PACD held its annual Winter Meeting on January 29, 2026. Members received reports on work done by the PACD committees, heard from partners about their efforts, and learned what PACD staff have been working on over the last six months, including the new PACD Strategic Plan.

NACD Northeast Region Representative Nika Colley joined PACD at the recent PACD Executive Council Meeting and shared several links to help Pennsylvania’s conservation districts make the most of their national association:

• NACD Education Materials
• Legislative Fly-in Information and Issue Papers
• How to Take Advantage of Your NACD Membership (YouTube Video)

Nika also encouraged any district staff, directors, or associate directors who need help using the NACD Members Only Page to reach out to her at nika-colley@nacdnet.org.

April 26 to May 2, 2026, will be “Conservation District Week” in Pennsylvania. During this week, district offices will hold events, conference calls, and meetings with legislators. Resources such as letters, a press release, and social media images will be available from PACD to promote Conservation District Week. Stay tuned for more information.

Thanks to the conservation districts for submitting their 2025 highlights pages. The pages were sent to all PA General Assembly members, partners, and the Governor’s Budget Office.

Click here to view all the highlights pages and here for a clickable map to view highlights by county (scroll down).

Close to 4,000 township officials and guests from all over Pennsylvania will attend the annual Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Conference and Trade Show from April 19 to 22, 2026. Once again, there will be a conservation district booth at the show from Sunday, April 19, to Tuesday, April 21.

PACD is seeking volunteers for the following shifts:

• Sunday, April 19 – Noon to 5:00 p.m.
• Monday, April 20 – 7:30 a.m. to Noon.

Please consider volunteering for a shift at the conservation district booth. This is a valuable opportunity to promote the districts and explain the type of work they do, as well as reinforce existing relationships with local township officials.

To volunteer, please contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) recently announced awards from the 2025 round of Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2) grants. 

Awards totaled nearly $82 million for 295 recreation and conservation projects across Pennsylvania. The DCNR website includes a complete list of awarded projects. 

Chester County Conservation District and PACD both received awards:

• Chester County Conservation District, $132,100, Installation of approximately 21 acres of meadows and/or upland trees in the Lower Delaware River Watershed, Chester County. Work to include landowner outreach and engagement, watershed forestry plantings and post-planting establishment; project sign and other related site improvements.
• Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts Inc., $500,000, Installation of approximately 20 acres of riparian forest buffers and 30 acres of lawn to habitat along waterways throughout Pennsylvania. Work to include 2026 mini-grant program; landowner outreach and engagement; watershed forestry plantings and post-planting establishment; project sign and other related site improvements. Conservation districts can apply for a mini-grant here. 

Funding for this round of C2P2 comes from the Keystone Fund, Environmental Stewardship Fund, and other funding sources.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2026 round of funding. To get started, visit the DCNR Grants Customer Service Portal. 

 

The 2026 Staff Training Initiative explores elevating communications for all district roles. Sessions will focus on video content production and promotion, local media outreach, social media engagement, peer-based training and support networks, and the role of communications in conflict management.

Every year we celebrate the hard work of district staff who produce video content to build awareness and further conservation efforts, and we take the opportunity to learn about how this content was produced and how it serves the mission of districts. The eleven entries for 2025 are some of the best yet – join us on February 12 for the 6^th Annual Conservation District Video Awards and find out which district will bring home the coveted CONDIVA trophy!

We’ll follow up the video awards with a pair of webinars offering practical, skills-focused guidance to help staff communicate more effectively without needing to be communications professionals. On February 18, From Message to Media: Amplifying Impact through Local Outreach demystifies how to work with local print, broadcast, and digital media. Participants will learn how to identify and build relationships with reporters, develop genuinely newsworthy messaging, and create effective press releases, advisories, PSAs, and pitch emails. The session also addresses timing outreach for maximum impact, navigating challenging news moments, and integrating media engagement into a broader district outreach strategy.

On February 25, Smarter Social Media: Campaigns, Curation, and AI Content focuses on building a more consistent, credible, and efficient social media presence. This webinar provides streamlined approaches to campaign planning, content curation, and performance measurement, along with practical guidance on using AI tools for ideation, drafting, graphics, scheduling, and reporting—all while maintaining authenticity. Together, these sessions equip participants with actionable tools to strengthen outreach, boost engagement, and amplify their impact across both traditional and digital channels.

TheMarch 4 QuickBooks User Forum will break out participants by the version in use at their district. Guided discussion prompts for sharing tips, tricks, and resources will be followed by steps to encourage peer-based learning and support among district QuickBooks users.

A regional training workshop on Assertive Communications and Empowered Conflict Management is scheduled at five locations across the state in March. This interactive training will empower attendees to apply assertiveness skills to improve their encounters with difficult people, increase their confidence in difficult situations, and get their wants or needs met. Attendees are encouraged to come with a home or work scenario in mind so they can craft and practice delivering an assertive message. Participants will leave with the ability to compare and analyze their conflict response choices, assess when and how to apply the assertiveness tool in conflict management, and develop and practice assertive messaging. Workshops are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (networking with refreshments begins at 9 a.m.), and lunch is provided. Registration is free and required.

• Tuesday, March 10 – French Creek State Park, Elverson 
• Tuesday, March 17 – Fred Rogers Institute at St. Vincent College, Latrobe 
• Thursday, March 19 – Ramada Conference Center, State College 
• Wednesday, March 25 – Camp Orchard Hill, Dallas 
• Tuesday, March 31 – Wanango Country Club, Reno 

Leadership Development programming is open to all district personnel and partner staff.

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 has $55,000 available in the current Lawn Conversion Grant.

This grant is first-come, first-served. The grant round will stay open until funds are expended or June 30, 2028, whichever comes first. Funding is to be used on shovel-ready projects converting presently maintained lawn to actively managed upland forest or perennial native meadow.

All applications and supporting documents should be emailed to swehinger@pacd.org. There is no online application. Applications will be approved on a rolling basis.

Thanks to conservation district staff, these programs have been incredibly successful in completing smaller-scale lawn conversion buffer projects across Pennsylvania.

Click here for more information or email Shannon Wehinger swehinger@pacd.org.

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.

 

Montgomery County Conservation District planted 1.5 acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer at Jacob Reiff Park in Harleysville, PA. The project cost $15,512 and was paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program. https://pacd.org/?page_id=25337

The Lawn Conversion & Riparian Buffer Mini-Grant Program for Conservation Districts is financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship Fund, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

PACD will randomly spotlight one social media post from a conservation district each week. Don’t forget to share or tag other districts to share good news or something others could learn about.

 

Northampton County Conservation District’s Facebook post. Follow at https://www.facebook.com/NorthamptonCD/.

PACD is again partnering with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful for the annual Conservation District Trash Champion Contest. To participate in the contest, PA’s conservation districts are invited to pick up trash between April 1 and May 31, 2026.

Register for your event now and report your results upon completing your trash pick-up efforts at Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. Receive free bags, gloves, and safety vests as supplies last. Free or reduced disposal is available at participating landfills during the month of April.

The winning district will receive $500 from Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. New for 2026, an additional prize will be awarded for the most volunteer hours!

Click here to view the flyer. Questions? Contact Michelle Dunn at mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.