The Lebanon County Conservation District staff met with local legislators on June 3, 2022. The meeting included a staff discussion on conservation programs in Lebanon County. These include agricultural land preservation, erosion and sedimentation control, Envirothon, mosquito-borne disease control, and agricultural programs. Conservation district funding, urban/suburban sprawl in the county, and the countywide Conservation Action Plan (CAP) were also discussed.

PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh also attended the event. Click here to read a news article about the event. 

Chester County Conservation District (CCCD) planned to host agricultural field days with farm tours displaying exceptional best management practices (BMPs). However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the scope of the project was changed, and the district opted to create a series of educational videos highlighting agricultural BMPs.

CCCD filmed and edited a video series featuring barnyard, cropland, pasture, and operational best management practices. This educational video series features the practices implemented at Walmoore Holsteins and includes video footage of daily operations and an interview with the landowner/operator.

Click here to view “The Basics of Agricultural Conservation: In the Field and Around the Barn Part 1” and here to view “The Basics of Agricultural Conservation: In the Field and Around the Barn Part 2.” 

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.

 

Cumberland County’s cover crop incentive program has become a model for other Pennsylvania counties and farmers looking to improve soil health and reduce polluted agricultural runoff.

The Cumberland County Conservation District’s cover crops program is 15 years old and provides some funding and technical assistance for planting cover crops to roughly 66 farmers. The district has helped farmers plant 8,500 acres of cover crops and estimates there may be at least that many acres not enlisted in its program.

Click here to read the entire article. 

 

Registration is open for the 2022 PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference July 20-21, 2022, at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey in Harrisburg, PA. PACD’s first in-person event in almost two years is a can’t-miss face-to-face opportunity for conservation district directors, associate directors, district staff, partner agency staff, and invited guests.

Click here to register and for more information.

In addition to the in-person offerings, PACD is offering no-cost virtual access to the PACD Executive Council Meeting on July 21, 2022, from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. via Zoom. If you can’t attend the PACD Executive Council meeting in person, please contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org for a Zoom registration link.

PACD committee meetings will meet virtually in July prior to the conference. Committee registration is free, and each committee requires separate registration. Please email the listed contact to request a registration link.

PACD Conservation Committee Video Conference
July 6, 2022 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

PACD District Employees Committee Video Conference
July 8, 2022 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Contact hmiller@pacd.org to request a registration link.

PACD Education and Outreach Committee Video Conference
July 11, 2022 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Contact swehinger@pacd.org to request a registration link.

PACD Legislative Committee Video Conference
July 12, 2022 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

PACD Ways and Means Committee Video Conference
July 14, 2022 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Contact abrown@pacd.org to request a registration link.

PACD Operations Committee Video Conference
July 15, 2022 | 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Contact mburns@pacd.org to request a registration link.

The application deadline for PACD’s multi-functional riparian forest buffer program has been extended until June 30, 2023. About $100,000 is still available for projects statewide. Pennsylvania’s conservation districts are encouraged to apply for funding to install multi-functional buffers with landowners. The sub-grant program is first-come, first-served. No matching funds are required!

Since 2018, over $590,000 has been allocated to multi-functional riparian buffer projects covering more than 125 acres.

To learn more about this program and apply, please visit PACD’s website at https://pacd.org/?page_id=17536.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and PACD are partnering to offer a free iMapInvasives Overview and Training for Conservation Districts!

When: The training will be offered via Zoom on June 28, 2022, beginning at 10 am.

Webinar Description: iMapInvasives is a comprehensive tool for online invasive species data management. It includes many aspects that appeal to natural resource managers, community scientists, and other interested members of the public. By providing a tool that advances knowledge and understanding of invasive species distributions across Pennsylvania, iMapInvasives promotes strategic decisions for conducting future survey and management work in priority locations across the Commonwealth.

Amy Jewitt, Invasive Species Coordinator at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Lead Administrator of the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives Program, will provide an overview of the iMapInvasives Program for PACD and Conservation District staff. Amy will show a variety of visual elements from the database and explain tools offered in the platform that are of value for PACD and conservation district staff regarding understanding species distributions, prioritizing management efforts, and using the platform as a data clearinghouse for conservation districts across the state.

Registration: Please click here to register for the event. 

There is still time to participate! The submission deadline for the 2022 National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Poster Contest is June 30, 2022. The theme this year is “Healthy Soil, Healthy Life.” Posters must be submitted to PACD via email to swehinger@pacd.org. Click here for more information. 

Submitted by Lori Glace, Cumberland County Conservation District Watershed Specialist

Fifteen participants joined Upper Allen Township’s Rain Garden Workshop on May 19, 2022, where they learned about “Local Watersheds and Nonpoint Source Pollution,” presented by Lori Glace of the Cumberland County Conservation District, and “How to Build a Rain Garden,” presented by Andy Yencha of Penn State Extension.

Participants helped to plant native plant species in the rain gardens in the parking lot of Upper Allen Township’s Municipal Building. Thank you to Upper Allen Township for their help and preparation to administer the workshop.

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.

 

Eighty-seven individuals attended the Section 319 Virtual Watershed Planning and Implementation Meeting May 18-19, 2022. In addition to 319 Program updates, participants learned about stream restoration work in Northcentral PA, funding sources for restoration projects, green infrastructure and stormwater management, how to work with tree nurseries for buffer projects, and Model My Watershed.

The event was open to entities involved in Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management projects, including conservation district staff, DEP and EPA staff, incorporated watershed associations, counties, municipalities, councils of governments: 501(c)(3) non-profits, educational institutions, and municipal authorities.

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.

All Conservation District Directors and Associate Directors are encouraged to register for the Deep Dives for Director’s webinars on Thursday, June 2, and Wednesday, June 15. These sessions will pick up where the 2020 New Director Orientation program left off in discussing the roles and responsibilities of boards in relation to partner programs and delegation agreements and are intended to provide in-depth background for newly-appointed directors or as a review for all board members. Both sessions will be recorded and posted online, and district managers are also encouraged to host watch parties for their board members. 

Register for Deep Dives for Directors: SCC & DGLVR Programs – Thursday, June 2, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM 

Register for Deep Dives for Directors: DEP Programs – Wednesday, June 15, 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM 

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.