The Westmoreland Conservation District hosted a bike ride along the Great Allegheny Passage as a way to educate participants about water quality issues in the county. During the 7 mile (roundtrip) ride, the 26 participants made multiple stops that showcased water quality improvement initiatives, such as abandoned mine site reclamation, mine drainage treatment, streambank stabilization, stream water quality testing, and illegal tire dumping in the river. Speakers on the trip included staff from the district, Tetra Tech, and the Mountain Watershed Association.

The events were funded by a nonpoint source mini-grant from PACD, Flat Tire Co., and Bove Engineering. 

Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Penn State Ag Progress Days will be held August 12-14, 2025, 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 call attention to the work and programs accomplished by 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.                                                                          

• Tuesday, August 12: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, August 13: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.   (1 volunteer needed)   
• Wednesday, August 13: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday, August 14: 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.

 

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend your fall PACD region meeting!

September 29, 2025
PACD North West Region Meeting
Elk County Visitor Center, Benezette, PA

September 30, 2025
PACD South West Region Meeting
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA

October 9, 2025
PACD North East Region Meeting
Pike County Conservation District, Hawley, PA

October 14, 2025
PACD North Central Region Meeting
Clinton County Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA

October 16, 2025
PACD South Central Region Meeting
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA

October 30, 2025
PACD South East Region Meeting
Henning’s Market, Harleysville, PA

PACD extends our thanks to Tetra Tech for sponsoring the 2025 PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference!

Tetra Tech works closely with our clients and communities to achieve economic and community goals in conjunction with the reclamation and restoration of legacy AML and AMD sites. Our mining experts conduct investigations (environmental, geophysical, and geotechnical), risk assessments, engineering designs, environmental permitting, feasibility studies, construction management, and completed project monitoring to help abate problems caused by historic mining.

• Development of Plans and Specifications for Reclamation of Abandoned Mine Lands
• Surface Mine and Open Pit Reclamation
• Abatement or Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Water Pollution
• Evaluation/Rehabilitation of Existing Passive or Active AMD Treatment Systems
• Water Line Extension/Water Line Replacement
• Mine Fire Control
• Assessing Mine Pool Hydrology and Discharges
• Mine Subsidence Control
• Mine Refuse and Slurry Impoundment Evaluations and Remediation
• Closure of Mine Openings (shafts, portals, slopes, and adits)
• Water Supply Replacement
• Watershed Assessments and Surface Water Quality Modeling
• Landslide Stabilization and Slope Stability Analysis and Evaluation
• Ecological Surveys and Environmental Studies
• Federal, State, and Local Permitting
• Cost Estimation
• Construction Oversight and Management
• Design-Build

To learn more, visit the Tetra Tech website at Mine Closure and Reclamation or contact Eric Cavazza by email at eric.cavazza@tetratech.com or phone at 412-522-9764.

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 May 4–7, 2025. As in previous years, conservation districts were proud to be 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
• Danielle Kalp, PACD
• Tyler Keefer, Lancaster County Conservation District
• Jason Fillhart, Washington County Conservation District

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

PACD extends our thanks to CACAT for sponsoring the 2025 PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference!

The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training (CACAT) at Penn State Extension is dedicated to supporting Pennsylvania’s ag conservation workforce, especially at county conservation districts. We offer a range of resources to help you continue to deliver impactful, sustainable agricultural practices across the state, including:

• Ag Conservation Currents e-newsletter: Timely updates on agricultural conservation news, resources, funding opportunities, and professional development.
• CACAT Website: Your one-stop hub for technical materials, training events, open job listings, and ACAP updates.
• One-on-One County ACAP Visits: Customized support to help your team strengthen local conservation efforts.
• ACAP Promotions and Outreach: Boosting awareness of conservation funding opportunities and Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation.
• Training Events and Webinars: Offering practical, hands-on sessions to grow expertise.
• Engineering Assistance Request Program (EARP): Need help with an Inventory & Evaluation (I&E), basic surveying, or BMP design? EARP provides technical support from CACAT staff, PA State Conservation Commission engineers, or private-sector partners to keep your ACAP projects moving forward​.

Districts are encouraged to collaborate with CACAT by participating in trainings, promoting success stories, and connecting with our technical services.

Visit extension.psu.edu/cacat to learn more and sign up for our Ag Conservation Currents newsletter at extension.psu.edu/ag-conservation to stay informed!

PACD members and partners are invited to register for the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference hosted by the Westmoreland Conservation District. The event will take place July 15-17 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, PA. Go Laurel Highlands has compiled lots of fun things to do in the area and participants will receive a 20% discount on Seven Springs activity passes, so come early, stay late, and bring the whole family!

On Tuesday, July 15, participants can bike the beautiful Youghiogheny River Trail to Confluence, hike one of the trails at Ohiopyle State Park, or get together for scramble-format golf at the picturesque Highlands Golf Club at Seven Springs. Time has been set aside for members to talk about conservation district funding on Tuesday evening.

Wednesday, July 16, offers two educational tracks, one following the Oven Run AMD Project and one examining Large-Scale Solar in Pennsylvania. Both tracks include a morning session and afternoon tour. The day wraps up with dinner at Seven Springs and a reception celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission (SCC) sponsored by Go Laurel Highlands. Join us for drinks, snacks, and conservation trivia!

On Thursday, July 17, PACD and the SCC will recognize outstanding members of the conservation community during our joint awards luncheon. The SCC Briefing Session in the morning will feature partner activities and highlight conservation district projects, followed by the SCC business meeting in the afternoon.

Westmoreland Conservation District invites conservation districts to show off their local pride by creating a basket of local items to donate to the basket raffle. Many thanks to Westmoreland for hosting the conference and organizing the basket raffle to benefit PACD.

One article can’t capture all the happenings at this year’s conference, so click here for more information and to register today! 

 

The countdown to the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference has begun! The conference will take place in just 100 days at Seven Springs Mountain Resort July 15-17, 2025. Registration will open in a few short weeks, and sponsorships are coming in. If your organization is interested in connecting with conservation district managers and board members from across the state, conference sponsorship may be just the opportunity you’re looking for! Click here to visit the sponsorship website and see what we have to offer. Questions? Contact Molly Burns mburns@pacd.org with PACD.

PACD will hold its summer committee meetings via videoconference in June and July prior to the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference. The meetings are open to conservation district directors, associate directors, staff, partner agency staff, and invited guests. Registration for the virtual committee meetings will be free and required. Mark your calendars and look for more information in a future edition of Front Page!

PACD Conservation Committee Video Conference
June 18, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. –11:00 a.m.

PACD District Employees Committee Video Conference
June 20, 2025 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

PACD Education & Outreach Committee Video Conference
June 26, 2025 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

PACD Legislative Committee Video Conference
June 30, 2025 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

PACD Ways & Means Committee Video Conference
July 10, 2025 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

PACD Operations Committee Video Conference
July 11, 2025 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

On March 27, 2025, the Lycoming County Conservation District held a Legislative Breakfast in Williamsport, PA. Twenty-nine people attended the event.

Legislators in attendance included:

• State Representative Joe Hamm
• State Representative Jamie Flick
• County Commissioner Mark Mussina

Legislators represented by their staff included:

• Juliet Harshbarger – Regional Director for U.S. Senator Dave McCormick
• James May – Regional Director for U.S. Congressman Dan Musser
• Ann Kaufman – Deputy District Director for U.S. Congressman Glenn (GT) Thompson
• Elizabeth Vollman – Constituent Specialist for PA Senator Gene Yaw

During the event, the district highlighted the past year’s accomplishments in various programs. Special attention was given to the ongoing Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program from Tropical Storm Debby. All in attendance offered their ongoing support for the residents of Lycoming County, and statewide, who were affected by the flooding this storm caused. Lycoming County will have 21 EWP projects due to this storm event.