Congratulations to Armstrong, Chester, Delaware, and Indiana County Conservation Districts on winning the 2026 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence!

The projects awarded include:

• Armstrong Conservation District – Glade Run Streambank Stabilization and Fish Habitat Project
• Chester County Conservation District – Chester County Agricultural BMP Implementation
• Delaware County Conservation District – Little to No Cost Riparian Buffer Plantings along Stoney Creek, A Darby Creek Watershed Improvement Effort in Dense Suburban Area
• Indiana County Conservation District – Lucerne 3A / Waterworks Passive Treatment System

Click here to read the press release.

Local elementary school students released trout they had raised in their classrooms. The video features Lackawanna County Conservation District Watershed Specialist, Bailey White, explaining the benefits of the program.

Click here to watch the video. 

 

Congratulations to the following conservation districts for receiving PA Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Education Grants:

• Erie County Conservation District: $30,000 for the “Hidden Creeks Public Art Project,” which will create and install 8 public art pieces and accompanying signs, 2 stand-alone signs, and an interactive website to highlight the history of the Mill Creek Flood, the engineering of the Mill Creek Tube, the impact on water quality by burying a creek beneath city infrastructure, and how the community can assist with the preservation and conservation of our water supply.
• Lehigh County Conservation District: $5,000 for the “Reclaiming Roots: From Classroom to Courtyard” program, which, in partnership with Whitehall-Coplay Middle School, will transform an underutilized courtyard into a vibrant outdoor classroom that will offer hands-on learning opportunities that connect students to concepts of climate resilience, water systems, and sustainability
• Luzerne Conservation District: $4,987 for “Fostering Inclusive Connections to the Watershed,” which, in partnership with Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and North Branch Land Trust, will hold six high school-level workshops for underserved communities. The workshops will address PA Academic Standards and engage the audience in hands-on activities, classroom, and field experiences.
• Schuylkill Conservation District: $3,751 for the “Outdoor Wildlife Learning Summer Nature Camp,” which, partnering with Assumption Blessed Virgin Mary School in an environmental justice area, will deliver the nonformal four-week Outdoor Wilderness Learning (OWL) Summer Nature Camp in 2026, with funding requested for three weeks.
• Wayne Conservation District: $867 for “Under the Leaves: Exploring the Lacakwaxen River,” a hands-on streamside workshop for members of the public to learn about stream ecology and water quality using the Stroud Leaf Pack Network, tree identification, and fishing recreation, in partnership with volunteers from Trout Unlimited chapter #462. 

Congratulations also to Pennsylvania Envirothon Inc. for receiving $55,173.

Click here to read about all the funded projects. 

 

Allegheny County Conservation District Executive Director Heather Manzo sat down recently with WPXI for their Our Region’s Business feature. To tie into Farm Show Week, Heather spoke about farming in Allegheny County and the conservation district’s role in the community.

Click here to view the 6-minute video.

 

PACD will randomly spotlight one social media post from a conservation district each week. Don’t forget to share or tag other districts to share good news or something others could learn about.

Beaver County Conservation District’s Facebook post. Follow at https://www.facebook.com/BeaverCountyConservationDistrict/.

On October 28, 2025, conservation district managers from the south central region met at the Cumberland County Conservation District office in Carlisle for a breakfast meeting. The meeting also celebrated Carl Goshorn’s retirement (pictured first row, center). PACD Executive Director Amy Brown also attended the event.

PACD Project & Event Specialist Molly Burns traveled to Franklin County Conservation District (FCCD) on June 12, 2025. Following their board meeting, the district celebrated Associate Director Sam Worley’s 104th birthday!

Sam has served on the FCCD Board of Directors since 1992 and continues to be an invaluable resource to Franklin County. He also serves on the PACD Ways & Means Committee and was a familiar face at PACD conferences for many years. In 2017, Sam was awarded the PACD Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director Excellence Award. In 2011, he received the President’s Award as part of the PACD Executive Board, where he served as Treasurer.

Pennsylvania Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has provided $500,000 per super gauge for the U.S. Geological Service to install and monitor super gauge monitoring stations at the following locations: Chiques Creek – Lancaster County, Swatara Creek, and Dauphin County. The newest ones being installed are on Swift Run – Adams County, Towanda Creek – Bradford County, Saucony Creek – Berks County, Fishing Creek – Clinton County, and Conneaut Creek – Crawford County. The real-time, continuous sampling devices contain sensors capable of collecting data on temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, nitrites, and turbidity.

Increments of monitoring will be every 15 minutes. This is a significant departure from monitoring samples that occurred during high flow or on an established date once per month. Other factors are estimated using a surrogate regression model. For instance, suspended sediment is determined via turbidity measurements while total nitrogen is calculated from nitrate and nitrite levels, and total phosphorus is predicted from temperature, specific conductance, and turbidity. This information is useful in determining water quality and provides an indication of the results of conservation efforts higher in the watershed.

The map above shows current National Water Quality Initiative watersheds in the state as well as the location of the USGS Super Gauge sites that NRCS has allocated funds to install. It is anticipated that NRCS will continue to support these super gauge stations for the next ten years.

Close to 4,000 township officials and guests from all over Pennsylvania will attend the annual Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Conference and Trade Show on May 4-7, 2025. Once again, there will be a conservation district booth at the show from Sunday, May 4, to Tuesday, May 6.

PACD is seeking volunteers for the following shifts:

• Sunday, May 4 – Noon to 6:00 pm
• Monday, May 5 – 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• Monday, May 5 – 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Monday, May 5 – 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 6 – 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Please consider volunteering for a shift at the conservation district booth. This is a valuable opportunity to promote the districts and explain the type of work they do, as well as reinforce existing relationships with local township officials.

To volunteer, please contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

This position is remote, with the employer of record being the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts. The position is a partnership between PACD and the National Association of Conservation Districts on behalf of the National Conservation Planning Partnership.

The incumbent has primary responsibility for providing assistance and coordination support for the NCPP communication efforts. The position is under the technical supervision of the NRCS Natural Resources Specialist located in Benton, PA.

A cover letter and resume package, including 3 examples of communication pieces completed solely by the applicant, should be emailed to personnel@pacd.org by August 26, 2024.

Click here to read more.