Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts

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

County Commissioners Publish Article on Conservation Districts

The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) published an article by PACD President Mike Price in the spring 2020 issue of the Pennsylvania County News. The title of the article is “Conservation Districts Make a Difference in Our Communities.”

PACD is excited to announce that CCAP permitted us to link the article! Click here to read the entire piece. Thanks to CCAP for sharing the excellent work of conservation districts!

Continue Reading

Conservation District Week Resources Available

The Pennsylvania State Senate and the House of Representatives declared May 3-9, 2020, as “Conservation District Week.” During this week, district offices will hold conference calls and virtual meetings with legislators.

Conservation district resources are available here. Resources include:

Please take advantage of these resources PACD created for conservation districts to use.

Pennsylvania’s conservation districts thank Governor Tom Wolf and members of the PA House and Senate for supporting the districts through the state budget.

Continue Reading

PACD Creates COVID-19 Resource Webpage for Members

PACD has compiled a list of resources and guidance for conservation districts from state agencies and partners during the COVID-19 crisis. The COVID-19 Resources page is available through a button on the PACD homepage at www.pacd.org and directly at https://pacd.org/?page_id=20452. The date of each document is included for your reference. PACD will add and update materials as they are available.

Continue Reading

PACD Region Meetings Continuing via Webinar

PA Invasive Species Council Coordinator Kristopher Abell presents on Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas during the PACD North East Region Meeting on April 3, 2020.

PACD region meetings are still happening via the Zoom webinar platform. Four of the six regions have already met virtually with great success.

Two more region meetings are upcoming:

April 22, 2020
PACD North West Region Meeting
Webinar: https://zoom.us/j/209266809

April 30, 2020
PACD South East Region Meeting
Webinar: https://zoom.us/j/252118639

Thanks to our members for adapting to the webinar format for our region meetings!

Continue Reading

PACD Staff Available Via Email

PACD staff assembled training binders in their garage at home to keep the training for our members going!

Per the Governor’s orders, PACD staff are working from home. They can all be reached via email. Click here for the staff list and email addresses. 

Check PACD’s website for up-to-date information on event postponements and new dates. 

We are here for our member conservation districts! Please reach out if you need assistance.

Continue Reading

Remembering Pat Sueck

In 2018, Pat Sueck received the PACD President’s Award from Charles Duritsa (at right in photo). Also pictured are Greg Hostetter, Deputy Secretary of Animal Health and Food Safety at the PA Department of Agriculture (left) and PA Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell.

It is with sadness that we report the passing of Pat Sueck, former PACD President, on March 13, 2020.

Pat was first appointed to the Board of the York County Conservation District in 1990. In 1998 Pat was elected as the PACD President and served in that position for two years. For 18 years, she served as the PACD representative to the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) representing

Pennsylvania at the national and regional levels. Pat kept busy promoting conservation at countless NACD annual and regional conventions, legislative “fly-ins” to D.C., and Envirothon events at the county, state, and national levels. Pat has chaired the NACD North East Education Committee and served as the NACD North East President. She was also a member of the National Conservation Foundation, which is now the home of the National Envirothon. Pat was the recipient of the District Special Service Award in 1998, the NACD President’s Award in 2010, and the PACD Distinguished Service Award in 2012.

Her dedication to conservation and agriculture was apparent to anyone who met her. Her warmth, caring, and leadership in the conservation community will be missed.

Click here to read her obituary. 

Continue Reading

Conservation District Week 2020

The Pennsylvania State Senate and House of Representatives have declared May 3-9, 2020, as “Conservation District Week.” During Conservation District Week, districts across the state are encouraged to hold events for legislators. This is an opportunity to showcase the projects your conservation district works on every day that improve the lives of your county’s citizens.

The Capitol Legislative Day will be Wednesday, May 6. All districts are welcome to join PACD in Harrisburg to educate our elected officials on conservation district activities. If you come to Harrisburg, we will schedule meetings with your elected House and Senate members. We will also schedule a meeting with appropriations staff and the Governor’s office.

Conservation District Week is also an opportunity to thank members of the PA House and Senate, as well as the Governor, for supporting the districts by providing the funds necessary to preserve and protect our Commonwealth’s natural resources through the budgetary process.

Continue Reading

PACD Listserves Connect Districts – Are You Subscribed?

Did you know there is a PACD listserve for every PACD member? They are free to join and use. Conservation district directors, associate directors, and staff can all take advantage of this service for members. Listserve members can communicate with counterparts across the state in a single email, and receive announcements and information relevant to their job duties.

PACD currently offers listserves for the following individuals:

  • agricultural technicians
  • erosion and sedimentation technicians
  • administrative support staff
  • managers
  • directors and associate directors
  • watershed specialists
  • dirt, gravel, and low volume road specialists
  • environmental educators
  • mosquito-borne disease control technicians

Please note that you may subscribe to more than one listserve based on your interests and job duties. Interested? Contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org to subscribe.

Continue Reading

2020 PSATS Conference – Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are needed at the conservation district booth at the 2020 Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Conference. The conference runs from Sunday, May 3, to Tuesday, May 5, at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, PA.

Help is needed for:

Sunday, May 3: Noon–5:00 p.m.
Monday, May 4: 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 5: 7:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

This is an excellent opportunity for district volunteers to talk about district programs and build relationships with township officials from across Pennsylvania. Volunteer now by contacting Jann McNamara at jmcnamara@pacd.org or call 717-238-7223.

Continue Reading

PACD Hiring Natural Resources Executive Assistant

This position is located in Bloomsburg, PA, with the employer of record being the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts and day to day technical guidance provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Natural Resources Specialist.

The incumbent has primary responsibility for providing assistance and coordination support for the National Conservation Planning Partnership conservation planning efforts. The position is under the technical supervision of the NRCS Natural Resources Specialist located in Benton, PA.

Click here to read the job description. 

A cover letter and resume should be emailed to personnel@pacd.org by January 10, 2020.

Continue Reading