PACD is partnering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the State Conservation Commission (SCC) to deliver a three day Introduction to Conservation Planning course. This free training will take place November 13-15, 2018 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey area) in Grantville, PA.

The event is for entry-level employees of all organizations in Pennsylvania delivering conservation planning technical assistance, including but not limited to, NRCS, conservation districts, SCC, farmland preservation entities, non-profits, and private consultants. Lunch will be provided.

The application link will be emailed to those who are interested in taking the course after they have submitted their pre-requisite certificate of completion to swehinger@pacd.org.  Click here for information on the pre-requisite. The deadline to apply is October 12, 2018.

During the PACD Executive Council meeting on July 18, three officers were re-elected and two new officers were elected.

The 2018-19 slate of officers includes:

• President: Charles Duritsa, Westmoreland Conservation District
• 1st Vice President: Mike Price, Beaver County Conservation District
• 2nd Vice President: Donald Koontz, Mercer County Conservation District
• Secretary & NE Region Director: Kelly Stagen, Pike County Conservation District
• Treasurer: Sonia Wasco, Lancaster County Conservation District

Also during the Executive Council meeting, delegates voted to give the Executive Board the authority to sell the existing PACD office building and purchase a condo.

 

PACD, in conjunction with the award sponsor, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), presented the operators of four farms with the Clean Water Farm Award during its annual conference on July 18, 2018 in Lancaster, PA. The honor is awarded annually to farmers who manage their daily farm operations in an environmentally conscious manner that helps to protect Pennsylvania’s water quality.

DEP has sponsored this award for the past thirty-two years. Recipients receive a certificate signed by the DEP Secretary and a large Clean Water Farm Award sign to erect on their property.

The 2018 Clean Water Farm Award Recipients are:

• Ed Chianese (Susquehanna County)
• Justin and Doreen Geisinger Air Hill Acres Farm (Franklin County)
• Will & Kelly Smith, Deep Roots Valley Farm (Berks County)
• Dave Pounds (Indiana County)

The Clean Water Farm award was initiated in 1986. Recipients of the award are nominated by their local county conservation districts. Financial support for this award is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program and the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Education Office (administered by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.).

Click here to read the entire press release. 

Representatives from the northeastern United States traveled to the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster for the National Association of Conservation District’s (NACD) Northeast Regional Meeting. Conservation leaders from these states met for educational programs, tours, and networking.

“It is exiting to host a meeting that brings our counterparts from other northeastern states together. This week, we were able to showcase some of Pennsylvania’s conservation district projects via tours and educational sessions. Attendees learned about the Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Road Program which helps decrease pollution from unpaved roads and is unique to Pennsylvania. They visited a plain sect farm where they saw how the Lancaster County Conservation District helped the farmer control pollution. They participated in a stormwater tour by LandStudies, Inc. which shows work being done in our communities to reduce flooding. Finally, visitors had the opportunity to visit Stroud Water Research Center and learn about research they are conducting to ensure we have enough clean water for future generations,” said Brenda Shambaugh, PACD Executive Director. “Our conservation districts work hard every day to make a difference in our communities.”

After saying goodbye to our collegues from other states, the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD) and the State Conservation Commission held their 71^th Joint Annual Conference. Several Pennsylvania conservationists were recognized at an awards luncheon on July 18.

The 2018 PACD honorees are as follows: 

• Legislator Leadership Award – Senator John H. Eichelberger, Jr. (PA 30th District)
• President’s Award – Pat Sueck
• Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director Excellence Award – Jay Snyder (Lancaster County)
• Conservation District Employee Excellence Award – Renee Swineford (Snyder County)
• Conservation District Employee Service Recognition Program Awards

40 Years of Service

• Craig Bingman, Manager, Snyder County
• Years of Service
• Carl Goshorn, Manager, Cumberland County
• James Pillsbury, Hydraulic Engineer, Westmoreland County
• Tammie Robinson, Administrative Assistant, Indiana County
• Lorelle Steach, PA Envirothon Coordinator, Bedford County

Click here to read the entire press release and here to see photos from the event.

Pennsylvania’s county conservation districts were awarded over $43,000 for twenty-six pollution reduction projects in twenty-six counties. These projects promote water pollution prevention activities through the Non-point Source (NPS) Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-Grant Program. The projects will take place over the next 8 months.

Funding for the grants, up to $2,000 each, is provided through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Click here to read the entire press release including the list of funded projects. 

Be sure to register this week for the National Association of Conservation District (NACD) Northeast Regional Meeting and PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference. The discounted, early bird registration was extended until the final pre-registration deadline of July 6, 2018! Walk-in registrations will be accepted, however availability of meals and activities cannot be guaranteed.

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. 

Conservation district managers please save the date for the 2018 Management Summit, scheduled for Wednesday, September 5, and Thursday, September 6, at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in State College.

Registration information and an agenda are coming soon. Contact Leadership Development Coordinator Matt Miller at mmiller@pacd.org with questions about this event.

The NACD Stewardship and Education Committee is pleased to announce the 2019 Poster Contest and Stewardship Week theme: “Life in the Soil: Dig Deeper.”

Soil is a dirty topic, but everyone needs to learn more about it! Soil is the foundation for many of the items we use in our daily life, such as food, clothing, clean water, homes, and more. Healthy soil equals healthy food, which equals a healthy you.

Rules, entry forms, and other resources for the 2019 NACD Poster Contest will be available for download on the 2019 Stewardship Week page later this summer. The 64th Annual Stewardship Week will take place April 28–May 5, 2019.

For more information, visit our Stewardship Program webpage. 

The results are in! During the 2017-18 Manure Management Manual and Chapter 102 Compliance Workshops Mini-grant Program, 38 conservation districts reached over 2,800 landowners across the state.

Other outcomes include:

• Full-day workshops held: 37
• Half-day workshops held: 36
• One-on-one sessions held: 181
• Manure management plans written: 426 covering 32,798.9 acres
• Agricultural Erosion & Sedimentation plans written: 78 covering 6,482.73 acres

In addition to completing plans, conservation district staff improved awareness of the revised Manure Management Manual and assisted farmers in understanding manure management and Chapter 102 requirements.

PACD would like to thank the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for providing the funding for this program as well as supporting conservation districts as they help landowners achieve compliance.

Financial support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant, the Clean Water Fund and the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program (CBRAP).

 

Submitted by: Jolie Chylack, Environmental Education & Outreach Coordinator, Lehigh County Conservation District

As many students in the Lehigh Valley area are walking down the aisle to graduate from one of our regions notable secondary, undergraduate, or graduate learning institutions, we would like to highlight a conservation video production project that several senior students from Lehigh Carbon Community College recently completed in partnership with the Lehigh County Conservation District!

• Erosion Education Video: https://youtu.be/bjAYHjG7XvM
• Watershed Education Video: https://youtu.be/eJ_FwTzcy2I
• Environmental Education Video: https://youtu.be/mDkV-I73Wb8

Click here to read more.