The keynote presentation at the 2024 Watershed Congress was “The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Local Conservation Districts, and You – Helping Achieve Pennsylvania’s Forest and Meadow Goals.” The keynote featured representatives from two Pennsylvania conservation districts discussing a PACD grant program that supports the creation of conventional riparian buffers, multi-functional riparian buffers, and lawn conversions. These programs were developed to help achieve Pennsylvania’s goal of planting 5,000 acres of upland forest and 5,000 acres of meadow by 2025.

The event was held on March 23, 2024, at the Montgomery County Community College, Pottstown, PA.

The speakers included Brian Vadino, Watershed Specialist for the Montgomery County Conservation District. Brian spoke about a project in the Perkiomen Creek Watershed that the districts completed through the PACD Riparian Buffer Sub-Grant for Conservation Districts program.

Kent Himelright, Watershed Coordinator for Berks County Conservation District, spoke about a riparian buffer project at Zartman Farm and a lawn-to-meadow conversion project at the Caernarvon Municipal Authority.

Click here to watch the presentation. 

Financial and other support for the Riparian Buffer Sub-Grant for Conservation Districts program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

 

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 April 14-16, 2024. Once again, there will be a conservation district booth at the show from Sunday, April 14, to Tuesday, April 16.

PACD is seeking volunteers for the following shifts:

• Sunday, April 14, 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. (1st shift) (2 volunteers needed)
• Sunday, April 14, 6:30 p.m.–8:00 p.m. (2nd shift) (1 volunteer needed)
• Monday, April 15, 7:30 a.m.–Noon (1st shift) (1 volunteer needed)
• Tuesday, April 16, 7:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Please consider volunteering for a morning or afternoon 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 Roxanne Dohner at rdohner@pacd.org.

With sadness, we report the passing of former PACD President Glenn Seidel on February 11, 2024.

Glenn served as a director at Berks County Conservation District for over twenty-five years. He served on the PACD Executive Board for five years. In that time, he served as 2nd Vice President, 1^st Vice President, and served as President from 2015 to 2017.He was also a member of the PACD Education and Outreach Committee.

Glenn was recognized for his dedication to conservation districts with the PACD President’s Award in 2010. He will be missed.

Click here to read his obituary. 

Thanks to funding and support from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission, PACD now has six conservation planners on staff. These new staff members will work toward conservation planning certification to assist in conservation efforts across the Commonwealth.

PACD conservation planners work out of USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field offices to provide services as cost-effectively as possible.

• Bucks County – Grace Rhodes, 215-453-9527
• Dauphin County – Arek Moczulski, 717-559-4020 x3
• Erie County – Joshua Ferraro, 814-796-5031
• Franklin County – Daniel Hausman, 717-446-8566
• Indiana County – Nathan Edwards, 724-427-3333
• Susquehanna County – Kelsey Quinones, 570-278-1197

Click here to read more about the program.

Financial and other support for the Certified Conservation Planner Program is provided by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission.

PACD wrapped up its Winter Meeting with the PACD Executive Council Meeting via Zoom on January 25, 2024. Eighty-seven people attended. In addition to regular business, the meeting attendees heard from partners, including Jill Whitcomb, PA Department of Environmental Protection, Doug Wolfgang, State Conservation Commission, and Denise Coleman, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.  

Photo caption: Screenshots from the PACD Winter Meeting.

BCTV.org recently released a video on urban agriculture programs. The video features Briana Johanson, Agriculture Resource Conservationist, and host Ryan Bradley, Clean City Coordinator for the City of Reading, discussing urban agriculture programs offered by the Berks County Conservation District.

Click here to watch the video. 

The PACD Administrative Assistant is responsible for clerical duties and provides general program support for the office. This part-time position reports to the Executive Director in the Harrisburg, PA office. Salary range: $20-22/hour plus benefits.

Click here for the full announcement. Please apply by email with the subject heading “Administrative Assistant” to jobs@pacd.org. All application materials must be received by 4:30 p.m. EDT on November 21, 2023.

On October 19, 2023, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service officials joined Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission representatives to launch the new Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training (the Center). Berks County Conservation District Manager Dean Druckenmiller attended the event.

Through the Center, this partnership aims to provide resources and technical expertise to Pennsylvania’s conservation professionals to implement agricultural conservation practices. The Center will also help ensure healthy land and water throughout the Commonwealth by leveraging funding and partnerships.

The Center will specialize in creating and hosting technical training, assuring conservation practices meet the highest quality standards, offering continuing education credits to conservation professionals, and furthering conservation practice implementation in the Commonwealth.

Click here to read the full press release. 

 

 

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, Blair County Conservation District’s Stormwater Coordinator/Watershed Specialist Chelsey Weyant provided testimony to the Senate Democratic Policy Committee on the consequences of insufficient funding to address stormwater issues. Weyant represented the Blair County Conservation District, the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, and the Blair County Intergovernmental Stormwater Committee.

The Committee hearing addressed the increasing challenges stormwater issues cause our communities. Funds received from the American Rescue Plan were in high demand. However, it was determined that Pennsylvania needs nearly five times the initial funding to address water, sewer, and stormwater needs.

Click here to read the testimony and here to view a recording of the hearing. (Weyant’s testimony starts at 1:47.)

 

PACD is hiring six conservation planners or nutrient management specialists, who will work toward conservation planning certification for a two-year period to assist in conservation efforts across the Commonwealth. One planner will be hired in each of these counties: Dauphin, Erie, Bucks, Indiana, Lackawanna/Wayne, and Franklin. The salary range is $45,000 to $50,000 per year.

Click here to read the entire job description. 

Candidates must submit a resume and cover letter to PACD by e-mail with the subject heading “Conservation Planner” to: jobs@pacd.org. All application materials must be received by 4:00 PM on November 3, 2023.