Written by bruntt on August 9, 2016. Posted in PACD General

Presentations from PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference Available Online

Presentations and handouts from last week’s PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference are available online, including:

Odor Management and Manure Haulers and Brokers: Nuts and Bolts for Conservation Districts – Johan Berger and Frank Schneider, PA State Conservation Commission
NACD: Working for Pennsylvania – Jeremy Peters, National Association of Conservation Districts
Panel: Building District Boards – Dave Rupert, Armstrong; Mark Kimmel, York; Sally Corrigan, Pik
The New Overtime Regulations and What They Mean for Districts – Adam Long, McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC

Click on the titles to download the presentations in PDF format.

Written by bruntt on August 8, 2016. Posted in PACD General

PACD Executive Council Elects Slate of Officers, Passes Dues Structure

At the PACD Executive Council meeting on July 28, a slate of officers was elected. They are:

President – Glenn Seidel (Berks)
1^st Vice President – Donald Koontz (Mercer)
2^nd Vice President – Charles Duritsa (Westmoreland)
Secretary – Joseph Dietrick (Westmoreland)
Treasurer – Kenneth Meck (Lancaster)

Also during the meeting, the membership voted to support the use of properly permitted and treated acid mine drainage water for fracking. The final measure to pass was the “Option C: Alternate Dues Structure with 3-Year Increase.” This option combines the eight county classes to create four levels, A through D, and incorporates increases to the overall dues for the next three years. Any increases after that timeframe will be a flat dollar amount for all districts. The table of the new dues amounts is available from PACD upon request. Please email lsuhr@pacd.org for a copy.

Written by bruntt on August 5, 2016. Posted in PACD General

PACD Hiring Conservation Technician in Somerset Office

As the Conservation Technician for the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) in the Southwest Region, the incumbent will provide technical assistance to the Growing Greener program and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). This position will: Provide technical assistance to area partnership Growing Greener personnel and the NRCS in the planning, design and construction of engineering practices; Prepare designs of conservation practices and water quality best management practices, which are site specific and require coordination among various groups and individuals: and Provide engineering assistance in conducting preliminary investigations. Click here for the full job description. Candidates must submit a resume and cover letter to the PACD at jobs@pacd.org. All application materials must be received by 4:30pm EDT on August 23, 2016.

Written by bruntt on July 28, 2016. Posted in Awards, PACD General

Five Pennsylvania Farms Receive Clean Water Farm Award

PACD presented the operators of five farms with the Clean Water Farm Award during its annual conference on July 27, 2016 in State College, PA. The honor is awarded annually to farmers who manage their daily farm operations in an environmentally conscious manner that helps to protect Pennsylvania’s water quality.

Left to right: PACD President Glenn Seidel, Acting Secretary of Environmental Protection Patrick McDonnell, C. Barclay Hoopes, Jr., Diana Hoopes, and Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Greg Hostetter. The Hoopes were presented with the Clean Water Farm Award on July 27, 2016. They were nominated by the Chester County Conservation District.

This year’s award recipients are:

South East Region: Barclay Hoopes (Chester County)
South West Region: James A. & Billie Cowell, Jr. of Frosty Springs Farm (Greene County)
North West Region: Elder Farms – Loren & Darren Elder (Lawrence County)
North Central Region: Allen & Linda Wehr Farm (Union County)
South Central Region: Randall & Sarah Patterson (York County)

The Clean Water Farm award was initiated in 1986. Recipients of the award are nominated by their local county conservation districts. Financial support for this award is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program and the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Education Office (administered by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.). Click here to read the entire press release.

Written by bruntt on July 27, 2016. Posted in Awards, PACD General

PACD Honors Award Recipients during Annual Meeting

Conservation district staffs, state officials, and legislative partners convened in State College to honor conservationists during the PACD and State Conservation Commission’s 69^th Joint Annual Conference. The awards luncheon took place July 27 at the Ramada Conference Center in State College, PA.

PACD President Glenn Seidel presents the Legislator Leadership Award to Representative Tommy Sankey during the PACD/SCC Awards Luncheon on July 27, 2016 in State College. Representative Sankey was nominated by the Clearfield County Conservation District.

The 2016 PACD honorees are as follows:

Legislator Leadership Award

Representative Tommy Sankey (Clearfield)

President’s Award

Christopher Thompson (Lancaster)

Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director Excellence Award

Kenneth Meck (Lancaster)

Conservation District Employee Excellence Award

Karl Kerchner (Lebanon)

Auxiliary Scholarship

Leah Wenhold (Lehigh)

Conservation District Employee Service Recognition Program Awards

30 Years of Service

Donna Fisher, District Manager, Blair

Maryruth Wagner, District Manager, Columbia

35 Years of Service

Ed Magargee, District Manager, Delaware

Greg Phillips, District Manager, Westmoreland

40 Years of Service

Barry Travelpiece, P.E., Resource Conservationist, Columbia

Click here to read the entire press release.

Written by bruntt on July 12, 2016. Posted in Conservation District Project Spotlight, PACD General

Pike County Conservation District Celebrates 60 Years

Pictured are Army Corp of Engineers Senior Staff Biologist Mike Leggiero, PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh, Pike County Conservation District (PCCD) Director Bob Engvaldsen, PCCD Executive Director Sally Corrigan, PCCD Vice Chairman John Milliken, PA Department of Environmental Protection Conservation District Field Representative Shane Kleiner, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service District Conservationist Jen Matthews, and PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Assistant District Forester Mike Roche. Photo provided by PCCD.

PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh joined the Pike County Conservation District Board of Directors to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the District. State legislators, county commissioners, and cooperating agency partners, joined district board members and staff at a picnic hosted by the District on June 24, 2016 at Delaware State Forest at Lily Pond in Milford, PA. Click here for more on the celebration.

Written by bruntt on June 14, 2016. Posted in Awards, Engineering Program (TAG), PACD General

PACD’s Somerset Office Engineering Staff Recognized at Pirates Game

PACD Conservation Engineer Eric Robertson, P.E. (along with other staff from the Somerset Office) was honored by the PA Fish and Boat Commission before a Pittsburgh Pirate game on May 25, 2016. He is pictured on the Jumbotron at PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA. The award was given to the Somerset staff for their acid mine drainage and stream restoration projects.

Written by bruntt on June 6, 2016. Posted in Events, PACD General

Registration for the 2016 PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference Opens Today

PACD members and partners are invited to join us at this year’s Joint Annual Conference to network, learn, and take a leading role in statewide issues. The conference will take place July 27-28 at the Ramada Conference Center in State College, Pennsylvania. As a special service to our members, PACD has arranged for Adam Long from the law firm of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC to provide an update on employment law on July 28, with a particular focus on the new overtime rule. Adam is familiar to many of our members and regularly provides advice and counseling to employers on a wide range of labor and employment law issues. Stay tuned for more Front Page articles highlighting this and other conference sessions and activities. Click here to register and learn more about the conference. We look forward to seeing you there!

Written by bruntt on May 9, 2016. Posted in PACD General

PACD Board Meets to Discuss Future Direction of the Association

Pictured are (Left to right): PACD South West Region Director Mike Price, PACD North West Region Director Clifford Lane, PACD Second Vice President Charles Duritsa, PACD President Glenn Seidel, PACD South Central Region Director John Akers, PACD First Vice President Donald Koontz, and PACD North Central Region Director Dr. Robert Shannon.

The PACD Executive Board met in State College on May 3 to conduct their business meeting and to hear a presentation from PACD staff on the future direction of the association. In addition to the board members pictured above, PACD South East Region Director Piper Sherburne and PACD Secretary Kenneth Meck participated by conference call.

Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts

We support Pennsylvania’s Conservation Districts who work for clean water and healthy soil every day.