Mark your calendars for 102/105 Basic Technical Training May 23-26, 2023, at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg-Hershey in Harrisburg, PA. This training is open to conservation district and PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) staff who work with the relevant programs. The curriculum is designed for new or newer conservation district technicians and incorporates classroom learning and a field component. Registration will open in March. Questions? Contact Molly Burns with PACD at mburns@pacd.org.

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.

The 20th Annual Cumberland County Conservation District golf event was held September 23, 2022, at Rich Valley Golf Couse. There were 106 golf participants on 27 teams, in addition to very generous hole and prize sponsors! This year’s event was hit with lots of wind on the course, but the golfers took that challenge on with gust-o.

Each year the conservation district organizes a golf tournament to raise money for environmental education activities in the county. The money is used for scholarships, the county Envirothon, and other educational efforts. The district’s goal is to raise enough money each year to provide three $500 college scholarships for Cumberland County students. The district has raised over $57,000 since they began the tournament in 2003.

On October 7, the Indiana County Conservation District celebrated its 75^th anniversary with an open house at the district headquarters. The district also unveiled its new website, https://www.iccdpa.org.

PACD Second Vice President Emil Bove (Westmoreland) represented PACD at the event.

On October 13, 2022, the Chester County Conservation District held its 75^th anniversary celebration at the Mendenhall Inn.

PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh attended the event.

The 2022 Fall Leadership Webinar Series is scheduled for November and includes lunch & learn opportunities for district staff and directors.

The Tech Roundtable series is an opportunity for district personnel to share, discuss, and learn about technology-related topics relevant to conservation district work. The fall meeting on Wednesday, November 2, from Noon – 12:45 p.m. will continue focusing on digital media tools, techniques, and planning for districts involved with DIY content production.

There will be a CliftonStrengths for Managers Debrief meeting on Wednesday, November 9, from Noon – 12:45 p.m., where management staff will share how they are using their new understanding of CliftonStrengths to manage their teams, and discuss options and ideas for team-building events for district staff in 2023.

Directors and associate directors are particularly encouraged to tune in for the Building Blocks of Trust presentation on Wednesday, November 16, from Noon – 1:00 pm. River Network and the WaterNow Alliance are nonprofit groups working together to improve water quality nationally. They have partnered to develop a set of best practices for establishing and maintaining the trust-based partnerships critical to protecting our waters and achieving sustainable water systems. To gain a more complete understanding of what is needed to build lasting trust between community organizations and local water leaders, they partnered on the Building Blocks of Trust study. They focused on answering three questions: What is required to create these partnerships, under what circumstances do they succeed and flourish, and how can we seed more of them? April Ingle, Policy Director for River Network, will share what was learned from their study of successful partnerships and how we can use these lessons to catalyze even more vital partnerships for healthier rivers and communities.

The Fall Leadership series is open to all district and partner personnel – visit Building for Tomorrow to register.

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.

Conservation Districts are encouraged to regularly reevaluate and update their strategic plans and Building for Tomorrow supports districts by offering grants to offset costs associated with strategic planning activities. The State Conservation Commission has allocated funding for grants to reimburse up to a maximum of $1,500 in expenses related to developing a strategic plan for the 2022-23 program year. Priority will be given to conservation districts that did not receive a strategic planning grant in the past five years—Visit Building for Tomorrow  for information on program requirements. Contact Matt Miller, Leadership Development Coordinator, at mmiller@pacd.org with questions and to discuss planning facilitation and support needs.

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 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 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.

The deadline to register is October 15. Click here for more information. 

The Butler County Conservation District (BCCD) has been helping farmers make wise economic and environmental decisions when determining side dressing nitrogen (N) rates for their corn.

The program started 11 years ago when the BCCD purchased a SPADs chlorophyll meter and started their Early-Season Corn Chlorophyll Test Program. The BCCD felt a need for a test that allowed farmers to adjust their fields, unlike the Late Season Cornstalk Nitrate Test.

Click here to read the entire article. 

 

Delaware County Conservation District planted 2.352-acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer in Haverford Township, Delaware County. The project cost $9,188.86 and was paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program. For more information on the program click here. 

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 Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

Butler County Conservation District planted 0.36-acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer along a tributary to Big Run in Butler County. The buffer was located on a pasture field. The project cost $2,068.00 and was paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program. For more information on the program click here. 

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 Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.