In response to ongoing conversations about onboarding needs, highlighted most recently by the PACD District Employees Committee, we’ve developed new Clean Water Academy (CWA) resources to support conservation districts in training new staff.

These new resources include a CWA Orientation one-pager that provides a broad overview of the training platform, along with instructions on how to access CWA. We’re also offering CWA Course Checklists tailored to various conservation district roles, including Erosion & Sedimentation Technicians, Agricultural Technicians, and Watershed Specialists. 

These documents highlight available courses and training programs on CWA (links provided) and help streamline the onboarding process.

Please contact Kelly Davidson at kdavidson@pacd.org with questions.

On April 19, 2025, Cumberland County Conservation District held a rain barrel workshop during the Mechanicsburg Earth Day Festival. Thirty participants built and took rain barrels home to install.

Because the workshop took place during an earth day event, the district was able to not only educate those who signed up for the workshop, but also answer questions and educate the general public attending the festival. The district reports that seeing the rain barrels created a lot of curiosity, questions, and interest from passersby.

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.

 

Agricultural professionals and conservation leaders from across Pennsylvania gathered in Harrisburg from April 1-3, 2025, for the second annual Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) Ag Conservation Con, a statewide conference designed to strengthen knowledge, skills, and partnerships supporting on-farm conservation.

The banquet and awards ceremony celebrated exceptional conservation efforts across the commonwealth.

The following are the 2025 ACAP award recipients:

— Karl Brown Award for Conservation Leadership: Sens. Yaw and Martin.

— ACAP Team Collaboration Award: Rob Cronauer, Chelsea Gross, and Allie Shreffler from the Westmoreland Conservation District.

— ACAP Partnership Award: Hammer Creek Wetland, Floodplain, and Stream Restoration Partnership from the Lebanon County Conservation District.

— Innovative ACAP Project: Jay Zullinger Project from the Cumberland County Conservation District.

— ACAP Rookie of the Year: Emily Stambaugh of the Cumberland County Conservation District.

— ACAP MVP: Devyn McPheeters of the Centre County Conservation District.

— Best ACAP Project Photo: Colter Johnson of the Warren County Conservation District.

Click here to view all the photos of the award winners. 

The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training at Penn State Extension was formed in 2023 along with partners at the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission (SCC) and the Pennsylvania State Office of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Funding for the center is provided through the state Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP).

 

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry announced a more than $6.6 million investment in 19 Pennsylvania organizations to develop and expand registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in the agriculture, health care, and information technology (IT) sectors.

Through the Supporting Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Sector through Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeship grant initiative, Indiana County Conservation District will receive $399,317.

The Indiana County Conservation District will create and establish an agriculture conservation technician apprenticeship program that will provide apprentices with the necessary training and work experience for careers as agriculture conservation employees at Pennsylvania conservation districts, the State Conservation Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the Penn State Center for Agriculture Conservation and Training.

Click here to read the entire article. 

Lancaster County Conservation District (LCCD) celebrated its 75th anniversary with WGAL News 8 on April 21, 2025.

The video was filmed at the LCCD Annual Awards Banquet on March 25 and LCCD requested that it be featured during Conservation District Week.

Click here to watch the video. 

Join us for the next Clean Water Academy Lunch & Learn session on Thursday, May 1, 2025, from Noon–1:00 p.m. with Jordan Sanford and Jason Beale from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Jordan and Jason will present “Revitalizing Conservation Education: Strategies for Connecting with Broader Audiences,” where they’ll provide a broad overview of the Game Commission’s education efforts, highlight recent projects, and explore strategies for engaging various audiences.

Grab your lunch and join us for this engaging and informative discussion! Click here to learn more and register. Registration is free but required.

Stay tuned for more Lunch & Learn sessions in the coming months!

 

Nominations are being accepted for the PACD Conservation Awards. The nomination process has been simplified and streamlined with an online nomination form. Nominations must be received by April 30, 2025.

To date, two nominations have been received for the Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director or Associate Director Excellence Award. No nominations have been received for the other awards.

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

Click here for more information.  Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org with any questions.

Twenty-nine individuals attended the Agricultural Conservation Technical Boot Camp Training session – Level II April 7-11, 2025. The training was held at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County and at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office in Harrisburg, PA. Attendees included staff from PACD, conservation districts, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and affiliates, and the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the State Conservation Commission sponsor the training, which PACD coordinates with these partners.

Centre County Conservation District held two workshops to teach county residents how to build and install rain barrels. Thirty-nine attendees received thirty rain barrels. As part of the project, a rain barrel was installed at the Pasto Ag Museum as an educational resource for future events.

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.

In the April 7, 2025, issue of Front Page, we ran a story about Kelly Davidson, PACD Water Resources Trainer, capturing footage for the upcoming Chapter 102 Basic Technical Training using a drone. Just to clarify, Kelly is a licensed drone pilot and uses the drone to take videos of construction practices to use for staff training purposes only through the Clean Water Academy. 

The article was meant to celebrate Kelly getting her pilot’s license and let our members know we are working with the PA Department of Environmental Protection on planning the Chapter 102 Basic Technical Training. The training will be held in Harrisburg from May 19-23, 2025.

Drones are not being used for inspections, and training on using drones is not taught during Chapter 102 Basic Technical Training.