PACD will again host a conservation district booth at the 2018 PA Farm Show. We took a new approach this year and lined up five conservation districts to present displays at the booth Monday through Friday of Farm Show week.

We are still looking for volunteers to staff the booth on the weekend days of Saturday, January 6; Sunday, January 7; and Saturday, January 13. Shifts run from 8 am to 12:30 pm and 12:30 pm to 5 pm. The booth is not staffed after 5 pm.

Let us know as soon as possible if you would like to fill one of these shifts. We’d like to have our schedule set by November 30. Just contact Sandy Austin at saustin@pacd.org with your contact information and the shift you’d like to fill.

Mark your calendar and join us for the PACD spring region meetings!

The region meeting dates and locations are as follows:

March 8, 2018
PACD South West Region Meeting
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA

March 20, 2018
PACD South Central Region Meeting
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA

March 22, 2018
PACD South East Region Meeting
Franconia Heritage Restaurant, Telford, PA

March 27, 2018
PACD North West Region Meeting
Forest County Conservation District, Tionesta, PA

April 12, 2018
PACD North Central Region Meeting
Clinton County Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA

April 13, 2018
PACD North East Region Meeting
DEP Northeast Regional Office, Wilkes-Barre, PA

The 2018 Chesapeake Bay Program Conservation District and PA Agency Staff Meeting will be held on Monday, March 12, 2018 at the Elaine Langone Center, 2nd Floor, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA. Please add this meeting to your calendar now and plan to attend. The snow date is March 15. Registration and a draft agenda will follow when available.  

Watershed specialists from conservation districts across the state attended the annual Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting on October 4-6, 2017, in State College. Attendees learned about a number of online and software tools for watershed improvement, as well as wetland basics, urban stream restoration, fish habitat improvement, how to develop and maintain a sustainable social media presence, do-it-yourself ideas for environmental science and monitoring, and more. Participants also learned from one-another, both informally and through formal project presentations.

The meeting wrapped up with a field day in the Tangascootack Creek Watershed in Clinton County. The annual meeting is sponsored by the PA Department of Environmental Protection and facilitated by PACD.

PACD sponsored a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sedimentation Control (CPESC) Review Class on September 26, 2017, in Harrisburg, PA. Seven conservation district staff were among the twenty-one technicians and engineers 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 erosion and sedimentation (E&S) control.

Certification is through EnviroCert International, Inc. and provides public evidence of professional qualifications for individuals involved in E&S activities, such as 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.

PACD is offering complimentary space at our 2018 Farm Show booth to conservation districts who would like to set-up a display for a day and educate folks from all over the state. It’s an opportunity to highlight your district, your county, and what’s going on in your neck of Penn’s Woods. If your district has an exhibit that travels easily and you would like to spend a few hours enjoying the Farm Show, then this opportunity is for you.

Contact Sandy Austin at saustin@pacd.org or 717-238-7223 by October 2^nd with the type of display you have to offer. Since this is something new, at this time we’re just trying to gauge interest and are happy to discuss your ideas.

Click here to read more about the PA Farm Show.

Please register now if you are planning to become a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) and wish to attend the Exam Review Course sponsored by PACD. The course will held on September 26, 2017 at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey, Harrisburg, PA. Register at the EnviroCert website – click here to view the flyer for details. 

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

CPESC is a professional designation for E&S technicians, engineers, and other specialists involved in design, construction, inspection, or other aspects of erosion and sedimentation control. The review course is designed to ensure that CPESC applicants understand which concepts will be covered by the exam and acts as a review for most of those concepts.

There is special pricing for PA conservation district staff. Contact Terry Fisher at tfisher@pacd.org for the district staff discount code or with other questions.

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 will take place November 7-9, 2017 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey area) in Grantville, PA.

Please note that this training is taking place this fall instead of next spring due to funding issues. There will not be an Intro to Conservation Planning Training offered in 2018.

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, non-profits, and private consultants. Lunch will be provided.

The application link will be emailed to those who are interested in taking the course after they have submitted their pre-requisite certificate of completion to swehinger@pacd.org. Click here for information on the pre-requisite. The deadline to apply is October 20, 2017.

Registration is now open for the 17^th Annual Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting. Highlights from this year’s agenda include:

• Sessions on topics including social media, the PracticeKeeper watershed module, lake habitat improvement, and urban stormwater management
• The annual watershed specialist project showcase, featuring presentations about unique projects from fellow watershed specialists
• Regional breakouts with watershed specialists and watershed managers to discuss regional issues and opportunities
• An optional field tour that includes three projects in the Tangascootack Creek watershed and a wetlands mitigation site tour

The meeting will be held October 4-6, 2017. Registration for this meeting is open to conservation district watershed specialists and invited guests only. The deadline to register is Friday, September 22. Click here for more information and to register for the meeting. Please contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org with any questions.

PACD Executive Assistant & Meeting Planner Molly Burns recently attended the 2017 National Association of Conservation District’s (NACD) Northeast Regional Meeting, August 13-15 in Burlington, Vermont. When asked what she found most valuable, Molly said “Learning about districts in other states – our similarities and differences – is an eye-opening experience. I hope that our members all take advantage of having the regional meeting so close to home next year. There is so much we can learn from each other.”

During the meeting, Molly gained valuable contacts and hands-on information to help coordinate the 2018 NACD Northeast Regional Meeting, which will take place in combination with the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference, July 15-18, 2018, at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster, PA.