Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts

We support Pennsylvania’s Conservation Districts who work for clean water and healthy soil every day.

Clearfield County Conservation District Holds Field Day

Photo provided by Clearfield County Conservation District.

Clearfield County Conservation District held a field day for farmers on July 29, 2022, at a dairy farm in Dubois, PA. Seventy people attended the event. Topics included cover crops and nutrient management.

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.

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CPESC Review Course being Held

Discounted conservation district registration is available.

PACD is co-hosting a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) Review Course. The course will be held at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey on October 25, 2022. The cost is $365 for non-district participants and $175 for conservation district staff (contact hmiller@pacd.org for the discount code). Register online at https://envirocert.org/event/pacd-cpesc-in-person-training.

The CPESC certification is a professional designation for erosion and sedimentation technicians, engineers, and other specialists involved in the design, construction, inspection, or other aspects of erosion and sedimentation control.

The review course will ensure CPESC applicants understand which concepts will be covered by the exam and acts as a review for most of those concepts. Applicants for the exam should have a sufficient combination of education and experience to be able to independently study the materials identified in the General Principles Review Manual.

The review course is open to anyone, including conservation districts, agency staff, or private companies, actively pursuing a CPESC certification through EnviroCert International, Inc. Please pass this information along to anyone who may be interested.

*If you have not yet started the CPESC certification process, we recommend you go to the Envirocert International, Inc. website and review the requirements and process now. Please see the link below for certification instructions.

Click here for more information. 

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District Management Staff: Register Now for 2022 Summit Conference

Registration is open for the 2022 Management Summit Conference, scheduled for September 13–15, 2022, at the Wyndham Garden State College Conference Center in Boalsburg. This year’s event starts with a Pre-Con meeting on Leadership Fundamentals on Tuesday, September 13. It is suitable for all new and first-time managers, assistant managers and team leaders, and any other staff aspiring to management roles in their districts. The traditional two-day Summit meeting on Wednesday, September 14, and Thursday, September 15, features sessions on strengths-based management, partner relations, and financial topics, including budgeting and program cost assessment.

Visit Building for Tomorrow for Summit Conference agenda and registration.

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.

 

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DEP & Allegheny County Conservation District Co-Host Webinar on Environmental Justice Policy Updates

Join the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Office of Environmental Justice and the Allegheny County Conservation District for a webinar on Pennsylvania’s environmental justice policy updates.

After 18 years, DEP is updating its Environmental Justice Policy. The current policy—the department’s first-ever—was adopted in 2004. Learn about how the revamp embeds environmental justice principles throughout the department. Also, learn about the department’s efforts to use new factors to define environmental justice areas in the Commonwealth.

Speaker: Ngani Ndimbie is a regional coordinator in the Office of Environmental Justice at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. She worked at the Black Political Empowerment Project, ACLU of Pennsylvania, and Bike Pittsburgh before earning her master’s degree in Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University. Ngani is passionate about fostering equitable, healthy communities.

Date and Time: Tuesday, August 16, 2022 | 1:00 PM–2:00 PM

Registration is free. Click here to register.

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Pennsylvania Envirothon Seeking Director Nominations

Why is the Pennsylvania Envirothon so successful? It’s because of our commitment to conserve and sustain our natural resources for future generations. To keep the program thriving, we need dedicated individuals with fresh ideas, a commitment to conservation, and a willingness to collaborate with like-minded individuals to help us.

The Pennsylvania Envirothon Board of Directors currently has openings for director and associate memberships. With that in mind, we invite district directors and staff members to serve as Directors on the Envirothon Board.

Click here to read the entire letter. 

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PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference Held in Harrisburg

PACD Executive Council in session July 21, 2022.

On July 20-21, 2022, PACD and the State Conservation Commission (SCC) held the first in-person, joint conference since 2019. There were over 90 participants. During the meeting, the following business took place:

– The three-year proposed dues schedule passed.

– The following slate of officers was re-elected:

  • President – Kelly Stagen, Pike County Conservation District
  • 1st Vice President, Dennis Beck, Cambria County Conservation District
  • 2nd Vice President, Emil Bove, Westmoreland Conservation District
  • Secretary, Charles Duritsa, Westmoreland Conservation District
  • Treasurer, Sonia Wasco, Lancaster County Conservation District
  • NACD Director, Clifford Lane, McKean County Conservation District

– The budget for the Fiscal Year 2022-2023 was approved.

PACD award recipients and PA Poster Contest Winners were announced during the meeting, and board and partner reports were given.

 

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Winners Announced in State Poster Contest on Healthy Soil

2022 Photo Contest Winners

PACD is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 “Healthy Soil: Healthy Life” statewide poster contest.

The winners and the county conservation district that submitted the posters are:

Category: Kindergarten through First Grade

  • William Petrunak, Lehigh County Conservation District

Category: Second through Third Grades

  • Rishwita Bhavirisetti, Delaware County Conservation District

Category: Fourth through Sixth Grades

  • Grace Petrunak, Lehigh County Conservation District

Category: Seventh through Ninth Grades

  • Philip Polstra, Columbia County Conservation District

Category: Tenth through Twelfth Grades

  • Eric Chen, Bucks County Conservation District

Each state-level winner will be submitted for judging in the upcoming national competition this winter. The National Association of Conservation Districts sponsors the national contest. Click here for more information. Click here to read the press release and here to view the full sized posters. 

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Conservationists Recognized in Harrisburg

(Left to right): PACD President Kelly Stagen, Representative James B. Struzzi II, and PACD North Central Region Director Dr. Robert Shannon.

PACD’s annual conference was held in Harrisburg, PA. Several conservationists were recognized during the awards luncheon on July 20, 2022.

The 2022 PACD honorees are as follows: 

Legislator Leadership Award

Representative James B. Struzzi II

The Indiana County Conservation District nominated representative Struzzi.

President’s Award

PACD Ad Hoc Budget Committee

Members of the committee include:

  • Christopher Thompson (Lancaster County)
  • John Dryzal (Cambria County)
  • Josh Longmore (Luzerne County)
  • Mark Hamilton (Tioga County)
  • Emil Bove (Westmoreland County)
  • Douglas Beri Jr. (Indiana County)
  • Christopher B. Snyder (Juniata County)

Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director Excellence Award

Ted Veresink, Northampton County Conservation District

Conservation District Employee Excellence Award

Scott Metzger, Franklin County Conservation District

Conservation District Trash Champion

The Washington County Conservation District collected 46 bags and 10 tons of trash and tires! As a result, the district won the Trash Champion Award for the second year.

Conservation District Employee Service Recognition Awards

With 35 Years of Service:

  • Sandy Thompson, McKean County
  • Susan Moon, Somerset County

With 40 Years of Service:

  • Ed Magargee, Delaware County
  • Gerald Heistand, Lancaster County

Click here to read the entire press release and here to view more photos. 

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PACD’s Ag Plan Reimbursement Program Now Open!

PACD was awarded a $500,000 Growing Greener Grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection to offer an Ag Plan Reimbursement Program for conservation districts from 2022-2024.

Please join us on August 9, 2022, for an informational webinar about the program. Use the link below to register. The webinar will introduce the program, review guidelines and instructions, and allow for questions and answers.

Webinar: Introducing PACD’s Ag Plan Reimbursement Program
August 9, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

To learn more about the program, please visit https://pacd.org/?page_id=69. Here you will find guidelines, application forms, and reporting templates. Please get in touch with Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org with any questions.

Financial and other support for the Ag Plan Reimbursement 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.

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Application Period Opens for Intro to Conservation Planning

PACD is partnering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the State Conservation Commission (SCC) to deliver a three-day Introduction to Conservation Planning course. This training is scheduled for November 1-3, 2022, at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey area) in Grantville, PA.

Intro to Conservation Planning is an introductory course for employees interested in writing conservation plans and becoming an NRCS Certified Conservation Planner. Eligible organizations include NRCS, State Conservation Commission, conservation districts, farmland preservation entities, and non-profits. The training is free, and lunch will be provided.

There is a pre-requisite for the course through AgLearn. 

Click here for the application to attend the course. 

Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org with questions.

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