On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 5, PACD and the SCC are offering PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference participants a guided tour of the Dickinson College Organic Farm. The 80-acre, USDA-certified organic farm is a living laboratory that involves students in all aspects of both farming and research and serves as an outdoor classroom where the next generation of conservationists learn about renewable energy and sustainable agriculture.

The highlight of the tour is the Waste-to-Energy Biodigester that converts local food waste and manure from a neighboring dairy into methane-rich biogas. Participants can learn about all of this and more on the tour.

Click here for more information and to register—and be sure to sign up for the tour during registration!

Several conservation district managers traveled to Harrisburg on June 25, 2026, to say goodbye to Doug Wolfgang, retiring executive secretary of the State Conservation Commission. Congratulations and thank you to Doug on his 28-year career of service to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the State Conservation Commission!

 

 

PACD Executive Director Amy Brown joined Versant Strategies President/CEO MeeCee Baker and Chief Marketing Officer Bailey Fisher at the Capitol building in Harrisburg on June 22, 2026.

The group met with staff from both the House Republican and House Democratic Agriculture Committees, including the Executive Directors and a legislative fellow. They also met with Representative Eddie Day Pashinski, Chairman of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, to discuss issues important to Pennsylvania conservation districts.

 

 

PACD is offering conservation districts mini-grants of up to $1,000 to support educational and outreach activities that promote the Lawn Conversion and Riparian Buffer Grant Program. Funding is available on a rolling basis until funds are expended, with applications accepted through June 30, 2027.

Projects should focus on reaching eligible landowners on both private and public lands and encouraging participation in lawn conversion and riparian forest buffer projects. Eligible activities include maintenance walk-abouts, field days, one-on-one site visits, educational workshops, and landowner meetings that highlight the benefits, installation, and maintenance of buffers or lawn conversion.

Currently, $50,000 is available, and districts may apply for as many projects as they would like (up to $1,000 each). Click here for the guidelines and here for the application and more information (scroll down to the Education and Outreach section).

The Lawn Conversion & Riparian Buffer Mini-Grant Program for Conservation Districts is financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

PACD partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to offer a virtual lawn conversion training on June 24, 2026. Ryan Davis, Associate Forests Program Director for the Alliance, was the instructor for the event.

Thirty-five conservation district staff and partners attended the training to learn more about lawn conversion, including site preparation, planting, and maintenance, as well as funding programs.

A recording of the training will be available soon for those who were unable to join us. Email swehinger@pacd.org for a link.

An in-person Lawn Conversion training is scheduled for July 15, 2026, at the Cumberland County Conservation District. Click here to register for free. 

 

PACD Project and Event Specialist Molly Burns and Director of Communications and Education Shannon Wehinger traveled to Franklin County on June 23, 2026, to attend the Franklin County Conservation District’s 70th Anniversary Celebration.

The event honored three significant milestones: the Franklin County Conservation District’s 70th Anniversary, the presentation of the Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award to Samuel Worley, and the recognition of Alan Gift as the Franklin County Conservation Farmer of the Year.

PACD congratulates the Franklin County Conservation District, Samuel Worley, and Alan Gift on these significant milestones.

The Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds recently announced more than $300,000 in grant awards to advance the protection and restoration of Pennsylvania’s waterways. Awardees will use the funds to improve water quality and enhance ecosystems across the state through stream restoration, land protection, water quality monitoring, and outreach and education projects.

Somerset Conservation District was awarded $20,000 to improve aquatic passage on North Fork Bens Creek.

The next conservation grant application cycle opens this summer with a first-stage deadline of September 18, 2026. 

Learn more about the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds at www.thefpw.org. 

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.

Registration for the 2026 PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference is underway! This year’s conference will bring PACD members and partners together at the Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg, PA, Tuesday through Thursday, August 4-6. Tuesday will feature a tour of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building and a casual get-together hosted by the SCC’s own Justin Challenger. Many thanks to Justin for his generous hospitality!

Wednesday and Thursday feature the summer PACD Executive Council meeting, an agricultural tour, a meet-and-greet with the new SCC Executive Secretary, and special sessions with a focus on new and emerging technologies.

Click here for more information and to register.

PACD will hold its summer committee meetings via videoconference in 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 each meeting is free and required. Please email the listed contact to request a registration link:

PACD Conservation Committee Videoconference
July 14, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Contact mburns@pacd.org for a registration link.

PACD District Employees Committee Videoconference
July 17, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Contact hmiller@pacd.org for a registration link.

PACD Education & Outreach Committee Videoconference
July 21, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Contact swehinger@pacd.org for a registration link.

PACD Legislative Committee Videoconference
July 22, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Contact mburns@pacd.org for a registration link.

PACD Ways & Means Committee Videoconference
July 27, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Contact abrown@pacd.org for a registration link.

PACD Operations Committee Videoconference
July 28, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Contact mburns@pacd.org for a registration link.