These training opportunities are coordinated by the PA Leadership Development Program. Click here to read more. Contact: Leadership Development Coordinator Mike Lovegreen.
The 2017 National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Poster Contest is now open! The theme is “Healthy Soils are Full of Life!” PACD will be accepting JPEG versions of your county’s winners until June 30, 2017. The digital versions of the posters have been a great help in cutting down on postage and handling costs, and NACD has assured us there are no discrepancies in judging JPEG’s versus hard copies. In fact, it’s their preferred medium. We can’t wait to see all of the artistic entries for this year’s theme!
Click here to read more.
The three day Introduction to Conservation Planning course will take place March 14-16, 2017 at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey area) in Grantville, PA. Click here for information on the pre-requisite. The deadline to apply for this free training has been extended to February 17, 2017.
Mark your calendars for the 2017 PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference, which will be held July 12-13, 2017 at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey in Harrisburg, PA. Registration will open in May.
The PACD/SCC Winter Meeting was held in State College January 24-25. During the meeting, sessions were held on Growing Greener III, Farm Bill, Stormwater, and PACD’s On-Call Attorney program. During the Executive Council meeting, a motion was passed to strike the PACD Auxiliary from the Bylaws and a motion was passed to improve the efficiency of the PACD Policy Process. A 50/50 drawing was held with proceeds benefitting the Pennsylvania Envirothon.
PACD is awarding six scholarships for the PA Association of Environmental Educators annual two-day conference on March 13 and 14, 2017 at the McKeever Environmental Learning Center, Sandy Lake, PA.
Pennsylvania conservation district employees involved in environmental education and outreach are eligible to apply. Click here for the online application starting February 1, 2017. Contact: Terry Fisher at tfisher@pacd.org. The scholarships are made possible through an Environmental Education Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
The Clean Water Farm Award Program recognizes Pennsylvania farmers whose exemplary farm management practices result in improved local and downstream water quality. Pennsylvania’s conservation districts may submit a nomination for a farm in their county. One award will be given in each of PACD’s six regions. Each district that submits a complete nomination will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 pizza party for their office! Deadline: April 30, 2017. Click here for more information.
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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.). |
PACD Director of Operations Lisa Suhr staffs the conservation district booth at the Farm Show on January 7, 2017.
Conservation district volunteers had the opportunity to share about the work conservation districts do in their local communities to conserve the state’s natural resources. Five-hundred, forty-six visitors stopped by the Conservation District Farm Show booth during the eight day event that concluded on January 14. The Farm Show attracts people from across Pennsylvania, drawing visitors to the district booth from sixty one different counties, a few from other states, and even one from New Zealand.
Conservation district facts and contact information were handed out. Visitors also had the opportunity to identify and learn about the watershed they live in by marking their home location on a state map and receiving a fact sheet about their watershed. Other information available during the show included Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program materials, agricultural requirements brochures, and Manure Management Manuals.
A huge thank you is extended to each conservation district that donated staff time to make the show a success. A lot of work goes into preparing and staffing the booth and it would not be possible without the district volunteers.
Patti Irwin (left) and Pam Masters (right) load up the young trees they each received after attending Juniata County Conservation District’s (JCCD) Buffer-In-A-Basket workshop, detailing the importance of riparian buffers in non-point source pollution reduction. Photo provided by JCCD.
Through PACD’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Program, the Juniata County Conservation District (JCCD) planted 170 trees. The “Lost Creek Landowners Buffer-in-a-Basket” project worked with landowners in the Lost Creek Watershed to plant trees in streamside locations.
A workshop was held in October and trees were distributed to plant as buffers on the landowners property.
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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. |
Registration is open for two technical training sessions on Chapters 102 and 105 for conservation district technicians and DEP employees. The 2017 training sessions will take place at the Ramada Conference Center in State College, PA.
Basic/Refresher – March 20-23
Topic-based – April 5-6