Jefferson County Conservation District recently held a Farmer Workshop in Brookville, PA. The workshop included presentations on manure management guidelines, improving soil health, and pond management. Each presentation reviewed the impacts of nonpoint source pollution and conservation practices that keep manure, sediment, and pesticides out of our waterways.

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.

 

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award®.

The award honors farmers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat on working land.

Sand County Foundation and national sponsor American Farmland Trust present Leopold Conservation Awards to private landowners in 28 states. In Pennsylvania, the $10,000 award is presented with The Heinz Endowments, Horizon Farm Credit, and Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

Award nominations may be submitted on behalf of a landowner, or landowners may nominate themselves. The nomination form can be found at www.sandcountyfoundation.org/ApplyLCA.

The nomination deadline date is August 1, 2025. Nominations must be emailed to PennsylvaniaLCA@sandcountyfoundation.org.

The Pennsylvania Leopold Conservation Award is made possible through the generous support from American Farmland Trust, The Heinz Endowments, Horizon Farm Credit, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, Sand County Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission, and The Nature Conservancy.

For more information on the award, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.

Over 75 conservation district personnel and partner staff attended the three Employment Law for Conservation Districts seminars on February 18, 19, and 20. Adam Long of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC presented the seminars on best practices for hiring and managing employees, wage and hour laws, leave rights, policy review and updates, discriminatory harassment, and employment law trends for 2025 and beyond.

A seminar reference book is posted at Building for Tomorrow, and a follow-up webinar to address detailed employment law and policy questions is scheduled for March 18.

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.

Individuals working in agricultural conservation can dive into professional development opportunities by attending the “ACAP Ag Conservation Con,” April 1-3, 2025, at Best Western Premier: The Central Hotel and Conference Center at 800 East Park Drive in Harrisburg, PA.

This conference is designed for conservation district employees, agricultural conservation professionals, and anyone associated with the Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) or other conservation financial assistance programs.

Click here for more information and to register. A discounted early registration fee of $55 is available through March 7, 2025.

The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training at Penn State Extension was formed in 2023 along with partners at the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission (SCC) and the Pennsylvania State Office of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Funding for the center is provided through the state Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP). 

Pennsylvania Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has provided $500,000 per super gauge for the U.S. Geological Service to install and monitor super gauge monitoring stations at the following locations: Chiques Creek – Lancaster County, Swatara Creek, and Dauphin County. The newest ones being installed are on Swift Run – Adams County, Towanda Creek – Bradford County, Saucony Creek – Berks County, Fishing Creek – Clinton County, and Conneaut Creek – Crawford County. The real-time, continuous sampling devices contain sensors capable of collecting data on temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, nitrites, and turbidity.

Increments of monitoring will be every 15 minutes. This is a significant departure from monitoring samples that occurred during high flow or on an established date once per month. Other factors are estimated using a surrogate regression model. For instance, suspended sediment is determined via turbidity measurements while total nitrogen is calculated from nitrate and nitrite levels, and total phosphorus is predicted from temperature, specific conductance, and turbidity. This information is useful in determining water quality and provides an indication of the results of conservation efforts higher in the watershed.

The map above shows current National Water Quality Initiative watersheds in the state as well as the location of the USGS Super Gauge sites that NRCS has allocated funds to install. It is anticipated that NRCS will continue to support these super gauge stations for the next ten years.

The 5th Annual Conservation District Video Awards presentation was held on Thursday, February 13, 2025. Clips from nine 2024 district video entries were screened, and awards were presented to the top-scoring videos, including:

• Special Recognition Award: Watermarks, submitted by Indiana County Conservation District
• 1st Place: Streambank Stabilization Resources for Homeowners – Part 1, submitted by Westmoreland Conservation District
• 1st Runner-up: No-Till Drill Instructional Video, submitted by Montgomery County Conservation District
• 2nd Runner-up: Flushing Friday, submitted by Schuylkill Conservation District

Links to all 2024 Video Awards entries and the awards presentation are posted at Building for Tomorrow: https://www.paleadership.org/cdva2024.

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.

All district personnel are encouraged to attend the Inspiring Action with Public Speaking workshop on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at the Ramada Conference Center State College. The workshop, presented by Cindi Johnson and Stacey Piper of Piper Strategies, will provide an overview of audience-driven approaches to messaging and delivery that will supercharge your presentations and speaking engagements. Attendees will also have the opportunity to practice and get feedback on their own presentations.

Registration is required. The cost is $30 per attendee and includes lunch, refreshments, and workshop materials. Space is limited for this valuable training opportunity; registration closes when the workshop is filled.

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.

We are excited to announce that Pennsylvania Envirothon is seeking individuals to volunteer at this year’s PA Envirothon events. Please join us for the Oral Component and State Envirothon Station Testing Day.

Event Details:

• Oral Component: May 14-16
• May 14–Indiana County; May 15–Snyder County; May 16–Monroe County
• State Envirothon Station Testing Day*: May 21 at Windber Park
• Deadline for Volunteers to Register: March 21

*Please note that all volunteers for the Station Testing Day must submit clearances.

Ready to sign up? Click here to register! 

We appreciate your consideration and hope to see you there!

For any questions or additional information, please feel free to contact Courtney Raker at (570) 837-3000 or via email at execdirector@envirothonpa.org.

Submitted by Hannah Hartman, District Manager, Lebanon County Conservation District

Lebanon County Conservation District contributes county funds to a streamgage called a Super Gage operated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This project has also received over half a million dollars from PA-NRCS. This gage continuously monitors multiple measures of water quality, including nitrate, which others in the area do not, and posts the data on this website.

USGS recently created a story map that tells the story of the USGS/NRCS Streamgage.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the 2025 recipients of the Friends of NACD District Grants Program during NACD’s Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT.  

The Friends of NACD District Grants Program supports voluntary, locally led conservation education, youth development, and food security projects proposed by conservation districts across the NACD network.

Congratulations to McKean County Conservation District who received a grant for their “Building Environmental Stewards Initiative–Northwinds 4-H Camp” project. Through a partnership with Penn State Extension, the McKean County Conservation District will provide a hands-on climate-resilience-focused educational program encompassing natural resource topics to youth within a five-county area. 

Click here to read the press release.