Have you visited the Pennsylvania Clean Water Academy lately? New courses are continuously added. Check out these courses today!
Qualified Visual Site Inspector (QVSI) Training Program
Summary: This training program is comprised of five courses and is for anyone responsible for conducting visual site inspections of earth disturbance activities under Chapter 102. Completing the QVSI Training Program is one of three options in the 2024 PAG-02 General Permit for demonstrating that someone is qualified to conduct inspections on construction sites with PAG-02 coverage. Once all courses are complete, a Record of Completion can be printed and used to verify program completion.
Foundational GIS Pro Training (you must be logged in to view this course)
Summary: This course aims to give you well-rounded training on ArcGIS Pro and familiarize you with many useful tools and concepts you can utilize. The course will get you started with installation and touch on basics like map design, projections, data gathering, and database creation. The further your progress, the more training you will have that will cover more in-depth processes within the ArcGIS Pro software. Topics and exercises covered are Geo-Referencing, Digitizing, Querying, Exporting, Spatial Joins, Editing, Merging, Appending, and Clipping. Once you have become more comfortable with some of these procedures, you will go through more general to advanced GIS skills exercises involving raster analysis. Afterward, you will run through an actual real-world example utilizing the skills you have learned. Lastly, some additional examples of online GIS tools were made to help you think of how you could use your data online.
Watershed Foundations Training Program
Summary: This training program is comprised of four courses and is helpful for volunteers interested in conservation, local water quality improvement, and restoration. A Completion Certificate (5 credit hours) is available only to users with a login, so please create an account first if you desire a Completion Certificate.
Questions about Clean Water Academy? Contact PACD Water Resource Trainer Kelly Davidson at kdavidson@pacd.org.
Managers – there’s still time to register for Team Management & Strengths-Based Leadership, a one-day training on Wednesday, October 23, at the Ramada Conference Center in State College, PA. The training is open to all district managers and executive directors who have completed a CliftonStrengths assessment. There is no charge to attend, but registration is required. Visit 
Mark your calendars for Agricultural Conservation Technical Training (“Boot Camp” Basic Level and Level II). Conservation district staff are encouraged to take advantage of these free, week-long training opportunities, including classroom learning and experience in the field.
PACD offers mini-grants for conservation districts for up to $3,000 to implement educational and outreach activities that support and extend the work of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).
Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.
Mark your calendars for the 2025 PACD Winter Meeting, which will take place as a series of video conferences throughout January. Registration will be both free and required. Watch for registration information in a future edition of Front Page.