Sixty-four managers, management staff, and partners attended the 2024 Summit at the Wyndham State College from September 17-19, 2024. Christopher Ridenhour delivered an energizing keynote on Day 1; new managers were introduced and participated in table discussions on capacity building, Carl Deluca presented a PA Department of Environmental Protection update, and Suzanna Windon, Assistant Professor, Youth and Adult Leadership, Penn State Extension spoke on volunteer motivation and engagement. Day 2 featured an Ethics in the Workplace workshop facilitated by Mary Kay Williams. Ten new district managers and 9 partner staff participated in New Manager Training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday.

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.

From https://www.iccdpa.org

The Indiana County Conservation District has created a hub to advance specialty crop production in Indiana County. Their grounds house a greenhouse and high-tunnel, raised garden beds, various species of fruit and nut-producing trees and shrubs, and a row of hops.

Products grown on the grounds are used to populate various community gardens in the county, including the Indiana Community Garden, Chevy Chase Community Garden, and community gardens at various county aging services senior centers.

Photo caption: Photo from https://www.facebook.com/iccdpa.

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).

Beaver County Conservation District offered an educational workshop about CREP to 30 landowners. The workshop focused on CREP maintenance, new enrollment, and re-enrollment.

Blair County Conservation District held four multi-functional riparian buffer workshops this year to discuss the benefits of buffers and CREP. Seventy-five people registered for the events. 

Westmoreland Conservation District and partners held a Soil Health Conference that provided information about CREP and its benefits. CREP partners, including the USDA Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service, were there to answer questions. Eighty-three landowners and partners attended the conference.

Contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org with questions about the program.

Photo caption: Photos provided by Beaver County Conservation District (top), Blair County Conservation District (middle), and Westmoreland Conservation District (bottom).

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.

PACD Conservation Committee Video Conference
January 8, 2025 | 10-11 a.m.

PACD District Employees Committee Video Conference
January 10, 2025 | 10-11 a.m.

PACD Education and Outreach Committee Video Conference
January 14, 2025 | 10-11 a.m.

PACD Legislative Committee Video Conference
January 16, 2025 | 10-11 a.m.

PACD Ways and Means Committee Video Conference
January 22, 2025 | 10-11 a.m.

PACD Operations Committee Video Conference
January 23, 2025 | 10-11 a.m.

PACD Executive Council Video Conference
January 30, 2025 | 10 am-Noon

Mark your calendars for “Employment Law for Conservation Districts,” a seminar presented by Adam Long of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC. Three trainings are scheduled for 2025: Tuesday, February 18, in Cranberry Township; Wednesday, February 19, in State College; and Thursday, February 20, in Allentown. All district managers, directors, and partners are encouraged to attend – stay tuned for more details in October!

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.

Join us for the PACD fall region meetings! All meetings except the North West Region will be in-person with a virtual option. (North West will be in person only.) Click on your region meeting below for more information and be sure to RSVP to the meeting host.

September 12, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.
PACD North West Region Meeting (In-person only)
Elk Country Visitor Center, Benezette, PA

September 24, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.
PACD North Central Region Meeting
Clinton County Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA

September 27, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.
PACD South West Region Meeting
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA

October 4, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.
PACD North East Region Meeting
Lands at Hillside Farms Education Center, Shavertown, PA

October 29, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.
PACD South Central Region Meeting
Cumberland County Conservation District, Carlisle, PA

October 31, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.
PACD South East Region Meeting
Henning’s Market, Harleysville, PA

 Click here to find your region. 

Conservation district and DEP staff are invited to register for a Verbal Judo Workshop October 16-17, 2024, at Toftrees Golf Resort in State College, PA. Participants will learn techniques to redirect emotionally charged verbal attacks to generate voluntary compliance, enhance their professionalism and gain improved verbal communication skills.

Registration is free and required and space is limited to 50 registrants. In the unlikely event that demand exceeds space available, preference will go to staff who conduct inspections or respond to complaints. Most meals are provided and up to two nights of lodging are covered. Click here for more information and to register.

This training is coordinated by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts and funded through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the 2024 Urban and Community Conservation (UAC) grant initiative recipients. These grants are open to any conservation district or tribe within the U.S. and its territories.

Allegheny County Conservation District (ACCD) received a $60,000 UAC Implementation Grant. Their project is: “Cultivating healthy soil, just urban agriculture, and community orchards to support Pittsburgh’s communities’ vision for fresh food production.” ACCD and Tree Pittsburgh are collaborating to test and remediate soil on urban agriculture sites throughout Allegheny County, then plant them with edible fruit and nut trees, berries, other perennial edibles and native wildflowers, creating biodiverse and beautiful public orchards that produce free food for residents.

Westmoreland Conservation District received a $10,000 UAC Planning Grant. Their project is: “Identifying Underserved Communities and Evaluating their Needs for Urban Agriculture in Westmoreland County.” The district will identify underserved communities, potential partners, and their specific needs for urban agriculture, which will allow the district to develop a plan to better serve them. The district will learn what resources are available and be able to enhance their capacity to deliver technical assistance.

Since 2016, NACD has led the efforts of this successful grant program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help conservation districts and tribes build capacity for urban technical assistance and small-scale conservation, while addressing community needs in both rural and urban areas.

Click here to read the press release. 

 

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a 2024-year round of funding for Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund projects, with additional funds provided by the William Penn Foundation, AstraZeneca, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Berks County Conservation District will receive $127,000 through the program. The grant will assist forest landowners with enrollment into forest management cost-share programs, improving forest health, habitat for golden-winged warbler, and resiliency in the Kittatinny and Schuylkill Highland conservation landscapes.

Click here to read more. 

All Management staff and partners are invited to join us at the Wyndham Garden Conference Center State College on September 18-19 for the 2024 Management Summit. Registration for the 2024 Management Summit is open through September 6. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information.

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.