It’s time to RSVP for your fall region meeting! All meetings will be held in person with the option to attend virtually. Please click on your region meeting below for RSVP information and other details.

Items for discussion include proposed changes to the PACD bylaws, an updated biosolids policy proposed by the Lebanon County Conservation District, and member participation in the monthly PACD Executive Board Meetings.

PACD North East Region Meeting
September 24, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Wayne Conservation District, Honesdale, PA

PACD South West Region Meeting
September 28, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA

PACD South Central Region Meeting
September 29, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA

PACD North West Region Meeting
October 7, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Erie County Conservation District, Erie, PA

PACD North Central Region Meeting
October 13, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Tokishi Training Center, Wellsboro, PA

PACD South East Region Meeting
October 19, 2026 | 9:30 a.m. to Noon
Henning’s Market, Harleysville, PA

 

Reminder to all district management staff: there’s still time to register for the 2026 Management Summit & PreCon October 27–29 at the Wyndham Garden State College. This year’s event includes a New Manager Training PreCon focusing on executive roles, human resources, and operational challenges, a Wednesday program including sessions on AI, individual & collective voices, and public outreach as board development, and a Thursday program focusing on staffing and finances.

Visit Building for Tomorrow to register and review the updated Summit agenda.

Financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program is provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. Guidance for the Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Conservation Partnership’s Leadership Development Committee.

From the NACD eResource, September 8, 2026

Written by Jackson Moody, NACD Membership Coordinator

The Northwinds 4-H Camp is a four-day residential camp offered to all eight- to 13-year-olds within a five-county area in Northern Pennsylvania. Last summer, McKean County Conservation District received a Friends of NACD grant to support camp operations and development of the next generation of environmental stewards. While this camp has been established for several years, the grant reduced registration costs to ensure the camp was accessible to all interested students.

Click here to read the entire article and here to learn more about the Friends of NACD grant program.

 

 

Highlighting PA conservation district employees who go above and beyond. Conservation district directors, associate directors, and staff may highlight outstanding district employees in our weekly e-newsletter by using this form. 

NACD is excited to unveil the official 2027 Stewardship Week theme, From Source to Sea: Every Drop Has a Journey.

The 2027 theme reminds us that water does not exist in isolation. What happens upstream affects everything downstream. The choices we make to protect soil, reduce erosion, plant trees, restore habitats, and use water wisely all influence the quality of the water that continues its journey.

No matter where you call home, water connects us all. From the smallest headwater stream to the open sea, every action we take helps shape its journey, because From Source to Sea, Every Drop Has a Journey.

More information will be posted here as it becomes available.

PACD and the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers will be co-hosting a virtual Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) Review Course this year!

The CPESC certification is a professional designation for erosion and sedimentation technicians, engineers, and other specialists involved in design, construction, inspection, or other aspects of erosion and sedimentation control

The review course will ensure CPESC applicants understand which concepts will be covered by the exam and acts as a review for most of those concepts. Applicants for the exam should have a sufficient combination of education and experience to be able to independently study the materials identified in the Review Manual.

CPESC Review Course Information:

Location: Virtual (The course will be offered via Zoom)

Date/Time: October 15, 2026, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm

Cost: $450.00 General Public.  $350.00 for PACD and PSPE members with the discount code available from your association (PACD or PSPE).

Note: This fee is for the Review Course only. Please go to the Envirocert International, Inc. website for certification and exam information and costs.

Instructor: Samuel Hopstone, Owner, Environmental Permitting Specialist, Elderflower LLC

Registration: Register online at https://envirocert.org/event/cpesc-virtual-training-4/

Registration Deadline: October 5, 2026.

Members Discount Code: Conservation districts in good standing may contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org to receive the discount code.

Click here to view the event flyer.

The review course is open to anyone, including conservation district staff, professional engineers, agency staff, or private company staff, who are actively pursuing a CPESC certification through EnviroCert International, Inc. Please pass this information along to anyone who may be interested.

Ag Progress Days, Pennsylvania’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition, was held August 11-13, 2026, at Pennsylvania State University’s Research Farms in Rock Springs. During the three-day event, conservation districts from Centre, Cumberland, Dauphin, Indiana, and Mifflin counties met hundreds of landowners and farmers to discuss local conservation.

Thank you so much to all who volunteered to share conservation districts’ vital work with the public. A special thank you to Mifflin County Conservation District for setting up the booth and Barb Peace (Indiana County Conservation District) for taking it down.

The 2026-27 New Manager Training Initiative began last week and continues through Spring 2027. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register. 

Registration is open for the 2026 Management Summit, October 27-29 at the Wyndham Garden State College.  All management staff and partner staff are welcome. Visit Building for Tomorrow for agenda, registration, and room block information.

Letters of Intent are now being accepted for the 2026-27 Strategic Planning Grants Program, which will reimburse up to $2,500 in expenses related to developing a district strategic plan. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information.

The next quarterly QuickBooks/Admin Forum is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9 from 10 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. Click here to register. 

Financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program is provided through a grant from the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission. Guidance for the Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Conservation Partnership’s Leadership Development Committee.

Submitted by Gary Rinehimer, Agricultural Conservation Specialist, Columbia County Conservation District

On July 28, 2026, the Columbia, Montour and Luzerne County Conservation Districts, in conjunction with Haz-Wald Farms, held their annual Summer Soil Health Field Day in Sugarloaf, Luzerne County.

The day included presentations by host farmers Raleigh and Blakeslee Masters, who discussed Farming for Profit Over Yield, and Penn State Educators, who discussed manure utilization, saving $100 per acre when growing corn, and the state of the agricultural economy.

Sixty farmers and ag professionals attended, enjoying a freshly grilled lunch followed by a panel discussion on Bio-Nutrients, with three local farms sharing their experience with different types of bio-nutrient products. The day concluded with field-based demonstrations, featuring an air-seeder, used by the host farm for planting cover crops, as well as a demonstration of drone cover crop seeding.

This event was made possible through a Growing Greener Multi-County Soil Health Grant.

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) elected a new slate of officers during its annual meeting on August 5, 2026, in Harrisburg, PA.

The 2026 PACD officers are:

• President: Emil A. Bove, Westmoreland Conservation District
• 1st Vice President: Barb Peace, Indiana County Conservation District
• 2nd Vice President: Thomas F. Herbert, Luzerne Conservation District
• Treasurer: Vince Pennoni, Delaware County Conservation District
• Secretary: Sonia Wasco, Lancaster County Conservation District
• NACD Director: Ron Rohall, Westmoreland Conservation District

Executive Board Members not up for election and continuing to serve their terms:

• North Central Region Director: Vacant
• North West Region Director & NACD North East Region Representative: Cliff Lane, McKean County Conservation District
• North East Region Director: Vacant
• South East Region Director: Piper Sherburne, Berks County Conservation District
• South West Region Director: Dennis Beck, Cambria County Conservation District
• South Central Region Director: Randy Leisure, Lebanon County Conservation District