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 to take place October 19-21, 2021, at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey area) in Grantville, PA.

If you are interested in taking this training, please begin the process to get an AgLearn account NOW!  There is a prerequisite, and it can take months to get an account.

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. The training is free, and lunch will be provided.

To receive information on this training as it becomes available, including the online prerequisite, email Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

Please consider volunteering at the conservation district exhibit at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days.

Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College, PA, and features the latest technology and research exhibits, educational programs, and guided tours.

Over 60% of the 46,000 expected to attend are actively engaged in agriculture or related activities. With so many farming families from across Pennsylvania at this event, it’s an excellent opportunity to call attention to the work and programs done at the districts.

This year’s event will be held from August 10-12, 2021. Volunteers are needed for the shifts listed below. If you have questions or to schedule your shift, send your name, contact information, and preferred shift to dyoung@pacd.org.

Tuesday, August 10:             1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Wednesday, August 11:         9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Wednesday, August 11:         1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Wednesday, August 11:         5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Thursday, August 12:            9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (1 volunteer needed)

Thursday, August 12:            1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (1 volunteer needed)

A final volunteer schedule, parking passes, and other show information will be sent to volunteers when available. For more information on Ag Progress Days, go to their website at http://agsci.psu.edu/apd.

The 2021 Virtual PACD Annual Conference will take place as a series of video conferences this July. The six PACD committees will meet virtually between July 8 and 22, followed by PACD Executive Council on July 29.

Registration is open to all conservation district directors, associate directors, and staff, as well as partner agency staff and invited guests. Registration for each meeting is free and required. Registrants will receive a link to the Zoom meeting and instructions to participate. A phone number will also be provided for anyone who wishes to participate via conference call.

To request a registration link, please email the listed contact for each video conference you’d like to attend.

PACD Conservation Committee Video Conference

July 8, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD District Employees Committee Video Conference

July 9, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact hmiller@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD Education and Outreach Committee Video Conference

July 14, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact swehinger@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD Legislative Committee Video Conference

July 15, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD Ways and Means Committee Video Conference

July 20, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact abrown@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD Operations Committee Video Conference

July 22, 2021 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

PACD Executive Council Video Conference

July 29, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon

Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

 

Participants are asked to note the new 10:00 a.m. start time for the Section 319 Virtual Watershed Planning and Implementation Meeting. The event will run from 10:00 a.m. to Noon on both May 19 and 20.

Section 319 Virtual Watershed Planning and Implementation Meeting
May 19 and 20, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon – New Start Time!

The event is open to entities involved in Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management projects, including conservation district staff, DEP and EPA staff, incorporated watershed associations, counties, municipalities, councils of governments; 501(c)(3) non-profits, educational institutions, and municipal authorities.

Click here by Friday, May 14, 2021, for more information and to register.

Mark your calendars for the PACD Annual Conference! PACD committees will take place via video conference prior to the virtual PACD Executive Council Meeting. Registration information will go out to conservation districts and agency partners in May. Registration will be free and required.

PACD Conservation Committee Video Conference
July 8, 2021 | 1-2 p.m.

PACD District Employees Committee Video Conference
July 9, 2021 | 1-2 p.m.

PACD Education and Outreach Committee Video Conference
July 14, 2021 | 1-2 p.m.

PACD Legislative Committee Video Conference
July 15, 2021 | 1-2 p.m.

PACD Ways and Means Committee Video Conference
July 20, 2021 | 1-2 p.m.

PACD Operations Committee Video Conference
July 22, 2021 | 1-2 p.m.

PACD Executive Council Video Conference
July 29, 2021 | 10-Noon

PACD members and partners are invited to register for the spring PACD region meetings, which will take place virtually this March and April. Registration for all six web meetings is free and required. To register, please click on the link for your region meeting below:

PACD North Central Region Video Conference
March 18, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon

PACD South Central Region Video Conference (New Date!)
March 24, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon

PACD South East Region Video Conference
March 25, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon

PACD South West Region Video Conference
March 30, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon

PACD North West Region Video Conference
April 8, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon

PACD North East Region Video Conference
April 16, 2021 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon

 

 

The 2021 Virtual Conservation District and PA Agency Ag Meeting will be held via Zoom March 16-17, 2021. Staff from PA state agencies, USDA-NRCS, and conservation district agricultural technicians, watershed specialists, and management are invited to attend. Registration is free and required.

Formerly known as the All Bay Meeting, this annual meeting has been expanded to include sessions that are relevant to conservation districts across the state, as well as more focused sessions for conservation districts within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The draft agenda includes topics such as agency updates, getting the most out of PracticeKeeper, a review of the Integrated Water Quality Report and mapping tools, local rapid stream delisting strategies, and other timely and relevant sessions.

Click here for more information and to register. 

Formerly limited to the Chesapeake Bay, this year’s virtual event will be open to agricultural staff from conservation districts and PA agencies statewide March 16-17, 2021. Mark your calendars and look for registration and agenda information in an upcoming issue of Front Page!

PACD seeks input from farmers and agricultural landowners from the Pennsylvania portion of the Delaware River Watershed about the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Focus groups will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on February 23 and 25, 2021. Farmers can participate in these discussions whether or not they have enrolled land in the program.

Please share this information with your farmer contacts in the Delaware Watershed.

All farmers who participate in the virtual focus group will receive $125 in return for their time. Registration is limited to 15 qualified farmers on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you are aged 55 or older, please register for the focus group on February 23 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.: https://bit.ly/pacd-de-1

If you are aged 54 or younger, please register for the focus group on February 25 from 5:00 p.m. to 7 p.m.: https://bit.ly/pacd-de-2

Questions? Contact PACD Director of Communications & Education Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

Photo courtesy of USDA-NRCS.

Let’s learn from each other to increase the success of environmental education (EE) grant funding in Pennsylvania! Join successful grant writers and funding agency program officers for this FREE virtual workshop on EE grant-writing tips and tricks. Presenters from Stroud Water Research Center, the PA Department of Education, the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Millersville University, and NOAA will introduce the world of funding, describe how to read a request for proposal (RFP), give tips for success, explore where to find EE grants, and facilitate Q&A.

When: Thursday, February 18, 2021, from 4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m.

Where: Online via Zoom video conferencing. The connection link will be emailed prior to the event.

Audience: Pennsylvania classroom teachers, non-formal environmental educators, school administrators. 1.5 Act 48 hours are available for Pennsylvania certified teachers. A certificate of participation will be provided for other attendees if needed.

Cost: Free

Registration: Required. Limited to the first 100 participants registered.

Learn more and register today!