PACD Acting Executive Director Amy Brown attended the Franklin County Conservation District’s (FCCD) Summer Conservation Farm Tour. The tour featured the Craig Alleman LLC beef operation in Shippensburg, PA, on August 5, 2025. The district selected the Alleman Farm as the 2025 Conservation Farmer of the Year.

The tour included the beef cattle facilities and manure handling systems. Attendees saw how Craig, utilizing FCCD grant funds, was able to convert an overused open area into an improved animal heavy use area (AHUA) that includes a bedded pack structure. Both actions led to enhanced cattle health and manure management.

The tour also stopped at the farm’s tree planting to demonstrate how planting trees has improved the farm. FCCD staff demonstrated how to measure soil health and the benefits of no-till field management. Lastly, staff answered questions on Conservation Excellence Grants and Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program grants.

Check out these two new courses on the Clean Water Academy that may be of interest to conservation district staff!

Course: MS4 Minimum Control Measures (MCMs) 
Municipalities and other entities with separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit coverage are required by their MS4 permits to implement a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) to reduce the discharge of pollutants from their MS4, protect water quality, and satisfy the water quality requirements of the Clean Water Act and Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law. This course will provide an overview of the six Minimum Control Measures (MCMs) that must be included in a permittee’s SWMP. Completion of this course is recommended for municipal staff and their consultants, local environmental groups, and any other interested members of the public.

Course: Legacy Sediment Removal, Floodplain Restoration, and Permitting 
This webinar provided a historical background on legacy sediments within Pennsylvania. It also included a discussion on principles of floodplain restoration as well as permitting considerations for legacy sediment removal and floodplain restoration projects.

Please email Jay Braund with questions jbraund@pa.gov.

PACD First Vice President Barb Peace and PACD Acting Executive Director Amy Brown attended the announcement for the relaunch of the Pennsylvania Agriculture Conservation Stewardship (PACS) program on August 12, 2025, at Ag Progress Days.

Also during Ag Progress Days, Barb and Amy attended an evening legislative reception hosted by Penn State at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Barb and Amy met legislators and spoke with PA Department of Agriculture Secretary Redding and Deputy Secretary Hostetter. PACD thanks Versant Strategies for sponsoring the event and inviting us to attend.

 

There’s still time to register for the 2025 Management Summit, September 16-18 at the Wyndham Garden Conference Center in State College.

PreCon Tuesday features an in-depth look at Leading through Transition & Uncertainty, followed by an interactive mini-workshop on Change Management & District Strategic Challenges. The Wednesday Summit program starts with a keynote presentation on Artificial Intelligence, followed by a manager-led discussion on AI at districts. Wednesday afternoon includes presentations on DEP Modernization and Financial Planning for Districts and wraps up with an informal manager panel. Summit concludes on Thursday with a training workshop on Communicating to Influence Decision Makers, followed by a working lunch featuring a PACD legislative update and discussion for managers.

All district management staff and partner agency staff are welcome to attend at no charge, but registration is required. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information.

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.

Ag Progress Days, Pennsylvania’s largest outdoor agricultural exposition, was held August 12-14, 2025, at Pennsylvania State University’s Research Farms in Rock Springs. During the three-day event, conservation districts from Centre, Indiana, Juniata, Mifflin, Schuylkill, and Westmoreland counties met hundreds of landowners and farmers to discuss local conservation.

Thank you so much to all who volunteered to share conservation districts’ excellent work with the public. A special thank you to Westmoreland Conservation District for setting up the booth and Mifflin County Conservation District for taking it down.

On July 28, 2025, the Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) held its Annual Awards and Scholarship Dinner.

In addition to several scholarship recipients, BCCD also recognized the following individuals and organizations for their efforts:

• Engineer of the Year: Samuel Reeser
• Organization of the Year: Hay Creek Watershed Association
• Individual of the Year: Nicholas Johnson
• Urban Agricultural Project: Front Street Garden to Café Esperanza
• Educator of the Year: Sherry Fuhrmann
• Student Environmental Ambassador: Garrett Hynemann
• Student Environmental Organization: Schuylkill Valley FFA
• Reading-Berks Science and Engineering Fair Winner: Samson Evans
• Low Volume Road Project of the Year: Mill Road Project in Oley Township

There were over 140 people at the dinner. Thank you to Senator Judy Schwank, Representative Johanny Cedpeda-Freytiz, Representative Jacklyn Ruscnock, Representative Eric Weaknecht, Representative David Zimmerman and Craig Lutz and Dan Bost from Senator Chris Gebhards office, Kim Fies, Executive Director of the Berks County Department of Agriculture, Nicholas Ramsey, District Conservationist, NRCS; Chas. Heberling Conservation District Field Representative, PA Department of Environmental Protection and all the other partners, friends and family who took time to come out and celebrate with the district.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) was awarded $134,900 from the United States Department of the Interior’s 2023 Inflation Reduction Act Recovery Implementation Grant program to fund a stream restoration project to benefit federally protected freshwater mussel species in French Creek, Crawford County. The PFBC Board voted to approve a Threatened and Endangered Species Grant to the Crawford County Conservation District (CCCD). 

The grant, not to exceed $134,900, will be used by the CCCD to restore approximately 350 feet of eroding streambank, which impacts instream habitat in a portion of French Creek known to support endangered, threatened, candidate, and rare freshwater mussel species. Stream restoration will include the installation of instream habitat structures to stabilize the eroding streambank, the removal of a gravel bar to reestablish a natural channel cross section, and native vegetation will be planted within the riparian buffer zone to promote streambank stability.

Click here to read more. 

 

August Board Development Video: Nomination Process Timeline

The August installment of the monthly Board Development video series continues the focus on director nominations with a review of the nomination process timeline.  

Register Now for 2025 Management Summit

Registration is open for the 2025 Management Summit, September 16–18, at the Wyndham Garden Conference Center in State College. This year’s program features sessions on transition and change management, artificial intelligence, financial planning, and influencing decision-makers. All district management staff and partner staff are welcome to attend. Visit Building for Tomorrow for agenda, registration links, and room block information.

Apply for a 25-26 Strategic Planning Grant

Strategic Planning is an essential activity for conservation districts. Building for Tomorrow encourages districts to reevaluate and update their plans regularly and supports districts by offering grants to offset costs associated with strategic planning activities. The State Conservation Commission has allocated funding for grants to reimburse up to $1,500 in expenses related to the development of a strategic plan for the 2056-26 program year. To be eligible for these funds, conservation districts must meet program requirements. Priority will be given to conservation districts that have not received a Strategic Planning Grant in the past five years. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information on the Strategic Planning Grants program, or contact Leadership Development Program Manager Matt Miller at mmiller@pacd.org for information and assistance.

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.

 

To support conservation district managers, assistant managers, supervisory staff, and team leaders in maximizing the benefits of the Clean Water Academy (CWA), PACD is offering three short live sessions focused on key features and navigation tips. Since not all staff have completed the “How to Use Clean Water Academy” course (access requires login), some may not be aware of the full range of available tools and training opportunities.

The sessions will be identical, so you only need to attend one of them. Each session will provide a concise overview of CWA, highlight underutilized features, and offer practical guidance to support more effective use of CWA. Registration is required.

Session Options:

• Wednesday, August 6: 2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. – Click here to register. 
• Tuesday, August 12: 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. – Click here to register. 
• Thursday, August 21: 11:00 a.m.–Noon – Click here to register. 

All sessions will be recorded and made available on CWA for those who are unable to attend live, as well as for future managers to reference.

 

The Warren County Conservation District established a community garden in 2008 at the Hatch Run Conservation Demonstration Area in Warren, PA. The gardens had only 10 plots in 2008 and have now expanded to 25 plots. The gardens offer a place for folks who don’t have the space at their home or apartment to have a garden of their own.

The district’s property maintenance staff rototills the gardens each year with a tractor, and then each plot owner is responsible for maintaining their own plot. The conservation district has installed rain barrels among the gardens to provide a water source for gardeners

The conservation district charges $25 for each plot to offset the costs of materials for the layout and preparation of the 25’ x 25’ garden plots.

Plots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to previous renters for plot locations. Click here for more details.