PACD is again partnering with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful for the annual Conservation District Trash Champion Contest. To participate in the contest, PA’s conservation districts are invited to pick up trash between April 1 and May 31, 2026.

Register for your event now and report your results upon completing your trash pick-up efforts at Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. Receive free bags, gloves, and safety vests as supplies last. Free or reduced disposal is available at participating landfills during the month of April.

The winning district will receive $500 from Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. New for 2026, an additional prize will be awarded for the most volunteer hours!

Click here to view the flyer. Questions? Contact Michelle Dunn at mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

PACD has $52,000 available in the current riparian buffer grant. If any conservation districts are planting riparian forest buffers this year, please apply for funding to install them in conjunction with landowners. Multi-functional riparian forest buffers are encouraged, but conventional buffers are also accepted. This grant is first-come, first-served. The grant round will stay open until funds are expended or June 30, 2026, whichever comes first. 

Click here for more information or email Shannon Wehinger swehinger@pacd.org.

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 Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

 

Local media outreach and digital engagement remain critical tools for districts seeking to build visibility, trust, and stakeholder support. Two upcoming webinars will offer practical, skills-focused guidance to help staff communicate more effectively without needing to be communications professionals.

From Message to Media: Amplifying Impact through Local Outreach demystifies how to work with local print, broadcast, and digital media. Participants will learn how to identify and build relationships with reporters, develop genuinely newsworthy messaging, and create effective press releases, advisories, PSAs, and pitch emails. The session also addresses timing outreach for maximum impact, navigating challenging news moments, and integrating media engagement into a broader district outreach strategy. 

Smarter Social Media: Campaigns, Curation, and AI Content focuses on building a more consistent, credible, and efficient social media presence. This webinar provides streamlined approaches to campaign planning, content curation, and performance measurement, along with practical guidance on using AI tools for ideation, drafting, graphics, scheduling, and reporting—all while maintaining authenticity.

Together these sessions equip participants with actionable tools to strengthen outreach, boost engagement, and amplify their impact across both traditional and digital channels.

Leadership Development webinars are open to all district personnel and partners. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and 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.

Clean Water Academy is hosting an upcoming lunch and learn webinar on February 18, 2026, from Noon-1:00 p.m. Our speaker is Ryan Davis, Associate Forests Program Director from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Ryan will provide an overview of riparian forest buffer best management practices, along with real-world case studies that highlight successful implementation, common challenges, and lessons learned to support effective waterway protection in Pennsylvania. This webinar is a follow-up to the previous lunch and learn held in June 2025.

Please watch the existing webinar here: https://pacleanwateracademy.remote-learner.net/course/view.php?id=1527 (must be logged in to view) prior to the February 18 session.

Registration is free but required. Click here to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/NwVpQTcITLeJKKMbTjromQ

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investing $17,325,163 for 89 projects across Pennsylvania that will restore streams, improve fish and wildlife habitat, and reclaim mine lands. The grants are part of the Growing Greener program, Pennsylvania’s largest environmental grant program.

Conservation District Projects Funded include:

• Allegheny County Conservation District – $176,417 for Technical Assistance for Improved Resilience and Healthier Streams in Allegheny County Communities
• Armstrong Conservation District – $171,670 for Buffalo Creek Scenic Drive Streambank Stabilization and Fish Habitat
• Armstrong Conservation District – $34,518 for the Kiski and Cowanshannock Stormwater BMP Demonstration and Implementation Project
• Beaver County Conservation District – $42,238 for Brush Creek Streambank Stabilization
• Beaver County Conservation District – $138,700 for Raccoon Creek Watershed Streambank Stabilization #1 (Energy Transfer Settlement)
• Beaver County Conservation District – $67,924 for Raccoon Creek Watershed Streambank Stabilization #2 (Energy Transfer Settlement)
• Berks County Conservation District – $416,031 for Multi-Project Stream and Floodplain Enhancement Along Cacoosing Creek
• Blair Conservation District – $307,049 for Lewis-Clark Manure Storage for Better Management
• Blair Conservation District – $317,846 for Stock Farm Manure Storage for Better Management
• Cambria County Conservation District – $264,765 for the Cambria County Chesapeake Bay Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Projects – Phase IV
• Cambria County Conservation District – $141,620 for Cambria County Ohio River Watershed Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Projects – Phase III
• Centre County Conservation District – $50,050 for the Centre County Agricultural Plan Development
• Clearfield County Conservation District – $138,900 for the Clearfield County Agricultural Technical Assistance Project
• Clinton County Conservation District – $394,966 for Clinton – Fishing Creek Watershed Improvements
• Erie County Conservation District – $150,000 for the PA VinES Program (Pennsylvania Vested in Environmental Sustainability
• Indiana County Conservation District – $25,393 for Indiana County Riparian Buffers
• Indiana County Conservation District – $302,313 for Stewart Heavy Use Area Implementation
• Indiana County Conservation District – $247,901 for the Pine Run Streambank Stabilization Project
• Indiana County Conservation District – $334,056 for Heeter Farm Manure Storage Implementation
• Indiana County Conservation District – $499,055 for the McNutt Heavy Use Area and Manure Storage Implementation Project
• Lawrence County Conservation District – $94,886 for Slippery Rock Creek Streambank Restoration and Fish Habitat Improvement
• Lehigh County Conservation District – $396,800 for Little Lehigh Creek Stabilization and Enhancement
• Lehigh County Conservation District – $169,140 for Restoration of an Unnamed Tributary to Laurel Run
• Luzerne Conservation District – $85,000 for the Toby Creek Watershed Assessment
• McKean County Conservation District – $487,707 for the Bucks Hollow Agricultural BMP Initiative
• Mifflin County Conservation District – $146,863 for the Falb Stream Restoration
• Northampton County Conservation District – $21,882.00 for the Little Bushkill Creek Stream Bank Restoration and Enhancement Project
• Schuylkill Conservation District – $73,745 for Little Mahantango Creek – Ry-Nan Farm Agricultural BMPs Design and Permit
• Snyder County Conservation District – $328,943 for Snyder County Agricultural BPMs and Stream Restoration Projects
• Snyder County Conservation District – $500,000 for the Rockhill Dairy Roofed HUA and Mortality Composting Project
• Sullivan County Conservation District – $127,809 for Sullivan County Agricultural BMPs from Stormwater and Resource Protection
• Union County Conservation District – $370,561 for Winfield Creek Stream Improvements Phase 2
• Warren County Conservation District – $171,831 for Middle Allegheny River Basin Streambank Stabilization Best Management Practices – Phase 1
• Washington County Conservation District – $205,550 for the 2025 Pike Run Stream Restoration Project
• Westmoreland County Conservation District – $132,606 for Oklahoma Borough Park Streambank Stabilization
• Westmoreland Conservation District – $104,510 for the Manor Park Streambank Stabilization Project
• Westmoreland County Conservation District – $50,000 for Westmoreland County Act 167 Plan Update (Act 167 Grant)

Click here to read the full press release. 

Thank you to all the volunteers who made the conservation district booth at the PA Farm Show a success!

Thank you to the following conservation districts who sent volunteers:

• Centre
• Chester
• Clinton
• Cumberland
• Dauphin
• Huntingdon
• Indiana
• Lancaster
• Mifflin
• Schuylkill
• Union
• Washington

 

 

Reminder: Project Management Training Video & Survey

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the December Foundations of Project Management webinar. Video is available for review and sharing with colleagues who may have missed the presentation, and all district staff are encouraged to complete a Project Management Training Survey to help guide development for future project management offerings.   

Coming Soon: the 6^th Annual Conservation District Video Awards

For six years, we’ve asked districts to share their video content so we can come together to celebrate their hard work, learn about their process, and recognize their excellence.  The quality of submissions has increased every year, and the eleven entries for 2025 continue that trend.  Mark your calendars and plan to join us on February 12 at 12pm as we screen the best of district-produced video and award the coveted CONDIVA trophy. 

Register Now for February Webinars

We’ve teamed up with Piper Strategies this year to offer a pair of webinars to help district staff develop skills and strategies to more effectively promote their districts through online and traditional media. On February 18, From Message to Media: Amplifying Impact Through Local Outreach will present basic media relations concepts with a tactical focus on working with local broadcast and print outlets to help promote and build awareness for your district’s work and mission. 

The February 25 webinar, Smarter Social Media: Campaigns, Curation, and Content will present a concise, practical overview of effective social media campaign strategies, the role of content curation in strengthening credibility, and the responsible use of AI tools to enhance content development. 

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.

Allegheny County Conservation District Executive Director Heather Manzo sat down recently with WPXI for their Our Region’s Business feature. To tie into Farm Show Week, Heather spoke about farming in Allegheny County and the conservation district’s role in the community.

Click here to view the 6-minute video.

 

Submitted by Chris Cook, Watershed Specialist, Delaware County Conservation District

Fifty volunteers joined Delaware County Conservation District (DCCD) for a tree planting session at Frederick L. Mann Memorial Park in Ridley Township on October 18, 2025. The concerted effort by resident volunteers, municipal officials, county staff, and many other local environmental groups resulted in 530 trees and shrubs planted along Stoney Creek!

In addition to the clear shade benefits these trees will provide in years to come, these trees will help mitigate flood damage to downstream properties, enhance wildlife habitat, and improve stream water quality.

Also, over 20 volunteers gathered at Morton Homestead (State Historic Property) in Prospect Park on Saturday, November 8, 2025, to plant 180 shrubs and trees as part of a restoration effort to enhance the degraded tidal sections of the Darby Creek riparian zones.

Through a partnership with the Keystone10 Million Program, backed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, DCCD provided municipalities with technical assistance to obtain free trees and shrub saplings, each with a plant protection tube, for environmental enhancement projects.

Click here to read the press release and view photos from these efforts. 

 

 

PACD will randomly spotlight one social media post from a conservation district each week. Don’t forget to share or tag other districts to share good news or something others could learn about.

Beaver County Conservation District’s Facebook post. Follow at https://www.facebook.com/BeaverCountyConservationDistrict/.