usually taught in traditional conservation training. The Staff Conference Day 1 workshop, presented by Rita Coleman Graham, will focus on self-awareness and situational awareness, active listening and assertive messaging skills, and techniques for de-escalating stressful interactions, with interactive exercises designed to empower conservation district staff to help improve their encounters with difficult people.

Pivoting from external encounters to internal reactions in stressful situations, the Day 1 Keynote Session will focus on resilience, stress, and humor to help staff find what presenter Jonathan Cleck describes as “calm amidst the storm.” This presentation will share lessons learned from a career spent in intensely stressful situations. In addition, it will help staff understand the complexities of their emotional and mental responses to adversity, stress, and chaos.

Day 1 wraps up with the 2nd Annual Conservation District Video Awards presentation, where finalist entries from 2021 will be screened. The coveted CONDIVA trophy will be awarded to the top-scoring submissions. All district personnel are invited to tune in via Zoom at 3:00 p.m. on February 16, 2022, when we present the awards and recognize staff with exceptional training completion in Clean Water Academy.

Two days of learning and networking, two ways to participate – Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register. The deadline for 2022 Hybrid Staff Conference registration is February 7.

Rita Coleman Graham, Owner of Coleman-Graham, brings decades of experience in the environmental field to provide facilitation and training for individuals, teams, and organizations on communication, conflict resolution, and leadership development to empower them to succeed.

Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Cleck is a career Navy SEAL officer, former Federal Air Marshal, FBI Task Force Officer, and recognized speaker on leadership, focusing on mental fortitude, team mindset, and building trust. Combining his diverse experiences in law enforcement and military special operations with his doctoral research in human performance, Jonathan’s message uses humor and hard-learned lessons to help those who work through chaotic and unpredictable circumstances to maximize their ability to perform in today’s challenging and unforgiving work environments.

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.

District directors, associate directors, and managers are invited to participate in this year’s Director Workshop series: Staff Retention, the Employee Life Cycle, and Post-Covid Policies, presented by Mary Kay Williams of State College-based MindShift Consulting and Matt Miller with PACD. The workshops will present an overview of the current district staffing situation, background, and concepts that underlie successful retention strategies for conservation districts. These sessions are intended to allow district leadership from across the state to share and discuss their own problems and solutions. Workshops are scheduled for February 24 at Westmoreland Conservation District, March 3 at Clinton County Conservation District, and March 9 in Harrisburg (and streaming online via Zoom). They are free of charge and include lunch for in-person attendees. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

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.

Reminder: Staff Conference Room Block Deadline is January 14

District staff planning to attend the 2022 Staff Conference in person have until this Friday, January 14, to make a reservation from the event room block. Instructions for making reservations are posted at the in-person registration portal. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

2022 Director Workshops to Focus on Staff Retention and Post-Covid Employee Policies

Registration is open for the 2022 Director Workshop Series, with in-person and online participation options. This year’s workshop program includes an overview of current district staffing challenges, a presentation on performance management and successful retention strategies, and a discussion of retention recommendations from managers. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

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 the 2022 Hybrid Staff Conference, featuring in-person and virtual attendance options on February 16 & 17. The Day 1 Conference program includes keynotes on dealing with difficult people and situations and learning from and overcoming stress before shifting gears to recognize excellence in video production with the 2nd Annual Conservation District Video Awards. Day 2 includes a keynote on public perceptions of conservation work and breakouts on working with rural landowners, cybersecurity, grant management, and district outreach. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

Reminder for all district directors, associate directors, and managers – register now for the 2022 Director workshop series on Staff Retention, the Employee Life Cycle, and post-Covid policies. Workshops are scheduled in-person for February 24 at Westmoreland Conservation District, March 3 at Clinton County Conservation District, and March 9 at Harrisburg’s Best Western Premier Central. A virtual option is also available on March 9. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

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.