PACD members and partners are invited to register for the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference hosted by the Westmoreland Conservation District. The event will take place July 15-17 at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, PA. Go Laurel Highlands has compiled lots of fun things to do in the area and participants will receive a 20% discount on Seven Springs activity passes, so come early, stay late, and bring the whole family!

On Tuesday, July 15, participants can bike the beautiful Youghiogheny River Trail to Confluence, hike one of the trails at Ohiopyle State Park, or get together for scramble-format golf at the picturesque Highlands Golf Club at Seven Springs. Time has been set aside for members to talk about conservation district funding on Tuesday evening.

Wednesday, July 16, offers two educational tracks, one following the Oven Run AMD Project and one examining Large-Scale Solar in Pennsylvania. Both tracks include a morning session and afternoon tour. The day wraps up with dinner at Seven Springs and a reception celebrating the 80th Anniversary of the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission (SCC) sponsored by Go Laurel Highlands. Join us for drinks, snacks, and conservation trivia!

On Thursday, July 17, PACD and the SCC will recognize outstanding members of the conservation community during our joint awards luncheon. The SCC Briefing Session in the morning will feature partner activities and highlight conservation district projects, followed by the SCC business meeting in the afternoon.

Westmoreland Conservation District invites conservation districts to show off their local pride by creating a basket of local items to donate to the basket raffle. Many thanks to Westmoreland for hosting the conference and organizing the basket raffle to benefit PACD.

One article can’t capture all the happenings at this year’s conference, so click here for more information and to register today! 

 

Nearly 4,000 township officials and guests from across Pennsylvania gathered for the annual Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Conference and Trade Show, held May 4–7, 2025. As in previous years, conservation districts were proud to be represented with an informational booth at the event.

A special thank you goes out to the dedicated volunteers who helped staff the booth:

• Dean Druckenmiller, Berks County Conservation District
• Danielle Kalp, PACD
• Tyler Keefer, Lancaster County Conservation District
• Jason Fillhart, Washington County Conservation District

Your time and support make participation in events like this possible—thank you for representing conservation districts!

Thirty individuals attended the Agricultural Conservation Technical Boot Camp Training – Basic Level, May 5-8, 2025, at the Union County Government Center in Lewisburg, PA. Attendees included staff from conservation districts, PACD, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and affiliates, the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Penn State Extension, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and a nonprofit organization.       

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Conservation Commission, Penn State Extension, and PACD coordinate the event.

Submitted by Ryan Harr, Butler County Conservation District Watershed Resource Specialist

On April 16, the Butler County Conservation District (BCCD), in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA), held a workshop to address the growing threat of the invasive Spotted Lanternfly.

Held at Alameda Park, the workshop featured presentations by BCCD’s Jennifer Barckhoff and PDA Forester Noah Hayslip.  The presentations covered Spotted Lanternfly identification, its lifecycle, and the significance of Tree-of-Heaven. They also discussed current quarantine regulations and property management to help slow the insect’s spread.

The installation of a circle trap was also demonstrated. The program concluded with an interactive Egg(mass) Hunt, where participants learned firsthand how to detect and remove egg masses, a crucial step in controlling the Spotted Lanternfly population. By engaging the community in these hands-on efforts, BCCD and PDA reinforced the role the public has in combating this destructive pest.

The Spotted Lanternfly, originally from Asia, poses a serious threat to Pennsylvania’s agriculture and ecosystems, particularly affecting grapevines, hardwood trees, and other crops. BCCD plans to hold future workshops on other invasive species.

PACD extends our thanks to CACAT for sponsoring the 2025 PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference!

The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training (CACAT) at Penn State Extension is dedicated to supporting Pennsylvania’s ag conservation workforce, especially at county conservation districts. We offer a range of resources to help you continue to deliver impactful, sustainable agricultural practices across the state, including:

• Ag Conservation Currents e-newsletter: Timely updates on agricultural conservation news, resources, funding opportunities, and professional development.
• CACAT Website: Your one-stop hub for technical materials, training events, open job listings, and ACAP updates.
• One-on-One County ACAP Visits: Customized support to help your team strengthen local conservation efforts.
• ACAP Promotions and Outreach: Boosting awareness of conservation funding opportunities and Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation.
• Training Events and Webinars: Offering practical, hands-on sessions to grow expertise.
• Engineering Assistance Request Program (EARP): Need help with an Inventory & Evaluation (I&E), basic surveying, or BMP design? EARP provides technical support from CACAT staff, PA State Conservation Commission engineers, or private-sector partners to keep your ACAP projects moving forward​.

Districts are encouraged to collaborate with CACAT by participating in trainings, promoting success stories, and connecting with our technical services.

Visit extension.psu.edu/cacat to learn more and sign up for our Ag Conservation Currents newsletter at extension.psu.edu/ag-conservation to stay informed!

Join us for the next Clean Water Academy Lunch & Learn session on Thursday, May 15, 2025, from Noon–1:00 p.m. with Lisa Blazure, Soil Health Coordinator at the Stroud Water Research Center.

Lisa will present “Building Trust and Relationships with Farmers: Lessons from 15 Years in Agricultural Conservation.” She’ll share practical tips and advice on relationship building with agricultural landowners, along with inspiring success stories drawn from her extensive experience in the field.

Grab your lunch and join us for this engaging and informative discussion! Click here to register. Registration is free but required.

Stay tuned for more Lunch & Learn sessions in the coming months!

In March, thirty-seven individuals attended the Luzerne Conservation District’s two rain barrel events. The workshops were held at The Back Mountain Makery in Dallas, PA. Attendees learned about stormwater, non-point source pollution, and impacts, best management practices specific to homeowners, and mosquito prevention.

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.

In March of 2025, Clean Water Academy (CWA) surpassed 50,000 course completions. Course completions refer to the total number of individual courses successfully completed by all users of CWA. This milestone reflects significant engagement and successful completion of many courses by DEP staff, conservation district staff, sewage enforcement officers, cooperating agencies, and the public. A CWA usage report was recently released.

From January 1, 2018, through March 1, 2025, CWA recorded a total of 52,264 course completions by 4,205 users. Of the 52,264 total course completions, 23,165 (45%) were completed by conservation district staff.

Congratulations to the top ten individuals with the highest course completions:

1. Stephen Beach, Blair CD
2. Matthew Golden, Washington CD
3. Rebecca Smith, Mercer CD
4. Tyne Blazier, Huntingdon CD
5. Patti Abrogast, Union CD
6. Zach Green, Adams CD
7. Dave Taylor, Wyoming CD
8. Tom Ulrich, Washington CD
9. Jason Branning, Susquehanna CD
10. Devon Weyant, Blair CD

Click here to read the report.

 

 

New for 2025, Leadership Development will post a monthly series of short videos to share information, promote programming, and encourage discussion on board development topics.

The May installment of the series includes a brief discussion of the differences in liability for Delegated and Non-delegated programs, as well as links to a presentation video and reference checklist from the December 2023 Identifying Insurance Coverage Gaps webinar.

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.

In response to ongoing conversations about onboarding needs, highlighted most recently by the PACD District Employees Committee, we’ve developed new Clean Water Academy (CWA) resources to support conservation districts in training new staff.

These new resources include a CWA Orientation one-pager that provides a broad overview of the training platform, along with instructions on how to access CWA. We’re also offering CWA Course Checklists tailored to various conservation district roles, including Erosion & Sedimentation Technicians, Agricultural Technicians, and Watershed Specialists. 

These documents highlight available courses and training programs on CWA (links provided) and help streamline the onboarding process.

Please contact Kelly Davidson at kdavidson@pacd.org with questions.