Franklin County Conservation District held a Summer Conservation Tour on August 3, 2023. Eighty-three participants attended the tour. The host farm provided first-hand accounts of best management practices, including construction and maintenance. Attendees also learned about dribble bar manure application and how it may reduce odor and manure nutrient runoff.

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 US Environmental Protection Agency.

Reminder to districts considering strategic planning: the Strategic Planning Grants Program is accepting letters of intent for 2024, and planning support is also available for interested districts. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information.

A brief 2024 Staff Workshop options survey was sent out last week to all district staff listservs. All district staff are requested to complete this survey by Friday, October 13.

All district staff and managers who have yet to participate in the CliftonStrengths for Conservation Districts initiative are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. The CliftonStrengths assessment is an online tool that helps individuals identify, understand, and maximize their strengths. It can empower confidence, improve performance, and support growth and development in all personal and professional life aspects. The CliftonStrengths initiative aims to help district staff discover their talent areas, identify where the greatest potential for building strengths exists, and examine how individual strengths contribute to team performance and organizational culture. Staff interested in beginning their CliftonStrengths learning journey can visit Building for Tomorrow or contact Matt Miller mmiller@pacd.org Leadership Development Program Manager for more information.

Lastly, mark your calendars for the 4^th Annual Conservation District Video Awards at noon on Thursday, February 15, 2024. Tune in to find out which districts will win the coveted CONDIVA trophy for 2023!

Financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program is provided through a Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission grant. Guidance for the Program is provided through the Pennsylvania Conservation Partnership’s Leadership Development Committee.

Gloria James is our newly hired Administrative Assistant at PACD. Gloria, husband Maurice, and their family reside in the City of Harrisburg. She enjoys dancing, live music festivals, gardening, and spending time with her family. She served in the US Air Force Reserve for eight years. Over the past two decades, she’s gained experience in the Administrative, HR, and Customer Service fields in both government and corporate sectors. Her email address is gjames@pacd.org.

The National Association of Conservation Districts Northeast Region meeting was held in Portland, Maine from September 17-20, 2023. Pennsylvania was represented by staff and directors from conservation districts and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Mark your calendars for the 2024 PACD Winter Meeting! The event will take place as a series of videoconferences throughout January, beginning with the PACD Conservation Committee on January 5 and ending with the PACD Executive Council on January 25. Registration will open in November. Questions? Contact Molly Burns with PACD at mburns@pacd.org.

PACD Conservation Committee Video Conference           
January 5, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

PACD Education and Outreach Committee Video Conference
January 11, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

PACD District Employees Committee Video Conference
January 12, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

PACD Legislative Committee Video Conference
January 17, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

PACD Ways and Means Committee Video Conference
January 18, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

PACD Operations Committee Video Conference
January 19, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

PACD Executive Council Video Conference
January 25, 2024 | 10:00 a.m.–Noon

 

Union County Conservation District held a field day in partnership with the riparian ranger program. Participants learned about plant identification, riparian buffers, farm etiquette, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), funding opportunities, and more. The Union County Conservation District created a CREP brochure specific to their county with county resources and contacts that they distributed at this event and others.

CREP education and outreach events were funded through a $994 grant through the CREP Mini-grant Program for Conservation Districts. Click here for more information and to apply.

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.

The 2023 Management Summit was held September 12-14, 2023, at the Wyndham Garden State College Conference Center, Boalsburg, PA.

The Tuesday pre-con was attended by 38 new managers and partner staff. The total Summit attendance was 64. Summit attendees participated in sessions on resilience, burnout, leadership derailers, performance reviews, change management, maximizing total compensation, and financial topics.

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.

PACD is accepting mini-grant applications from conservation districts for up to $3,000 to implement educational and outreach activities that support and extend the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) work. Projects should focus on CREP enrollment, re-enrollment, and/or CREP maintenance.

Applications will be accepted and approved on a rolling basis until funds are expended.

Project Completion & Final Report Deadline: August 31, 2024

Project examples:

– Walkabouts/field days
– Farmer and landowner workshops
– Riparian buffer workshops
– Workshop series with several topics
– Developing educational materials like brochures, flyers, fact sheets, or even billboards
– Hire interns to provide CREP outreach

We encourage working with CREP partners to complete education and outreach activities. Partners include USDA Farm Service Agency, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, PA Department of Environmental Protection, Pheasants Forever, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Stroud Water Research Center, PA Game Commission, and other conservation districts!

The guidelines, application, and reporting documents for the CREP mini-grant program can be found here.

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.

The Sullivan County Conservation District offered a workshop about the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), ponds, permits, and other programs that apply to farmers and landowners. Forty-three people attended the workshop and were provided with CREP resources.

This CREP education and outreach event was funded through a $1,444.00 CREP mini-grant from PACD. Click here for more information and to apply.

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.

Conservation district and DEP staff are invited to register for Verbal Judo and The Art and Science of Deception this October. Registration is free and some meals are included. See below for course descriptions, locations, and dates. Click here for more information and to register. (Clean Water Academy login required.) Question? Contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org.

Verbal Judo

Wyndham Garden State College | October 12-13, 2023

Verbal Judo is a tactical communications course originally designed for law enforcement officers that has applications for anyone who regularly deals with the public. Drawing on his personal experiences, our presenter has specifically adapted the course for regulatory inspectors and other government enforcement personnel. Attendees will learn techniques to redirect and handle emotionally charged verbal attacks in order to generate voluntary compliance. Attendees will leave this course with improved verbal communication skills and enhanced professionalism.

The Art and Science of Deception: Detecting Deception and Getting to the Truth

Toftrees Golf Resort | Choose Wednesday October 25 or Thursday, October 26

This course is designed to provide practical information to people who deal regularly with the public and must rely on the truthfulness of the information they receive, but do not formally interrogate others. The class will cover both the linguistic and non-verbal clues potentially indicating deception, with a focus on identifying opportunities to ask more and better questions in order to reduce the possibility that the attempted deception is successful.

This training was funded through a grant from the PA Department of Environmental Protection and made possible through the cooperation of the PA Association of Conservation Districts and Pennsylvania’s conservation districts.