Join PACD’s Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh for a free webinar on “Conservation Districts and Pennsylvania’s Legislative Process.” Brenda will share her more than three decades of experience building relationships with legislators during the webinar. Attendees will learn how conservation districts can engage legislators, the best time for engagement, and ideas and resources for making your efforts as effective as possible.

The event will occur via Zoom on February 5, 2025, from Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Click here to register. 

Have you visited the Pennsylvania Clean Water Academy lately? New courses are continuously added. Check out these courses today!

2024 PAG-02 General Permit 

This course provides training on the 2024 PAG-02 General Permit for Discharges of Stormwater Associated with Construction Activities, including information on changes in comparison to the 2019 PAG-02 General Permit, eligibility requirements, how to complete the PAG-02 NOI, and an explanation of new requirements. A completion certificate is available only to users with a login, so please create an account first if you desire a completion certificate.

Constructed and Restored Wetlands in the Agricultural Landscape

Participants will learn what wetlands are, why they are important, and how to leverage constructed and restored wetlands within the agricultural landscape to restore and improve water quality, reduce erosion, improve flood storage and damage, and restore natural habitats while enabling agricultural production. A completion certificate is available only to users with a login, so please create an account first if you desire a completion certificate.

PFAS and Emerging Contaminants: Surface Water Monitoring (must be logged in to view)

In this presentation, Amy Williams (Water Program Specialist, DEP) discusses emerging contaminants in PA over the last decade and explains the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on aquatic life. She provides insight into PFAS, including their environmental persistence and sediment sampling for pesticides and PAHs. Lastly, she introduces total estrogenicity measures to assess impacts on both aquatic life and human health.

Please contact PACD Water Resource Trainer Kelly Davidson at kdavidson@pacd.org with any questions or to create an account.

Submitted by Abby Reiter, Ag Conservation Specialist, Montgomery County Conservation District

Montgomery County Conservation District (MCCD) partnered with Penn State Extension, the Montgomery County Planning Commission, and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts through an educational grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to film a video demonstrating the use of a no-till drill, which is available for rental through MCCD. This video provides a step-by-step guide on how to set up, calibrate, and use the no-till drill for planting.

This project aimed to create an educational video that serves as a resource for participants of the no-till drill rental program and provides general agricultural conservation education to promote no-till planting. The drill can be used for no-till seeding, pasture renovation, planting of pollinator plots, lawn-to-meadow conversion, and basin naturalization.

Click here to watch the video. 

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.

 

Have you heard the buzz? The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) wants you to join us at the 2025 Annual Meeting! Hosted in partnership with the Utah Association of Conservation Districts, this year’s meeting will take place in Salt Lake City, UT, from February 8-12, 2025. Join us in the Beehive State to explore the theme “Bee the Change: Reaching New Summits in Conservation!”

Register online before Friday, January 17, to secure your spot!

Every year, we recognize and celebrate the hard work of talented conservation staff from across the state who produce and share video content for their districts. The 2024 video entries are in, and our judges are hard at work scoring them to determine the winners of the 5th Annual Conservation District Video Awards. This year’s awards presentation will feature clips from ten different video submissions, and we will also hear from some of the content creators as they compete for the fabulous and coveted CONDIVA trophy for the highest-scoring video. Who will bring home the trophy (and bragging rights) for their district this year? Register and tune in on Thursday, February 13, from Noon – 1:00 p.m. to find out!

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.

The application period for Agricultural Conservation Technical Training (“Boot Camp” Basic Level and Level II) is now open. Conservation district staff are encouraged to take advantage of these free training opportunities, including classroom learning and experience in the field.

The Basic level will be held once, and the Level II training will be held twice if needed. You may apply for one training only. Do not apply for both Basic and Level II this spring.

March 11, March 18, and April 4, 2025 (virtual)        
March 24-27, 2025 (in-person)              
Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Basic Level
Both in-person and all virtual training sessions are required to complete the course.  
Union County Government Center, Lewisburg, PA

March 21 and March 28, 2025 (virtual)  
April 7-11, 2025 (in-person)                  
Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Level II  
Both in-person and all virtual training sessions are required to complete the course.  
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County) and the USDA NRCS State Office, Harrisburg, PA                                                               

March 21 and March 28, 2025 (virtual)  
April 28-May 2, 2025 (in-person)           
Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Level II (IF NEEDED)      
Both in-person and all virtual training sessions are required to complete the course.  
Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County) and the USDA NRCS State Office, Harrisburg, PA

The deadline to apply is January 29, 2025.

Email Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org with questions.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the State Conservation Commission sponsor the training, and PACD coordinates with these partners.

 

January Board Development Video: Policy Audits & Employment Law

New for 2025, Leadership Development will post a monthly series of short videos to share information, promote programming, and encourage discussion on board development topics. The January installment of this series includes an overview of the importance of employee policy audits, review reminders about our online sample policy catalog and some of the focus topics for the upcoming Employment Law Seminars scheduled for February.

Register Now for 2025 Staff Training Initiative

All district personnel are encouraged to register for the upcoming 2025 Staff Training Initiative, which runs online and in-person from January through March. This year’s program features a variety of topics, with a focus on communications and admin roles. Webinar topics include the PA Agricultural Ombudsman Program and Understanding PA’s Legislative Process, and interactive roundtables for sharing admin and budgeting tips and best practices. An in-person training workshop on public speaking will present an audience-driven approach to super-charging any district presentation. It will provide a valuable opportunity for practice and confidence-building for all staff members in public-facing communications roles. Lastly, don’t forget the 5th Annual Conservation District Video Awards, where we will award the coveted CONDIVA trophy to the highest-scoring district video entry from 2024. Visit Building for Tomorrow for information & registration links.

Fall Leadership Webinar Series Videos Available

The 2024 Fall Leadership Video Series is posted at Building for Tomorrow, along with references and other supporting documents. The series focused on “Back to Basics” topics appropriate for all new district personnel, but particularly for new directors and managers, including an overview of Act 217, Other Applicable Laws for Districts, and a 2-part presentation on Board Function and Engagement.

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.

Jefferson County Conservation District and the local Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) pilot program advisory board conducted a pasture walk on a beef operation in September 2024 to spotlight problematic invasive plants on the farm and how to control them. The project cost $1,129.61 in grant funding.

The district’s other PRISM project involved signage and was highlighted in the November 25, 2024, issue of Front Page.

Financial and other support for the PRISM Pilot Program in NW Pennsylvania is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Landscape Scale Restoration Grant with the Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

The pre-sidedress Soil Nitrate Test (PSNT) for corn is a tool that can be used to assess the soil nitrogen (N) supply and determine a sidedress N application recommendation. Effectively applying nitrogen can help lower fertilizer application costs while maximizing crop production and minimizing environmental N loss.

Lebanon County Conservation District is now offering free testing to farmers in Lebanon County. Farmers who choose to participate will receive soil sampling, testing and a sidedress recommendation at no cost.

More information can be found at www.lccd.org/psnt.

Click here to play a holiday edition of Two Truths and a Lie with the PACD staff.