Donna J. Fisher, District Manager of Blair County Conservation District and in partnership with the Blair County Intergovernmental Stormwater Committee, testified in Harrisburg regarding the MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems) program.

Donna testified at the public hearing of the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee on June 13, 2022. The Committee gathered testimony and input on MS4 compliance and House Bills 2153 and 2331. 

Click here to read the full testimony and here to watch the video. (Donna’s testimony starts at 99:00.)

Brenda finished the testimony for Donna by providing the concluding comments.

PACD displayed a booth at the Northeastern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NEASDA) Annual Meeting where representatives from ten states convened at the Hershey Lodge and Conference Center in Hershey, PA, June 12-15, 2022.

The ten states attending included Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The agenda included opportunities for professional development, panel discussions, farm tours, and business meetings.

The PA Department of Agriculture hosted this year’s event and offered partners, including PACD, table space to network with attendees.

On June 9, 2022, the Lancaster County Conservation District held its 69th annual banquet. The event was held at the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, Lancaster, PA. PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh attended the event.

Several individuals were recognized during the event, including recipients of the Youth Conservation School Service Award, Educator Award, Outstanding Cooperator Award, scholarship recipients, and more.

Did you know that Cumberland County Conservation District has an interactive map showing where all active Chapter 102 NPDES Permitted Sites are located? Click here to check it out! 

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend your fall PACD region meeting! The meetings will be held both in-person and virtually.

PACD North West Region Meeting
September 21, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Kinzua Bridge State Park, Mount Jewett, PA

PACD South West Region Meeting
September 28, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA

PACD South East Region Meeting
September 29, 2022 | 9:30 a.m. to Noon
Henning’s Market, Harleysville, PA

PACD South Central Region Meeting
October 5, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Cumberland Conservation District, Carlisle, PA

PACD North Central Region Meeting
October 18, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Clinton Conservation District, Mill Hall, PA

PACD North East Region Meeting
October 25, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
Schuylkill Conservation District, Pottsville, PA

Connie Zimmerman is the new Administrative and Program Assistant for our Harrisburg Office. She has worn “many hats” over the years, working in state government and private industry. A Harrisburg native, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy from Penn State (Go Lions!).

In her free time, she enjoys music, dancing, gardening, and doting on her 4-legged sidekick, Petey. Her downtime also includes spending time with her nephews and niece. Connie said, “I look forward to working with the PACD team!”

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.