2026-27 New Manager Training will be delivered as a multi-unit initiative starting in August and running through May. The program is designed to provide an overview for new managers on conservation district fundamentals, operations, and leadership topics. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register. 

Strategic Planning Grants Available for 2026-27

The State Conservation Commission has allocated funding for grants to reimburse up to $2,500 in expenses related to the development of a strategic plan for the 2026-27 program year. To be eligible for these funds, conservation districts must develop and approve a strategic plan that meets process and content 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.

QuickBooks User Forum Scheduled for September 9

The next quarterly QuickBooks Forum is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9 from 10:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m. Forum meetings are intended to provide peer-based support and learning for district staff with administrative duties. September discussion items will include electronic vs. paper payments, accepting credit card payments, bonding, and a review of the district quarterly reporting schedule. Click here to register.

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 Bedford County Conservation District has expanded its conservation equipment fleet with the addition of an Interseeder, providing local farmers with another tool to improve soil health, protect water quality, and enhance long-term crop productivity.

With the assistance of PA NRCS and Heather Karsten, PhD, Associate Professor for the Pennsylvania State University’s Department of Plant Science, the conservation district acquired the Interseeder from the Pennsylvania State University Southeast Agricultural Research Center in Landisville, PA.

Click here to read the entire article.

PACD is partnering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the State Conservation Commission (SCC) to deliver a three-day Introduction to Conservation Planning course. This free training is scheduled for October 20-22, 2026, at the Iron Valley Golf Club, 201 Iron Valley Dr., Lebanon, PA.

Intro to Conservation Planning is an introductory course for employees who are interested in writing conservation plans and becoming an NRCS Certified Conservation Planner. Eligible organizations include NRCS, State Conservation Commission, conservation districts, farmland preservation entities, and non-profits. Space is limited.

The training is free, and lunch will be provided.

The application period is now open. Click here for the application and more information.

The deadline to apply is September 11, 2026.

PACD partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to offer lawn conversion training to conservation district staff. A webinar training was held via Zoom on June 24. In-person training was held on July 15, 2026, at the Cumberland County Conservation District in Carlisle, PA.

Ryan Davis, Associate Forests Program Director at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, was the instructor for both trainings. He discussed the importance of lawn conversion practices, provided tips for installing them, and shared some lessons learned along the way.

The Lawn Conversion Program for Conservation Districts is partially financed by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend your fall PACD region meeting!

September 24, 2026
PACD North East Region Meeting
Wayne Conservation District, Honesdale, PA

September 28, 2026
PACD South West Region Meeting
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA

September 29, 2026
PACD South Central Region Meeting
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA

October 7, 2026
PACD North West Region Meeting
Host: Erie County Conservation District, Erie, PA

October 13, 2026
PACD North Central Region Meeting
Tokishi Training Center, Wellsboro, PA

October 19, 2026
PACD South East Region Meeting
Henning’s Market, Harleysville, PA

On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 5, PACD and the SCC are offering PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference participants a guided tour of the Dickinson College Organic Farm. The 80-acre, USDA-certified organic farm is a living laboratory that involves students in all aspects of both farming and research and serves as an outdoor classroom where the next generation of conservationists learn about renewable energy and sustainable agriculture.

The highlight of the tour is the Waste-to-Energy Biodigester that converts local food waste and manure from a neighboring dairy into methane-rich biogas. Participants can learn about all of this and more on the tour.

Click here for more information and to register—and be sure to sign up for the tour during registration!

Several conservation district managers traveled to Harrisburg on June 25, 2026, to say goodbye to Doug Wolfgang, retiring executive secretary of the State Conservation Commission. Congratulations and thank you to Doug on his 28-year career of service to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the State Conservation Commission!

 

 

PACD Executive Director Amy Brown joined Versant Strategies President/CEO MeeCee Baker and Chief Marketing Officer Bailey Fisher at the Capitol building in Harrisburg on June 22, 2026.

The group met with staff from both the House Republican and House Democratic Agriculture Committees, including the Executive Directors and a legislative fellow. They also met with Representative Eddie Day Pashinski, Chairman of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, to discuss issues important to Pennsylvania conservation districts.

 

 

PACD is offering conservation districts mini-grants of up to $1,000 to support educational and outreach activities that promote the Lawn Conversion and Riparian Buffer Grant Program. Funding is available on a rolling basis until funds are expended, with applications accepted through June 30, 2027.

Projects should focus on reaching eligible landowners on both private and public lands and encouraging participation in lawn conversion and riparian forest buffer projects. Eligible activities include maintenance walk-abouts, field days, one-on-one site visits, educational workshops, and landowner meetings that highlight the benefits, installation, and maintenance of buffers or lawn conversion.

Currently, $50,000 is available, and districts may apply for as many projects as they would like (up to $1,000 each). Click here for the guidelines and here for the application and more information (scroll down to the Education and Outreach section).

The Lawn Conversion & Riparian Buffer Mini-Grant Program for Conservation Districts is financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

PACD partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to offer a virtual lawn conversion training on June 24, 2026. Ryan Davis, Associate Forests Program Director for the Alliance, was the instructor for the event.

Thirty-five conservation district staff and partners attended the training to learn more about lawn conversion, including site preparation, planting, and maintenance, as well as funding programs.

A recording of the training will be available soon for those who were unable to join us. Email swehinger@pacd.org for a link.

An in-person Lawn Conversion training is scheduled for July 15, 2026, at the Cumberland County Conservation District. Click here to register for free.