Penn State Ag Progress Days will be held August 11-13, 2026, at the Russell E. Larson Agriculture Research Center at 2710 West Pine Grove Road in Pennsylvania Furnace. Nine miles southwest of State College, PA, this event will feature the latest technology and research exhibits, educational programs, and guided tours.

This event is an excellent opportunity to highlight the work and programs of the conservation districts.

We are looking for volunteers for the conservation district booth for this event (2 volunteers are needed per shift). If you’d like to schedule a shift, send your name, contact information, and preferred shift(s) to swehinger@pacd.org.                                                                         

The open shifts are:

Wednesday, August 12: 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  
Wednesday, August 12: 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 13: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

When available, volunteers will be sent a final volunteer schedule, parking passes, and other show information. For more information on Ag Progress Days, visit their website at https://agsci.psu.edu/apd.

PACD Director of Communications & Education Shannon Wehinger was honored to participate in the Chesapeake Bay Program’s 2026 Education Summit held in Harrisburg this week. The event was organized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and connected seven locations around the Bay via shared virtual sessions.

PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, PA Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell C. Redding, PA Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley, and PA Department of Education Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe all participated in the event.

Nearly 4,000 township officials and guests from across Pennsylvania gathered for the annual Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Conference and Trade Show, held April 19-21, 2026. As in previous years, conservation districts were represented with an informational booth at the event.

A special thank you goes out to the dedicated volunteers who helped staff the booth:

• Dean Druckenmiller, Berks County Conservation District
• Jason Fillhart, Washington County Conservation District
• Barb Peace, Indiana County Conservation District and PACD 1^st Vice President

Your time and support make participation in events like this possible—thank you for representing conservation districts!

On April 22, 2026, PACD Executive Director Amy Brown attended the Goodwill Keystone’s Earth Day Celebration in Middletown, PA. Local students (grades 8-10) attended the event along with community partners and elected officials. The event included hands-on activities, interactive learning opportunities, and exclusive behind-the-scenes tours that showcase the environmental impact of Goodwill Keystone.

At the conservation district booth, students played an interactive stormwater Plinko game and learned about conservation districts.

 

Mark your calendars! The PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference will take place at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg, PA August 5-6, 2026, with preconference activities planned for August 4. Keep an eye out for details in an upcoming issue of Front Page!

April 26-May 2, 2026, will be “Conservation District Week” in Pennsylvania. During this week, conservation districts will hold meetings and events with legislators. PACD has posted resources here to help promote Conservation District Week, including fact sheets, a press release, and social media images.

Join Watersheds of South Pittsburgh and the Headwaters to the Ohio Water Network to learn how to support healthy waterways and thriving communities through smart stormwater management. 

The event will begin at The Whitehall House, 4201 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh, PA, on June 2, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. An engaging morning workshop will be followed by lunch and an afternoon tour of real-world stormwater projects. The event will end at 2:30 p.m.

Please register to join! A suggested donation of $25 will help cover the cost of food, space, and tour buses.

Your government colleagues and stormwater professionals from the Ohio River Basin are excited to explore how teamwork and collaboration can improve stormwater solutions in our communities. These approaches can create benefits beyond regulatory compliance, improving our parks, business districts, and residential neighborhoods.

Come have fun, be inspired by your peers, and learn from professionals about innovations and best practices for healthy waterways and communities. Get in touch with your inner water nerd as we tour recently completed stormwater project sites. Don’t miss out on this chance to collaborate and learn in a friendly setting!

 

Submitted by: Olivia Hubler, Environmental Education and Watershed Specialist, Columbia County Conservation District

The Columbia County Conservation District (CCCD) held its 11th Annual Women in Agriculture and Conservation Conference on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Bloomsburg, PA. A record number of 80 registrants attended the conference, which consisted of refreshments, speakers, lunch, and was accompanied by a hands-on activity.

Presentations included Waterfowl Research by Molly Giles from the PA Game Commission; a Farm Highlight on Hemsarth Dairy by Cheryl and Greg Hemsarth; Funding Availability and Potential Project Types by Gary Rinehimer, Phil Hemsarth, and Olivia Hubler of the CCCD; Cottage Product Rules & Regs by Shane Hartman and Rachel Glosek from the PA Department of Agriculture; and Early Success in Agribusiness by Brynn Karnes, Elyse Karnes, and Kira Hack from Fishing Creek Floral Company.

Throughout the presentations and activities, the participants were given extra time to network with speakers, staff, sponsors, and friends from the ag and conservation community. The lunchtime activity included sampling locally made “cottage” products including, bread, pickles, cheese, jams, jellies, spreads, salsa, and more! This tasty activity encouraged attendees to shop local and support small businesses. The event was a great success and will be held again next year!

 

On March 10, 2026, PACD and the PA Society of Professional Engineers, in conjunction with the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), hosted an Engineers Workshop: Permitting and Compliance Lessons Learned and Best Practices for Chapter 102. One hundred and thirty attendees met in Middletown, PA, for the daylong training.

The presentations will be available on the Clean Water Academy for conservation district access, including:

• Chapter 102 Compliance and Enforcement
  Krista Brown, DEP Bureau of Clean Water, and Linda Mackey, DEP
• E&S Sequence of Construction – Best practices and lessons learned
  Luke Graver, DEP Bureau of Clean Water, Bill Himes, PE DEP Bureau of Clean Water
• ABACT vs. Standard E&S Controls
  Matt Gordon – Allegheny County Conservation District
• PCSM MRC Facilities Design
  Amanda Hess, Villanova, and Len Bradley, PE, NSPE, CSI RGS Associates

 

Stakeholders convened in Gettysburg from March 2-4, 2026, for the Bay in the Balance conference. PACD and several conservation districts attended, including Adams, Blair, Bradford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, and Tioga conservation districts.

The Bay in the Balance conference approach brings together diverse stakeholders to discuss and develop strategies to balance the interests of a vibrant agricultural sector, local water quality, and limited state and federal resources, keeping conservation efforts moving forward.

Penn State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences sponsored the conference in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Pennsylvania agricultural industry, and numerous non-governmental organizations.