The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training (CACAT) at Penn State Extension was established in 2023 by the State Conservation Commission. The Center bolsters the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) and sponsored this year’s PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference. During the Conference, the Center led field trips to noteworthy sites, including the Frost Entomological Museum and a greenhouse at Penn State, Rock Springs Research Farm, and the site of Ag Progress Days.

Thank you to the Center for leading these fun and educational tours!

The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training at Penn State Extension is a cooperative effort with partners at the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission (SCC) and the Pennsylvania State Office of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Funding for the Center is provided through the state Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP).

Presented by Kathleen Deal, JD, this course is designed to provide fundamental negotiation skills to environmental regulatory personnel. Participants will learn proven approaches and strategies to establish rapport, gain information, and influence others. The course incorporates lessons on ethics and negotiation and reading body language—both our own and that of others—to enhance communications It teaches that great negotiation is about great collaboration and equips participants to work with individuals and organizations to create agreement, solve problems, and achieve results.

The workshop will take place at the Wyndham Garden State College on August 6, 2024, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Registration is currently open solely to DEP enforcement personnel and Chapter 102 staff from conservation districts with Level III delegation. There is no fee to attend. The grant will cover one overnight for participants arriving the night before the training, and lunch is provided on the day of the training. Click here for more information and to register. 

This training is funded through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection and made possible through the cooperation of the PA Association of Conservation Districts and Pennsylvania’s conservation districts.

On June 14, 2024, the Berks County Conservation District held an event and tour of a new best management practice installation at a family farm in Lenhartsville, PA.

Speakers included Senator Judith Schwank; Representative Jamie Barton; Representative David Maloney; Berks County Commissioners Christian Y. Leinbach, Michael S. Rivera, and Dante Santoni, Jr.; Berks County Department of Ag Deputy Director Kim Fies; NRCS District Conservationist Nick Ramsey; State Conservation Commission Director of Financial & Technical Assistance Programs Justin Challenger; and PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh.

The day ended with a tour of a barn built through the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP).

 

Joint Annual Conference Early-bird Deadline Extended to June 28, 2024

PACD and the PA State Conservation Commission are proud to welcome presenter Christina Grozinger, Director of the Penn State Center for Pollinator Research and the Technology for Living Systems Center at Penn State to the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference.

On the morning of Wednesday, July 17, Dr. Grozinger will speak to how scientists at Penn State are using remote sensing, big data, computer vision, artificial intelligence, and engineering to develop tools that conservationists and homeowners can use to design strategies to improve land management and support biodiversity.

This presentation will focus on the Beescape decision support tool, which allows users to map land use, habitat quality—including seasonal floral resources—weather parameters, and economic value from pollination services across the continental United States.

Register by June 28, 2024, and save $30.00 on Full Registration! Click here for more information and to register.

Joint Annual Conference Early-bird Deadline Extended to June 28, 2024

Registrants attending the conference on Wednesday can choose to join one of two exciting field tours sponsored and hosted by Penn State.

• Chestnut Restoration Research and Frost Entomology Museum – Participants will take in two spots of interest on the campus of Penn State University Park. First, visit the research site of the American Chestnut restoration project at the Arboretum, a partnership with the American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) to breed a variety of American chestnut resistant to chestnut blight. Next, stop at the Frost Entomological Museum to explore insect biology, better understand their relationship with humans, and learn how people in the Department of Entomology are expanding our collective knowledge of insects and their place in this world.
• Rock Springs Research Farm and Ag Progress Days – Participants will take a bus tour of agricultural research plots at the Larson Research Farm at Rock Springs. The research and education on this 2,200-acre site, which is not open to the public, works toward better food and farming for the health of society and the environment. Current studies at this living laboratory focus on fruits, vegetables, grains, weeds, soil, insects, fish, water, farming techniques, forestry and more. Participants will then stop at Ag Progress Days to see conservation practices implemented at the site, including the riparian buffer on Spruce Creek.

Register by June 28, 2024, and save $30.00 on Full Registration! Click here for more information and to register.

Penn State Ag Progress Days will be held August 13-15, 2024, 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 13: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.       
Tuesday, August 13: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, August 14: Filled
Wednesday, August 14: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 14: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 15: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 15: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 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 http://agsci.psu.edu/apd.

The Joint Annual Conference will take place July 17-18 at the Penn Stater Hotel & Conference Center in State College. The conference features a new venue, a fresh agenda, and a Technology and Innovation theme. Register by June 14 and save $40 on full registration!

Participants can look forward to presentations on Leveraging Technology to Conserve Biodiversity and Utility-Scale Solar in PA–The Approaching Wave. Tour the Rock Springs Research Farm and Ag Progress Days or the Chestnut Restoration Research and Frost Entomology Museum, hosted by Penn State University. Stay after dinner for entertainment by Van Wagner, whose music gives voice to Pennsylvania’s history and ecology with songs like Talking Eel and Shad Blues and Hard Coal.

Stay tuned to future issues of Front Page for more conference highlights. Click here for more information and to register. 

PACD will hold our 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 Videoconference
June 20, 2024 | 10:00-11:00 a.m.

PACD District Employees Committee Videoconference
June 25, 2024 | 10:00-11:00 a.m.

PACD Education & Outreach Committee Videoconference
June 27, 2024 | 10:00-11:00 a.m.

PACD Legislative Committee Videoconference
July 1, 2024 | 10:00-11:00 a.m.

PACD Ways & Means Committee Videoconference
July 11, 2024 | 10:00-11:00 a.m.

PACD Operations Committee Videoconference
July 12, 2024 | 10:00-11:00 a.m.

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

September 12, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.                
PACD North West Region Meeting (In-person only)
Elk Country Visitor Center, Benezette, PA

September 24, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.                                        
PACD North Central Region Meeting      
Clinton County Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA

September 27, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.                   
PACD South West Region Meeting     
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA

October 4, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.                
PACD North East Region Meeting      
Lands at Hillside Farms Education Center, Shavertown, PA

October 29, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.                     
PACD South Central Region Meeting      
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA

October 31, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.            
PACD South East Region Meeting     
Henning’s Market, Harleysville, PA

April 28-May 4, 2024, is “Conservation District Week” in Pennsylvania. During this week, district offices will hold conference calls and meetings with legislators. Resources such as letters, a press release, and social media images are available from PACD to promote Conservation District Week.

Conservation District Week materials are available here.