Highlighting PA conservation district employees who go above and beyond. Conservation district directors, associate directors, and staff may highlight outstanding district employees in our weekly e-newsletter by using this form.
Register for the Virtual PACD Winter Meeting Today!
Conservation district directors and associate directors, district staff, and partner agency staff are invited to register for the Virtual 2026 PACD Winter Meeting. The event will take place as a series of videoconferences throughout January. Registration for each videoconference is required and free to participate. Please email the individual listed for a registration link.
PACD Conservation Committee Videoconference
January 7, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org for a registration link
PACD District Employees Committee Videoconference
January 9, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org for a registration link
PACD Education and Outreach Committee Videoconference
January 13, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org for a registration link
PACD Legislative Committee Videoconference
January 15, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org for a registration link
PACD Ways and Means Committee Videoconference
January 22, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org for a registration link
PACD Operations Committee Videoconference
January 23, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.
Contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org for a registration link
PACD Executive Council Committee Videoconference
January 29, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.-Noon
Contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org for a registration link
Leadership Development Reminders
- Videos and other resources from the October (Strategic Planning) and November (AI) sessions of the Fall Leadership Webinar Series are now posted on the Building for Tomorrow website. Registration is open for two upcoming webinars: HR & Policy Resources on Wednesday, December 17, from Noon–1:00 p.m., and Foundations of Project Management on Thursday, December 18, from 9:00 a.m.–10:00 a.m. Visit Building for Tomorrow https://www.paleadership.org/fall-webinar-series-to-focus-on-strategic-planning-ai-applications-and-policy/ for more information.
- All districts that produced video content this year are encouraged to submit to the Conservation District Video Awards, which will be presented on Thursday, February 12. The deadline to submit your entries is Friday, January 2, 2026.
- Districts interested in Strategic Planning Grants for 2026 should submit a Letter of Intent by December 23, 2025.
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.
Outstanding in their Field
Highlighting PA conservation district employees who go above and beyond.
PACD Attends Chesapeake Agricultural Networking Forum
(Left to right): Heather Duncan, Executive Director, West Virginia Association of Conservation Districts, Jen Nelson, Executive Director, Delaware Association of Conservation Districts & Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts, and Amy Brown, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts. Photo by Kristen Saacke Blunk.
PACD Executive Director Amy Brown attended the 2025 Chesapeake Agricultural Networking Forum from November 12-14 in Hershey, PA.
The event was held for National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grantees, partners, and practitioners in agricultural conservation from across the region. Attendees discussed emerging trends and topics, networked, shared information and ideas, and informed what’s next for collective efforts to further advance agricultural conservation across the Bay watershed.
Meet Susquehanna County Conservation District’s Worms!
Photo of vermiculture provided by Susquehanna County Conservation District.
In September, PACD published an article about Susquehanna County Conservation District’s (SCCD) eel program. Did you know that Watershed Specialist Jillian Pagnnotti is also raising worms? The worms provide an additional food source for the American eels.
According to the SCCD’s Instagram post, “live food helps train the eels to hunt and be able to provide for themselves once released, and not to mention that they love to eat worms! Here at the SCCD office, Jillian has made a vermiculture! A vermiculture is essentially a worm farm. The worms are kept in a controlled environment, fed throughout the week, and used as live food for the eels. Our vermiculture contains red wigglers. A stable, controlled environment will allow the worms to reproduce and provide an endless supply of live food for our eels. The worms eat organic waste, such as kitchen scraps and yard waste, and convert it into rich, dark, crumbly compost. The process also produces a liquid called vermitea, which is collected and can be used as a nitrogen-rich fertilizer for houseplants or gardens!”
Berks County Conservation District Dedicates Conference Room
Pictured is the BCCD Board of Directors, from left to right – Commissioner Director Christian Leinbach, Farmer Director Joseph Rosembaum, Farmer Director Lynette Gelsinger, Public Director David Beane, Farmer Director Larry Gelsinger, Board Chair Piper Sherburne, and Farmer Director Larry Kehl. Photo provided by BCCD.
On October 29, 2025, the Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) held a dedication for the Glenn Seidel Board and Conference Room at their office.
The BCCD Board of Directors attended the event with Glenn’s wife, daughter, grandson, brother-in-law, and sister, as well as friends and colleagues.
Glenn served as a director of the Berks County Conservation District for over 25 years. He served on the PACD Executive Board for five years. In that time, he served as 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President, and as President from 2015 to 2017. He was also a member of the PACD Education and Outreach Committee.
Outstanding in their Field
Highlighting PA conservation district employees who go above and beyond.
PACD Attends Lebanon County Restoration Tour
Rich Starr with EPR outlines stream restoration plans at the Historic Schaefferstown Farm during the tour.
On October 28, 2025, PACD Project & Event Specialist Molly Burns participated in a restoration site tour hosted by the Lebanon County Conservation District as part of the Hammer Creek Partnership. Also in attendance were Joe Marsicano, Funding & Resource Specialist for the Pennsylvania Senate, and representatives from the offices of U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, State Senator Chris Gebhard, and State Representative Russ Diamond.
The tour showcased several sites where restoration activities are planned as part of a comprehensive restoration plan for the Hammer Creek Headwaters. This multi-site landscape-scale project aims to maximize environmental benefits by restoring multiple sites through voluntary landowner participation. The project will take years to complete. Once finished, it will reduce flooding and reap benefits for local landowners, the wild trout population, and water quality, both locally and downstream to the Chesapeake Bay.
The Hammer Creek Partnership includes the Doc Fritchey Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Nature Conservancy, Ecosystem Planning & Restoration (EPR), Spring Hill Partners, and the Lebanon County Conservation District. Project partners also include the Lancaster Farmland Trust, and Pheasants Forever.
Outstanding in their Field
Highlighting PA conservation district employees who go above and beyond.
