Local media outreach and digital engagement remain critical tools for districts seeking to build visibility, trust, and stakeholder support. Two upcoming webinars will offer practical, skills-focused guidance to help staff communicate more effectively without needing to be communications professionals.

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. 

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.

Leadership Development webinars are open to all district personnel and partners. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and 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.

Clean Water Academy is hosting an upcoming lunch and learn webinar on February 18, 2026, from Noon-1:00 p.m. Our speaker is Ryan Davis, Associate Forests Program Director from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Ryan will provide an overview of riparian forest buffer best management practices, along with real-world case studies that highlight successful implementation, common challenges, and lessons learned to support effective waterway protection in Pennsylvania. This webinar is a follow-up to the previous lunch and learn held in June 2025.

Please watch the existing webinar here: https://pacleanwateracademy.remote-learner.net/course/view.php?id=1527 (must be logged in to view) prior to the February 18 session.

Registration is free but required. Click here to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/NwVpQTcITLeJKKMbTjromQ

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investing $17,325,163 for 89 projects across Pennsylvania that will restore streams, improve fish and wildlife habitat, and reclaim mine lands. The grants are part of the Growing Greener program, Pennsylvania’s largest environmental grant program.

Conservation District Projects Funded include:

• Allegheny County Conservation District – $176,417 for Technical Assistance for Improved Resilience and Healthier Streams in Allegheny County Communities
• Armstrong Conservation District – $171,670 for Buffalo Creek Scenic Drive Streambank Stabilization and Fish Habitat
• Armstrong Conservation District – $34,518 for the Kiski and Cowanshannock Stormwater BMP Demonstration and Implementation Project
• Beaver County Conservation District – $42,238 for Brush Creek Streambank Stabilization
• Beaver County Conservation District – $138,700 for Raccoon Creek Watershed Streambank Stabilization #1 (Energy Transfer Settlement)
• Beaver County Conservation District – $67,924 for Raccoon Creek Watershed Streambank Stabilization #2 (Energy Transfer Settlement)
• Berks County Conservation District – $416,031 for Multi-Project Stream and Floodplain Enhancement Along Cacoosing Creek
• Blair Conservation District – $307,049 for Lewis-Clark Manure Storage for Better Management
• Blair Conservation District – $317,846 for Stock Farm Manure Storage for Better Management
• Cambria County Conservation District – $264,765 for the Cambria County Chesapeake Bay Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Projects – Phase IV
• Cambria County Conservation District – $141,620 for Cambria County Ohio River Watershed Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Projects – Phase III
• Centre County Conservation District – $50,050 for the Centre County Agricultural Plan Development
• Clearfield County Conservation District – $138,900 for the Clearfield County Agricultural Technical Assistance Project
• Clinton County Conservation District – $394,966 for Clinton – Fishing Creek Watershed Improvements
• Erie County Conservation District – $150,000 for the PA VinES Program (Pennsylvania Vested in Environmental Sustainability
• Indiana County Conservation District – $25,393 for Indiana County Riparian Buffers
• Indiana County Conservation District – $302,313 for Stewart Heavy Use Area Implementation
• Indiana County Conservation District – $247,901 for the Pine Run Streambank Stabilization Project
• Indiana County Conservation District – $334,056 for Heeter Farm Manure Storage Implementation
• Indiana County Conservation District – $499,055 for the McNutt Heavy Use Area and Manure Storage Implementation Project
• Lawrence County Conservation District – $94,886 for Slippery Rock Creek Streambank Restoration and Fish Habitat Improvement
• Lehigh County Conservation District – $396,800 for Little Lehigh Creek Stabilization and Enhancement
• Lehigh County Conservation District – $169,140 for Restoration of an Unnamed Tributary to Laurel Run
• Luzerne Conservation District – $85,000 for the Toby Creek Watershed Assessment
• McKean County Conservation District – $487,707 for the Bucks Hollow Agricultural BMP Initiative
• Mifflin County Conservation District – $146,863 for the Falb Stream Restoration
• Northampton County Conservation District – $21,882.00 for the Little Bushkill Creek Stream Bank Restoration and Enhancement Project
• Schuylkill Conservation District – $73,745 for Little Mahantango Creek – Ry-Nan Farm Agricultural BMPs Design and Permit
• Snyder County Conservation District – $328,943 for Snyder County Agricultural BPMs and Stream Restoration Projects
• Snyder County Conservation District – $500,000 for the Rockhill Dairy Roofed HUA and Mortality Composting Project
• Sullivan County Conservation District – $127,809 for Sullivan County Agricultural BMPs from Stormwater and Resource Protection
• Union County Conservation District – $370,561 for Winfield Creek Stream Improvements Phase 2
• Warren County Conservation District – $171,831 for Middle Allegheny River Basin Streambank Stabilization Best Management Practices – Phase 1
• Washington County Conservation District – $205,550 for the 2025 Pike Run Stream Restoration Project
• Westmoreland County Conservation District – $132,606 for Oklahoma Borough Park Streambank Stabilization
• Westmoreland Conservation District – $104,510 for the Manor Park Streambank Stabilization Project
• Westmoreland County Conservation District – $50,000 for Westmoreland County Act 167 Plan Update (Act 167 Grant)

Click here to read the full press release. 

Thank you to all the volunteers who made the conservation district booth at the PA Farm Show a success!

Thank you to the following conservation districts who sent volunteers:

• Centre
• Chester
• Clinton
• Cumberland
• Dauphin
• Huntingdon
• Indiana
• Lancaster
• Mifflin
• Schuylkill
• Union
• Washington

 

 

Reminder: Project Management Training Video & Survey

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the December Foundations of Project Management webinar. Video is available for review and sharing with colleagues who may have missed the presentation, and all district staff are encouraged to complete a Project Management Training Survey to help guide development for future project management offerings.   

Coming Soon: the 6^th Annual Conservation District Video Awards

For six years, we’ve asked districts to share their video content so we can come together to celebrate their hard work, learn about their process, and recognize their excellence.  The quality of submissions has increased every year, and the eleven entries for 2025 continue that trend.  Mark your calendars and plan to join us on February 12 at 12pm as we screen the best of district-produced video and award the coveted CONDIVA trophy. 

Register Now for February Webinars

We’ve teamed up with Piper Strategies this year to offer a pair of webinars to help district staff develop skills and strategies to more effectively promote their districts through online and traditional media. On February 18, From Message to Media: Amplifying Impact Through Local Outreach will present basic media relations concepts with a tactical focus on working with local broadcast and print outlets to help promote and build awareness for your district’s work and mission. 

The February 25 webinar, Smarter Social Media: Campaigns, Curation, and Content will present a concise, practical overview of effective social media campaign strategies, the role of content curation in strengthening credibility, and the responsible use of AI tools to enhance content development. 

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.

Allegheny County Conservation District Executive Director Heather Manzo sat down recently with WPXI for their Our Region’s Business feature. To tie into Farm Show Week, Heather spoke about farming in Allegheny County and the conservation district’s role in the community.

Click here to view the 6-minute video.

 

Submitted by Chris Cook, Watershed Specialist, Delaware County Conservation District

Fifty volunteers joined Delaware County Conservation District (DCCD) for a tree planting session at Frederick L. Mann Memorial Park in Ridley Township on October 18, 2025. The concerted effort by resident volunteers, municipal officials, county staff, and many other local environmental groups resulted in 530 trees and shrubs planted along Stoney Creek!

In addition to the clear shade benefits these trees will provide in years to come, these trees will help mitigate flood damage to downstream properties, enhance wildlife habitat, and improve stream water quality.

Also, over 20 volunteers gathered at Morton Homestead (State Historic Property) in Prospect Park on Saturday, November 8, 2025, to plant 180 shrubs and trees as part of a restoration effort to enhance the degraded tidal sections of the Darby Creek riparian zones.

Through a partnership with the Keystone10 Million Program, backed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, DCCD provided municipalities with technical assistance to obtain free trees and shrub saplings, each with a plant protection tube, for environmental enhancement projects.

Click here to read the press release and view photos from these efforts. 

 

 

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.

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

The 2026 Staff Training Initiative focuses on building communication skills for all district staff with webinar and workshop programs in February and March.

Our webinar series starts on February 12 with the 6^th Annual Conservation District Video Awards. We’ll screen clips from eleven district videos and hear from the producers before awarding the coveted CONDIVA trophy for 2025.

The February 18 webinar, From Message to Media: Amplifying Impact Through Local Outreach, will demystify local media relations, examine how to integrate media engagement into your broader district outreach strategy, and share examples and case studies of successful initiatives.

On February 25, we follow up with Smarter Social Media: Campaigns, Curation, and Content, which will offer a concise, practical overview of effective social media campaign strategies, the role of content curation in strengthening credibility, and the responsible use of AI tools to enhance content development. Participants will gain clear guidance on improving the consistency, quality, and impact of their social media presence.

The March 4 QuickBooks User Forum will include a breakout by QB version, with prompted discussion on tips and training resources, followed by a panel discussion.

In March, the focus shifts to practicing skills for dealing with communication challenges. The Assertive Communications and Empowered Conflict Management Workshop 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. The session includes a presentation, as well as individual, full-group, and team exercises to help attendees compare and analyze their conflict-response choices and assess when and how to apply assertiveness tools in conflict management. Workshops are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (networking with refreshments begins at 9 a.m.). All are open to all district personnel and partner staff, and lunch will be provided.

Workshop Schedule:

Tuesday, March 10: French Creek State Park, Elverson

Tuesday, March 17: 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

Staff Training programs are open to all district personnel and partner staff. 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.

PACD is now accepting nominations for the PACD Conservation Awards. The award nominations have been simplified and streamlined with an online nomination form. Nominations must be received by April 30, 2026.

The awards are:

• Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director or Associate Director Excellence Award
• Conservation District Employee Excellence Award
• Maurice K. Goddard Award for Excellence in Environmental Recreation

Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org with any questions.