Directors and district personnel are encouraged to watch the Deep Dives for Directors webinar sessions from June 2 (SCC programs) and June 15 (DEP programs) on the Building for Tomorrow website. Click here for links to videos and presentation materials.

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.

Please consider volunteering at the conservation district exhibit at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days. Ag Progress Days http://agsci.psu.edu/apd is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College, PA.

This year’s event will be held from August 9-11, 2022. Volunteers are needed for the following shifts:

• Wednesday, August 10: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (1 volunteer needed)
• Thursday, August 11: 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (1 volunteer needed)

A final volunteer schedule, parking passes, and other show information will be sent to volunteers when available. If you have questions or want to schedule your shift, kindly email swehinger@pacd.org.

PACD partnered with Amy Jewitt, Invasive Species Coordinator at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and Lead Administrator of the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives Program conduct a webinar for conservation districts on June 28, 2022. The webinar provided an overview of the iMapInvasives program. iMapInvasives is a comprehensive tool for online invasive species data management. Forty-three conservation district staff and partners attended the training.

A recording of the webinar is available here. 

You won’t want to miss these deadlines for the 2022 PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference July 20-21 at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey in Harrisburg:

Conference room rate deadline: Friday, July 1

Early-bird registration deadline: Friday, July 8

Click here to register and for more information.

PACD committees will meet virtually prior to the conference. Committee registration is free, and each committee meeting 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.

PACD is also offering no-cost virtual access for those who can’t attend the in-person PACD Executive Council Meeting July 21 from 9:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Contact Molly Burns at mburns@pacd.org for a registration link.

 

The first bi-monthly National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Northeast Region Lunch & Learn was held on June 21, 2022. The host and presenters were Brenda Shambaugh, PACD Executive Director, and Cliff Lane, PACD North West Region Director and NACD Director. Brenda and Cliff presented “What PACD Can Do For You.” The topics included training and development.

Click here to watch the webinar.

PACD was awarded a Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2) grant from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to offer sub-grants from 2022-2024.

Applications for riparian forest buffer projects under the new program will be accepted until June 30, 2024. Multi-functional buffers are encouraged, but conventional buffers are also eligible under this grant. The sub-grants will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

A 50:50 match is required. Penn State’s Master Watershed Steward Program and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Keystone 10 Million Trees Program will work with conservation districts to provide the match.

There is $95,000 available statewide.

**We still have approximately $100,000 available for multi-functional riparian buffers as well! Applications for the multi-functional buffer program will be accepted until June 30, 2023. No match is required for this grant, but buffers must be multi-functional.

To learn more about both programs, please visit https://pacd.org/?page_id=69. Here you will find guidelines, application forms, and reporting templates.

Please contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org or 717-794-6105 if you have any questions.

The Blair County Conservation District (BCCD) has partnered with the Altoona Curve for the second year to host educational stations at minor league baseball games throughout the summer.

This year the Altoona Curve is paying homage to the history of Blair County and is changing their team’s name to ‘Mountain City’ for every Thursday Home game. To remain in the historical theme, BCCD created station themes for each home game of 2022 as they relate to the history of conservation and natural resources in Blair County.

Organizations and partners such as the Master Gardeners, Western PA Conservancy, Fish & Boat Commission, Game Commission, Trout Unlimited, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and local groups were brought together to participate.

The Altoona Curve staff has supplied overwhelming response and support for the events and encourages future partnerships with BCCD. Through these partnerships, BCCD has implemented and highlighted green infrastructure practices at the baseball stadium and neighboring Lakemont Park.

On June 22, 2022, Timothy Ference, Director Emeritus at Luzerne Conservation District, received the Mayfly Award. The award was presented during the PA Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference in State College.

The Pennsylvania Abandoned Mine Reclamation Conference’s coveted “Mayfly Award” recognizes individuals who have dedicated a lifetime of knowledge and expertise to the reclamation of abandoned mines in Pennsylvania. The mayfly was selected as the symbol for this award because its presence in a stream signifies clean water.

Congratulations Tim!

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.