Reprinted with permission from the Berks County Conservation District News, Events and Updates on July 13, 2023.

In October of 2022, the Berks County Conservation District, in partnership with the Salvation Army of Reading, began transforming the Tyson Schoener Elementary School courtyard into a garden space where children would learn to grow food.

This project is part of a larger Urban Agriculture Initiative growing within the City of Reading, connecting residents with locally grown food by teaching them how to grow fresh produce and spreading their knowledge within their communities.

Click here to read the entire article. 

 

PACD was awarded a $100,000 Community Conservation Partnerships Program Grant from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to offer Lawn Conversion training and mini-grants to Pennsylvania’s conservation districts. The lawn conversion program will help the Commonwealth achieve a goal of planting 5,000 acres of upland forest and 5,000 acres of meadow by 2025.

The Lawn Conversion for Conservation Districts training recording and a copy of Ryan Davis’s presentation are available on the PA Clean Water Academy. Click here to access the course page. (You will need to be logged in.)

The application and other lawn conversion sub-grant program materials are available here. 

It is recommended that you complete the training before applying for the sub-grant.

Questions may be directed to Holly Miller, PACD Program Manager, at hmiller@pacd.org or (717) 794-6105.

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 20. In-person training was held on July 11, 2023, at the Sunset Golf Course in Middletown, PA. Ryan Davis, Senior Forest Projects Manager at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, was the instructor for both trainings. He discussed the importance of lawn conversion practices and tips for installing them and also shared some lessons he’s 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.

In the 2022-23 Nonpoint Source Pollution Educational Mini-grant round, 37 projects were completed by 27 conservation districts, reaching over 1,571 adults in the target audience.

• 2022-23 NPS Educational Mini-grant Program Outcomes 
• Map of 2022-23 Nonpoint Source Pollution Mini-grant Projects

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 Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

This year’s Pre-Con features workshops on executive skills and emotional intelligence for emerging leaders. The Summit program includes sessions on burnout, performance reviews, and change management, along with partner presentations, a TEDx screening, and opportunities to network and meet the new managers and DEP conservation district field representatives from across the state.

Reminders:

Spring Leadership Series webinars on Act 217 Conservation District Law, Other Applicable Laws, and a DEP & SCC Programs Overview are posted at Building for Tomorrow. These resources can be used for orientation (or review) for all new directors and staff.

Over 240 district staff and managers have already participated in the CliftonStrengths for Conservation Districts Initiative, which has been extended through April 2024. Take advantage of this opportunity to discover your innate talent areas and to learn about your greatest potential to build strengths that can make you more effective in all areas of life. Visit Building for Tomorrow or contact PACD Leadership Development Coordinator Matt Miller at mmiller@pacd.org for more information and to get started on your CliftonStrengths learning journey.

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.

By: Brenda Shambaugh, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts

Did you know that over one-quarter of all the land in Pennsylvania is farmland? Of the 52,700 farms on this land, 88% are small producers making under $250,000 in gross revenue each year.

Many farmers rely on federal Farm Bill conservation programs to adopt conservation practices. Congress will soon consider a 2023 Farm Bill, which could provide a unique opportunity to focus resources on farms in Pennsylvania, helping to ensure clean water for future generations, reduce pollution, bolster farms to weather climate change, and keep them operating with a profit.

Click here to read the entire op-ed. 

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

PACD South West Region Meeting
September 20, 2023 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA 

PACD North West Region Meeting
September 27, 2023 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon 
Tionesta Church of God, Tionesta, PA           

PACD North East Region Meeting     
October 4, 2023 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon  
Lands at Hillside Farms, Shavertown, PA       

PACD North Central Region Meeting
October 12, 2023 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon   
Clinton County Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA                

PACD South Central Region Meeting        
October 17, 2023 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon   
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA                                    

PACD South East Region Meeting
October 26, 2023 | 9:30 a.m. to Noon     
Henning’s Market, Harleysville, PA

 

The Franklin County Conservation District (FCCD) recently celebrated the 102nd birthday of Associate Director Sam Worley. Worley served as an FCCD board member for 27 years (1992-2019), after which he was named Associate Director. He has served in various capacities for the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) over the years and continues to be a member of the PACD Ways & Means Committee. His support and concern for conserving natural resources has been, and remains, an invaluable resource to Franklin County.

Application Period is Open!

To accommodate new hires and those unable to attend this spring, an additional week of Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Basic Level will be held in person in Union County in August, with an additional three virtual training days in August and September. The four in-person days and the three virtual days must all be attended in order to complete the course. The application period is now open.

Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Basic Level
August 15, August 16, and September 6 (virtual) & August 28-31, 2023 (in-person) 
Union County Government Center, Lewisburg, PA (Union County)

Click here to apply for the course. The deadline to apply is July 10, 2023. Notifications of those accepted or not accepted into the course will be made by July 14, 2023.

Questions? Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

The following sponsors make these training opportunities possible: Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Conservation Commission, Penn State Extension, and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.

 

Bradford County Conservation District was featured in two of WNEP’s PA Outdoor Life show segments. The first segment features an eel release, and the second a drone submarine demonstration. 

• Northeast Bradford School District American Eel Release
• Drone Submarine Demonstration