Adam Long of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC presented a webinar on March 18, 2025, to address questions that were submitted during and after the February Employment Law for Conservation Districts Seminar series. Links to the recording of this session and the seminar reference booklet are posted at Building for Tomorrow.

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

Columbia County Conservation District helped convert 0.5 acres of maintained lawn in Catawissa, PA, into a native meadow with a mini-grant provided by PACD’s Lawn Conversion Program for Conservation Districts. The project used $2,355 in grant funding.

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.

In the summer of 2023, the Lawrence County Conservation District (LCCD) was granted $105,000 by the Lawrence County Commissioners with funds received from Norfolk Southern Railway. The funds were part of a grant to Beaver and Lawrence Counties to be used to benefit the residents of both counties in the wake of the East Palestine train derailment. From those funds, the district established a mini-grant program to benefit the residents and businesses in Lawrence County. Applicants could apply for up to $5,000 to fund projects aligned with the conservation district’s mission of clean water, healthy soil, and environmental education.

LCCD awarded 25 grants totaling $105,000. The program was open to all residents and businesses in the county, but applicants in the southwestern part of the county closest to the derailment site were given an opportunity to apply early. Grant applications were reviewed and approved by the LCCD board of directors, and projects were inspected upon completion before payment was made.

All of the grant projects have now been completed. LCCD is happy to report the results of the funding: two grants paid for soil and animal health testing, three grants went to apiary (honey bee) improvements, nine animal drinking water and pasture improvement projects were completed, three farm operations improved their manure storage and handling facilities, two streambank stabilization and improvement projects were completed, an animal stream crossing was completed, three farm markets improved their infrastructure, and four educational programs were held.

LCCD wants to thank the Lawrence County Commissioners for their support of our work and their confidence that we would make good use of the funding. LCCD also thanks all of the grant recipients for their enthusiastic participation and timely completion of their projects. It has been very gratifying to see all of the good work that was done with a little funding and a lot of local cooperation.

 

Submitted by Elysia Axworthy, Communications Coordinator, Susquehanna County Conservation District

On Friday, February 28, 2025, the Susquehanna County Conservation District (SCCD) awarded $5,000 in grant funding to the Friends of Salt Springs Park (FSSP) through its Growing a Greener Community Grant program. The funds will support FSSP’s 2025 Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) Project to protect the park’s hemlock trees from the invasive HWA pest.

The project will utilize Sasajiscymnus tsugae (ST beetles) as a biological control method to help stabilize or reduce the HWA population in and around Salt Springs Park’s old-growth forest. These beetles feed exclusively on HWA, moving from tree to tree as they consume the pest. This environmentally-friendly approach offers a sustainable solution to combat HWA infestations.

A public ST beetle release event will be scheduled at Salt Springs Park, providing an opportunity for community members to witness conservation efforts firsthand. FSSP will announce details in the coming weeks.

For more information, please contact the Susquehanna County Conservation District or Friends of Salt Springs Park. 

 

 

McKean County Conservation District’s invasive species program was highlighted in the March 18, 2025, issue of “The NACD eResource.”

The article begins, “The fight against invasive species is a growing challenge for conservation districts nationwide. In McKean County, Pennsylvania, the McKean County Conservation District has taken a proactive stance, implementing an Invasive Species Program in 2018 in partnership with the Penn State Extension and the U.S. Forest Service. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Allegheny Plateau Invasive Plant Management Area (APIPMA), covering five counties in northwestern Pennsylvania. The initiative focuses on landscape-level management strategies to prevent and control non-native invasive plants, ensuring the health and sustainability of local ecosystems.”

Click here to read the entire article. 

Registration is now open for Chapter 102 Basic Technical Training, which will take place May 19-23, 2024, at the Red Lion Harrisburg Hershey in Harrisburg, PA. Attendance is open only to conservation district and DEP employees working with Chapter 102.

The training is appropriate for individuals who are new or relatively new to their position, have never attended a similar training, would like a refresher, or would like guidance and skill enhancement for field inspections. The course curriculum assumes all participants have completed the prerequisite coursework on Clean Water Academy.

There is no cost to register, most meals are provided, and lodging reimbursement is available. (See registration page for additional details.) There is no virtual attendance option.

Click here for additional information and to register. You must log into the Clean Water Academy (CWA) to register. Please contact Kelly Davidson at kdavidson@pacd.org if you need help accessing the CWA. All other questions may be directed to Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org.

This training is funded through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection and made possible through the cooperation of the PA Association of Conservation Districts and Pennsylvania’s conservation districts.

On March 12, 2025, twenty-eight conservation district staff gathered in State College, PA, for the “Inspiring Action with Public Speaking” workshop. Participants learned the essential principles and techniques for planning and delivering confident and compelling speeches, presentations, and pitches. The exercises used examples from situations the conservation districts face, including speaking in front of commissions, legislators, and local news.

 

District staff nominated two people from the Pike County Conservation District for the 2024 Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD). Program Manager Ellen Enslin and Board of Directors Vice Chairperson Kelly Stagen were both awarded Honorable Mention certificates from NACD to recognize their positive impacts.

NACD states on its website that this Distinguished Service Award “recognizes an individual within the association, a conservation district, or a state association that has made significant contributions to conserving and properly managing our nation’s natural resources.”

Among the reasons for her nomination were Enslin’s long-term role as a leader in the district and in the community, first as a Senior Resource Conservationist and now as the Program Manager.

Stagen is also a leader who has represented the district and the region as President of the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) and as an Alternate Board Member for NACD. Enslin has been on the district staff for 22 years, and Stagen has been on the Board of Directors for 11 years.

The district is incredibly grateful to have both Enslin and Stagen working with them and is proud to see their contributions highlighted with this well-deserved national recognition.

Columbia County Conservation District helped convert 1.5 acres of maintained lawn in Nescopeck, PA, into native meadow and upland forest with a mini-grant provided by PACD through the PACD Lawn Conversion Program for Conservation Districts. The project cost $6,444.05 in grant funding.

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.

Submitted by Holly Laird, District Manager, Armstrong Conservation District

Armstrong Conservation District (ACD) hosted its annual Legislative Breakfast at its Kittanning, PA office on March 10, 2025. This event allows ACD to update our legislators about our projects for the previous year and our future plans.

Those in attendance included Congressman “GT” Thompson, a representative from Senator McCormick’s office, PA State Representatives Abby Major and Josh Bashline, a representative from Senator Pittman’s office, and the Armstrong County Commissioners.