As the Conservation Technician for the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) in the North East Region, the incumbent will provide technical assistance to the Growing Greener program and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

This position will: provide technical assistance to area partnership Growing Greener personnel and the NRCS in the planning, design, and construction of engineering practices; prepare designs of agricultural conservation practices and water quality best management practices (BMPs), which are site-specific and require coordination among various groups and individuals; and provide engineering assistance in conducting preliminary investigations.

Salary Range: $40,000 to $42,000. Benefits include health insurance, a 401k retirement plan, and accrued PTO leave.

Click here for the full job description. Candidates must submit a resume and cover letter to PACD at jobs@pacd.org. The deadline to apply is May 30, 2023.

PACD is now accepting mini-grant applications for up to $3,000 to implement educational and outreach activities that support and extend the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) work. Projects should focus on CREP enrollment, re-enrollment, and/or CREP maintenance.

Applications are being accepted and approved on a rolling basis. The deadline for final reports is extended until December 1, 2023.

Project examples:

-Walkabouts/field days
-Farmer and landowner workshops
-Riparian buffer workshops
-Workshop series with several topics
-Developing educational materials like brochures, flyers, fact sheets, or even billboards
-Hire interns to provide CREP outreach

Eligible expenses include staff wages, promotional items, mileage, postage, office supplies, room rental for workshops, food & beverages, materials, transportation, etc.

The guidelines and application for the CREP mini-grant program for conservation districts are posted here. Questions should be directed to Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org.

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

Penn State Ag Progress Days will be held August 8-10, 2023, at the Russell E. Larson Agriculture Research Center, 2710 West Pine Grove Rd., Pennsylvania Furnace.

We are looking for volunteers for the Conservation District Exhibit for this event. If you’d like to schedule a shift, send your name, contact information, and preferred shift(s) to Brenda Shambaugh at bshambaugh@pacd.org.

The remaining open shifts are:

• Tuesday, August 8: 1:00 pm – 5:00 p.m. 
• Wednesday, August 9: 5:00 pm – 7:00 p.m. 

When available, a final volunteer schedule, parking passes, and other show information will be sent to volunteers. For more information on Ag Progress Days, visit their website at http://agsci.psu.edu/apd.

Registration is open for the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference July 19-20, 2023, at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey Area) in Grantville, PA. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with fellow conservation district staff, board members, and agency partners in conservation.

Registration is open to conservation district directors, associate directors, district staff, partner agency staff, and invited guests. Click here to register and for more information. 

PACD committees will meet virtually in June and July prior to the conference. Committee registration is free and each committee requires separate registration. Please email the listed contact to request a registration link.

June 27, 2023 | 10-11 AM
PACD Legislative Committee Videoconference
Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

June 29, 2023 | 10-11 AM
PACD Conservation Committee Videoconference
Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

July 6, 2023 | 10-11 AM
PACD Education and Outreach Committee Videoconference
Contact swehinger@pacd.org to request a registration link.

July 12, 2023 | 1:30-2:30 PM
PACD District Employees Committee Videoconference
Contact hmiller@pacd.org to request a registration link.

July 13, 2023 | 10-11 AM
PACD Ways and Means Committee Videoconference
Contact abrown@pacd.org to request a registration link.

July 14, 2023 | 1:30-2:30 PM
PACD Operations Committee Videoconference
Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

The Clarion Conservation District and other partners provided three educational tours of the newly overhauled acid mine drainage (AMD) passive treatment system at the Clarion County Park in Shippenville, PA.

The tours educated agency employees, local educators/teachers, and community members of all ages about acid mine drainage and the work being done in Clarion County to improve water quality and treat this form of nonpoint source pollution.

Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The McKean County Conservation District partnered with the Bradford Sanitary Authority and Penn State Extension’s Master Watershed Stewards to host a rain barrel workshop on April 15, 2023.

The Rain Barrel Workshop reached 29 participants. Topics included learning about rain barrels and rain gardens, watershed basics, stormwater impacts, and steps to take to reduce nonpoint source pollution. Participants of the workshop constructed a rain barrel to take home with them.

The workshop was part of the district’s “Promoting Healthy Watersheds” project, which also included a Winter Farmer’s Meeting and a No-Till Demo Day.

Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Elk County Conservation District planted 0.43 acres of multifunctional riparian forest buffer along Badger Run in the Bennett Branch Sinnemahoning Creek Watershed in Elk County. The project cost $4,448.07 and was paid for through PACD’s multifunctional buffer sub-grant program: https://pacd.org/?page_id=17536                                           

Financial and other support for this project 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.

Thirty-one individuals attended the Agricultural Conservation Technical Boot Camp Training – Basic Level May 1-4, 2023, at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County. Attendees included staff from conservation districts, PACD, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and affiliates, Penn State Extension, and the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the State Conservation Commission sponsor the training. PACD works with these partners to coordinate the event.

Elk and Potter County Conservation Districts held workshops geared toward local realtors in January and February.

Project leader Victoria Challingsworth said, “Our goal was to reach new entities that play a role in some of the environmental impacts we see commonly and hoped to prevent issues before they arise. Real Estate Agents play a unique role and have the potential to provide a great deal of information about a property to interested buyers. We hope that educating realtors about environmental regulations will help them convey correct information to new owners about allowable activities near streams or wetlands.”

Financial and other support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

On April 27, 2023, the Berks County Conservation District held a Legislative Breakfast with the Berks Farm Bureau. Approximately 60 folks attended the breakfast at the Berks County Agricultural Center in Leesport, PA. PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh was in attendance.