Highlighting PA conservation district employees who go above and beyond.
PACD Attends Chesapeake Agricultural Networking Forum
(Left to right): Heather Duncan, Executive Director, West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts, Jen Nelson, Executive Director, Delaware Association of Conservation Districts & Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts, and Amy Brown, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts. Photo by Kristen Saacke Blunk.
PACD Executive Director Amy Brown attended the 2025 Chesapeake Agricultural Networking Forum from November 12-14 in Hershey, PA.
The event was held for National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grantees, partners, and practitioners in agricultural conservation from across the region. Attendees discussed emerging trends and topics, networked, shared information and ideas, and informed what’s next for collective efforts to further advance agricultural conservation across the Bay watershed.
Meet Susquehanna County Conservation District’s Worms!
Photo of vermiculture provided by Susquehanna County Conservation District.
In September, PACD published an article about Susquehanna County Conservation District’s (SCCD) eel program. Did you know that Watershed Specialist Jillian Pagnnotti is also raising worms? The worms provide an additional food source for the American eels.
According to the SCCD’s Instagram post, “live food helps train the eels to hunt and be able to provide for themselves once released, and not to mention that they love to eat worms! Here at the SCCD office, Jillian has made a vermiculture! A vermiculture is essentially a worm farm. The worms are kept in a controlled environment, fed throughout the week, and used as live food for the eels. Our vermiculture contains red wigglers. A stable, controlled environment will allow the worms to reproduce and provide an endless supply of live food for our eels. The worms eat organic waste, such as kitchen scraps and yard waste, and convert it into rich, dark, crumbly compost. The process also produces a liquid called vermitea, which is collected and can be used as a nitrogen-rich fertilizer for houseplants or gardens!”
Berks County Conservation District Dedicates Conference Room
Pictured is the BCCD Board of Directors, from left to right – Commissioner Director Christian Leinbach, Farmer Director Joseph Rosembaum, Farmer Director Lynette Gelsinger, Public Director David Beane, Farmer Director Larry Gelsinger, Board Chair Piper Sherburne, and Farmer Director Larry Kehl. Photo provided by BCCD.
On October 29, 2025, the Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) held a dedication for the Glenn Seidel Board and Conference Room at their office.
The BCCD Board of Directors attended the event with Glenn’s wife, daughter, grandson, brother-in-law, and sister, as well as friends and colleagues.
Glenn served as a director of the Berks County Conservation District for over 25 years. He served on the PACD Executive Board for five years. In that time, he served as 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President, and as President from 2015 to 2017. He was also a member of the PACD Education and Outreach Committee.
Outstanding in their Field
Highlighting PA conservation district employees who go above and beyond.
PACD Attends Lebanon County Restoration Tour
Rich Starr with EPR outlines stream restoration plans at the Historic Schaefferstown Farm during the tour.
On October 28, 2025, PACD Project & Event Specialist Molly Burns participated in a restoration site tour hosted by the Lebanon County Conservation District as part of the Hammer Creek Partnership. Also in attendance were Joe Marsicano, Funding & Resource Specialist for the Pennsylvania Senate, and representatives from the offices of U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, State Senator Chris Gebhard, and State Representative Russ Diamond.
The tour showcased several sites where restoration activities are planned as part of a comprehensive restoration plan for the Hammer Creek Headwaters. This multi-site landscape-scale project aims to maximize environmental benefits by restoring multiple sites through voluntary landowner participation. The project will take years to complete. Once finished, it will reduce flooding and reap benefits for local landowners, the wild trout population, and water quality, both locally and downstream to the Chesapeake Bay.
The Hammer Creek Partnership includes the Doc Fritchey Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Nature Conservancy, Ecosystem Planning & Restoration (EPR), Spring Hill Partners, and the Lebanon County Conservation District. Project partners also include the Lancaster Farmland Trust, and Pheasants Forever.
Outstanding in their Field
Highlighting PA conservation district employees who go above and beyond.
First Landscape Professional Training Held in Columbia County
Native Creations owner and instructor Justin Ulanoski and Executive Director, Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, Beth Ginter, leading day one of the training at Native Creations in Berwick.
Space is still available for the second session in Indiana County.
PACD hosted a Level 1 Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) training on October 30-31, 2025, in Berwick, PA. The training is two days: one day in the classroom and one day in the field.
This session will be repeated at Indiana County Conservation District on December 9-10, 2025 (snow date December 11). Usually, this training costs $475, but these sessions are free and exclusively for conservation district staff.
Registration is a two-step process:
The first step is to fill out the online application here.
The second step is to select your training date here.
Staff DO NOT need to be located in the Chesapeake Bay to take the training. The training is a baseline credential in the design, installation, and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, with emphasis on properly maintaining stormwater best management practices.
Pre-class assignments and logistical details will come from Katie@cblpro.org as we get closer to the date. Participants must pass a written exam to become certified. Continuing education credits are available from many organizations. The complete list is at cblpro.org.
Thank you to the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Indiana County Conservation District, and Native Creations for coming together to host this opportunity for district staff to become credentialed.
Questions? Contact melissa@cblpro.org.
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.
South Central Region Managers Meet
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.
November Board Development Video: Executive Sessions
The monthly Board Development Video Series provides information and review on governance, compliance, and programmatic topics. These short-format videos are intended for viewing and follow-up discussion at your district board meetings. The November 2025 installment focuses on Executive Sessions.
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.