On January 23, 2024, Cumberland County Conservation District hosted a cooperating agency meeting in Newville, PA. Forty-three people attended the meeting. The goal of the meeting was to network and hear about the agency’s accomplishments in 2023 and provide important information about 2024 activities. PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh participated in the event.

Cooperating agencies that participated include Farmland Preservation, Cumberland County Planning Department, Capital RC&D, USDA Farm Service Agency, Vector Control, Penn State Extension, PA Department of Environmental Protection, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, HRG, Kings Gap Environmental Center, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, PA Game Commission, and PACD.

PACD wrapped up its Winter Meeting with the PACD Executive Council Meeting via Zoom on January 25, 2024. Eighty-seven people attended. In addition to regular business, the meeting attendees heard from partners, including Jill Whitcomb, PA Department of Environmental Protection, Doug Wolfgang, State Conservation Commission, and Denise Coleman, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.  

Photo caption: Screenshots from the PACD Winter Meeting.

The submission deadline for the 2024 National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Poster Contest is June 30, 2024. The theme is “May the Forest Be with You Always.”

New for this year are four categories.

• Hand Drawn Poster – NACD welcomes students from kindergarten to 12th grade to unleash their artistic talents. You can create posters using traditional hand-drawn methods to illustrate the NACD contest theme beautifully. What’s important is that your artwork is entirely your creation – no team efforts! Size requirements: While we prefer posters to be 11 x 17 inches as they work well for future advertisements, we’ll happily accept posters of all sizes!
• Braille Poster – New to 2024! Introducing the NACD Braille Poster Contest. This inclusive competition invites blind and low-vision students in grades K-12 to participate, using braille to create posters championing natural resource conservation.
• Additional Assist Poster – Introducing the NACD Inclusive Poster Contest, which is open to all students who may benefit from extra assistance completing their posters. This contest promotes accessibility and embraces diversity by providing a platform for students of varying abilities to express their creativity and advocate for natural resource conservation. Participants are encouraged to create posters that celebrate inclusivity and the beauty of our environment.
• Digital Poster – NACD’s Digital Poster Contest for 7th-12th grades welcomes digital artistry. Use graphic arts programs to create posters featuring the NACD contest theme, but remember, no copyrighted content outside of the NACD logo.

NACD just announced the new categories, and PACD decided to include them in the 2024 contest, so districts are aware of the change and can plan accordingly for next year if they’d like to participate.

Please note that there is no longer a size requirement because the posters are submitted electronically.

Click here for the poster contest flyer and here for the entry forms. Contact Roxanne at rdohner@pacd.org with questions.

There’s still time to register for the Understanding Time Management Webinar Series. Starting January 31, this three-part webinar series will examine the key principles of time management, tools and systems for managing time, and the psychology of procrastination. 

The 4th Annual Conservation District Video Awards will be presented on Thursday, February 15, from Noon–1:00 p.m. All district personnel and partners are invited to join us at as we celebrate the hard work of staff from across the state and recognize excellence by awarding the coveted CONDIVA trophy. Click here to register. 

Emotional Intelligence: Apps for Wellbeing Workshops are scheduled for all district staff from February 20 through March 27. This interactive workshop includes a presentation and group discussion focusing on techniques and practices to develop and support emotional intelligence in and out of the workplace. The workshop is facilitated by Sarah Colantonio, president and founding partner at Lancaster-based Work Wisdom LLC, and previous facilitator for Building for Tomorrow’s Management Summit and Emerging Leaders Pre-Con workshops. Visit Building for Tomorrow for workshop registration – deadlines are two weeks before the workshop date.

Directors, associate directors, and managers should register for the 2024 Strategic Board Development Workshops, scheduled regionally from February 21 through March 26. Workshop attendees will discuss factors in assessing board readiness for future challenges, understand SCC procedures for the director nomination process and for the approval of Nominating Organizations, and identify opportunities to help build and sustain strategic relationships with nominating and other organizations working to make positive impacts in their communities. There is no fee to attend, but registration is required. Visit Building for Tomorrow for workshop registration links.

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.

Thanks to the conservation districts for submitting their 2023 highlights pages. The pages were sent to all PA General Assembly members.

Click here to see what other districts have accomplished this year! 

Nominations are now being accepted for the PACD Conservation Awards. New for 2024, the award nominations have been simplified and streamlined with an online nomination form. Nominations must be received by April 30, 2024.

The awards are:

• Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director or Associate Director Excellence Award
• Conservation District Employee Excellence Award
• Legislator Recognition Award
• Maurice K. Goddard Award for Excellence in Environmental Recreation

Contact Roxanne Dohner at rdohner@pacd.org or 717-794-6108 with any questions.

 

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced up to $101,110,178 in funding for 16 environmental restoration projects of abandoned mine lands (AML) as a part of the Abandoned Mine Lands and Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Grant Program. These projects focus on reclaiming AML, decreasing AMD, or treating AMD through the construction, operation, and/or maintenance of an AMD treatment facility.

Two conservation districts received grants:

• Clearfield County Conservation District— $533,134
  • Anderson South (Planning and Development)— The project will restore Anderson Creek.
• Indiana County Conservation District— $195,283
  • Bear Run South— The project will include designing, engineering, and permitting two AMD passive treatment systems to replace existing ineffective lime-dosing silos. South Branch Bear Run and discharge areas PA3326 and PA1029 will also be assessed.

Click here to read the entire press release. 

Hi everyone! It is exciting to be a part of this organization. I am a wife, mother of 3, and Nana to 6 beautiful grandchildren. I enjoy reading and kayaking in my downtime and am a fair-weather newbie to fly fishing. If my husband has his way, I will become an avid fly-fisherman!

Working in the manufacturing industry for most of my life, I look forward to participating in this new adventure.

2024 Staff and Director Training Initiatives are open for registration and include programming for all district personnel and partners.

A three-part webinar series on Understanding Time Management is scheduled for January 31, February 7, and February 14. The series will examine our understanding of time as a resource, strategies, tools for productivity, and the psychology of procrastination.

A workshop titled Emotional Intelligence: Apps for Wellbeing is scheduled at five regional locations in February and March. This half-day interactive training includes a presentation, group discussion, and activities focusing on the fundamentals of emotional intelligence and stress management. Attendees will learn techniques and practices to develop and support emotional intelligence both in and out of the workplace. The workshop will be facilitated by Sarah Colantonio, president and founding partner at Lancaster-based Work Wisdom LLC and previous facilitator for workshops at Building for Tomorrow’s Management Summit and Emerging Leaders Pre-Con.

A workshop on Strategic Board Development is scheduled at six regional host districts in February and March. Strategic Board Development seeks to ensure that district needs are met in the future and present, including assessing board capacity and skill sets, an examination of culture, and a commitment to community outreach. Workshop attendees will discuss factors in assessing board readiness for future challenges, understand SCC procedures for the director nomination process and for the approval of nominating organizations, and identify opportunities to help build and sustain strategic relationships with nominating and other organizations working to make positive impacts in their communities.

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.

 

Thank you to all the volunteers who made the conservation district booth at the PA Farm Show a success! The 2024 show featured the Stormwater Plinko game, which drew visitors to the booth.

Thank you to the following conservation districts who sent volunteers:

Allegheny
Berks
Centre
Clinton
Cumberland
Indiana
Lancaster
Lebanon
Schuylkill
Washington
And the PA Envirothon