Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts

We support Pennsylvania’s Conservation Districts who work for clean water and healthy soil every day.

$40,000 Available for 2018-19 Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Program for Conservation Districts

Due to continued support of conservation district projects by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, PACD is able to offer a second round of mini-grants in the 2018-19 program year.

Grants up to $2,000 are awarded to conservation districts for adult educational projects that offer strategies for reducing and preventing Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution. Projects should stimulate a local awareness of water quality issues, promote the theme “We All Live Downstream,” and encourage citizen participation in activities to improve water quality in local watersheds.

The deadline for NPS mini-grant applications is June 28, 2018.  Click here for the online application and more information. Please note that a Google Account is required to submit an application. Questions should be directed to Shannon Wehinger

Financial and other support for the NPS Mini-grant Program 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.

 

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Early Bird Rate Ends Friday for the NACD Northeast Regional Meeting and PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference

The early bird discount ends Friday, June 15! Be sure to register this week for the NACD Northeast Regional Meeting and PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference to receive the discounted registration rate.

The meeting location is the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. NACD events will take place July 15-17, 2018, and PACD/SCC events will take place July 17-18, 2018.

Click here for more information and to register. 

 

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Lebanon County Conservation District Holds Legislative Roundtable

Beth Lutz, Ag Conservation Specialist; Angie Foltz, Program Specialist; Nate Weaver, E&S Pollution Control Technician; Amy Cannistraci, Ag Conservation Specialist; Katie Doster, District Manager; Randall Leisure, Board Chairman; Brenda Shambaugh, PACD Executive Director; Kori Walter, District Director for Congressman Costello; Jill Weister, District Office Manager for Representative Diamond; Teresa Leitner, Legislative Secretary for Representative Helm.
Missing from picture: Representative Frank Ryan, Commissioner Bill Ames, and Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz. Photo provided by LCCD.

On Friday, June 1, PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh joined staff from the Lebanon County Conservation District (LCCD) to meet with local legislators, including Representative Ryan, Commissioner Ames, Commissioner Litz, and representatives from the offices of Congressman Costello, Representative Helm, and Representative Diamond.

During the meeting, LCCD staff highlighted conservation efforts in Lebanon County over the past year. Staff discussed agricultural programs, erosion and sedimentation programs, agricultural land preservation, the Lebanon County Envirothon, and the LCCD Annual Tree Sale. The group also discussed legislative matters important to the Lebanon County community, including the current Farm Bill and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

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Cumberland County Conservation District Holds Water Quality Monitoring Workshops

Photo provided by Cumberland County Conservation District.

The Cumberland County Conservation District sponsored a series of one-day events for volunteers to learn about Nonpoint Source Pollution and water quality in the Conodoguinet Creek Watershed. Volunteers collected water samples and analyzed the results. Water quality data included pH, conductivity, temperature, and nitrogen and phosphorus rates.

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.

Click here to read the “Conodoguinet Creek Watershed Snapshot” which includes results of the monitoring.

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Pike County Conservation District Holds Groundwater Series

Photo provided by Pike County Conservation District.

Pike County Conservation District and Penn State Extension conducted a series of three educational workshops titled “Discovering Your Drinking Water: Learn more about protecting the quality of your drinking water!” on August 23, 2017, October 18, 2017, and March 26, 2018. The workshop content was presented by Penn State Extension Educator Peter Wulfhorst. Approximately 40 people attended the three workshops.

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.

 

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Tioga County Conservation District Holds Legislative Event

The Tioga County Conservation District staff and board members, Tioga County Commissioners, a representative from Senator Scarnati’s office, PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh, and Tioga’s new Representative Clint Owlett pose for a photo.

On May 18, 2018 PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh traveled to Tioga County to attend a legislative event. The 2018 Tioga County Conservation District legislative luncheon was held at the Tokishi Building in Wellsboro. The district highlighted upcoming projects for their area and answered questions about programs throughout the county.

 

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Introducing Leadership Development Coordinator Matt Miller

I would like to introduce myself as PACD’s Leadership Development Coordinator. I am very excited to join the PACD team and to support the vital work of the dedicated district directors and staff throughout the state. Prior to coming to PACD, I worked for a statewide association representing not-for-profit senior service providers where I coordinated educational and leadership development programming as well as corporate sponsorship, conference and event planning, and member outreach.

I look forward to exploring ways that the association can improve education delivery and increase engagement with the districts and the communities they serve. With that in mind, I plan to reach out to many of you in the coming days and weeks as part of an informal needs assessment of the “Building for Tomorrow” program. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the meantime if I can be of any assistance to you or your district.

My contact information is: Matthew Miller, 717-238-7223 x11, mmiller@pacd.org.

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Don’t Miss Out on All the Goodies! Register for the NACD Northeast Regional Meeting and PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference Today!

Conservation districts and their partners are invited to register for the Combined 2018 National Association of Conservation District’s (NACD) Northeast Regional Meeting and 71st PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference. The combined conference will take place at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. NACD events will take place July 15-17, 2018, and PACD/SCC events will take place July 17-18, 2018.

PACD is still collecting items for goodie bags that all attendees will receive. Pictured are the messenger bags sponsored by WorldView Solutions, a rain gauge from Berks County Conservation District, and maple syrup from McKean, Potter, and Tioga County Conservation Districts. Not pictured are pens from Snyder County Conservation District. Thanks to Sandy Thompson for taking the lead on coordinating the giveaways! She can be reached at sdthompson@mckeancountypa.org if you would like to contribute.

Be sure to register by Friday, June 15, to take advantage of the early-bird discount! Click here for more information or to register for the meeting. 

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Now Accepting Applications Multi-Functional Riparian Buffer Sub-grants

PACD is now accepting sub-grant applications to implement multi-functional riparian buffers. The implementation of these grants will help the commonwealth achieve its goal of planting 95,000 acres of riparian buffers by 2025.

The guidelines and applications for this new statewide sub-grant program for conservation districts are posted here.  Questions should be directed to Amy Salansky at asalansky@pacd.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 Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

 

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