During the 2022 Building for Tomorrow Staff Conference, PA Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell recognized conservation district staff with exceptionally high achievement in the Clean Water Academy. 

The following individuals were recognized for the most courses completed:

1. Jake Kennedy – PACD (previously interned at Armstrong Conservation District)
2. Brianna Osborne – Warren
3. Taylor Lawrence – Berks
4. Brady Byers – Franklin
5. Adam Seitz – Lancaster
6. Steve Beach – Blair
7. Hank Bradish – Westmoreland
8. Christina Anders – Adams
9. Keith Stetsko – Allegheny
10. Dave Taylor – Wyoming

The Secretary also recognized the following districts for having the highest number of completed courses:

1. Lancaster
2. Washington
3. Wyoming
4. Allegheny
5. Berks
6. Beaver
7. Armstrong
8. Blair
9. York
10. Chester

Conservation district staff with the most courses completed will receive a signed certificate from Secretary McDonnell.

Conservation District Video Awards Announced

The 2022 Hybrid Staff Conference was held February 16 and 17 at the Wyndham Garden State College and streaming via Zoom. Over 180 virtual and in-person attendees participated in sessions on dealing with difficult people, managing stress, and public opinions on conservation work, as well as breakout sessions on working with rural landowners, cybersecurity, grant management, and outreach challenges.

The conference also included recognition for training achievement in Clean Water Academy (see the article below) and the 2nd Annual Conservation District Video Awards.

The videos awarded are:

1st place high score and winner of the General Public category:

• NatureWorks Park Riparian Buffer – Blair County Conservation District

2nd place high score and winner of the Landowner/Homeowner category:

• The Homeowners Guide to Stormwater – Introduction: 3 Steps to Managing Stormwater – Westmoreland Conservation District

K-12 Educational Category winner:

• From Seed to Market – Wayne County Conservation District

3rd place overall runner-up:

• ICCD: Get to Know Us – Indiana County Conservation District

All finalist entries are posted on the Building for Tomorrow website.

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.

Pennsylvania’s County Conservation Districts were awarded over $60,000 through the Non-point Source (NPS) Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-Grant Program. With this funding, thirty-four pollution reduction projects will take place in twenty-five counties. These projects promote water pollution prevention activities and will take place through May 2023.

Conservation District responsible for grant activities:	Project Title:	Amount Funded:
Allegheny	Municipal Outreach for Prevention of NPS Pollution	$2,000
Armstrong	Backyard Bioswale Demonstration Project	$2,000
Beaver	Agricultural Gathering and Manure Management	$1,356
Beaver	Stormwater Help for Homeowners	$1,170
Berks	Using Cover Crops to Prevent Nonpoint Source Pollution Workshop	$2,000
Bradford	Bradford County Outreach and Education Project	$2,000
Clarion	AMD Treatment System Field Tour	$2,000
Clearfield	Cover Crop and Nutrient Management Field Day	$2,000
Clinton	102/105 E&S Workshops	$1,500
Clinton	Manure Management Plan Workshop	$1,500
Columbia	NPS Pollution Prevention for Homeowners	$2,000
Cumberland	Upper Allen Township Rain Garden, Phase 2	$2,000
Dauphin	Stormwater Management Strategies for Homeowners Workshop	$2,000
Elk	NPS Pollution Prevention Workshop Series	$1,995
Franklin	Ag Education Event- Conservation Farm Tour or Ag BMP Meeting	$2,000
Jefferson	Grazing Field Day	$2,000
Juniata	Dirt to Soil	$1,975
Juniata	What’s At Stake Field Day	$1,215
Lancaster	Erosion & Sediment Control Plan (E&S Plan) for Small Projects Development Guide	$2,000
Lebanon	2023 Rain Barrel Workshop	$2,000
Lebanon	Conservation on the Ground Field Day: Equine Edition	$1,500
Lehigh	Suburban Agriculture	$2,000
Lehigh	Sustainable Backyard Workshop	$2,000
McKean	Promoting Healthy Watersheds	$2,000
McKean	Promoting Best Management Practices Tours	$1,500
Snyder	2023 Farmers Winter Meeting	$1,000
Snyder	Agricultural Plan Writing Workshops	$1,000
Snyder	Soil Health Event & Bucket	$2,000
Tioga	Women in Ag	$2,000
Tioga	Rain Barrel Workshop 2022	$1,327
Venango	How To Manage A Sustainable Equine Farm	$2,000
Warren	Streams, Trees, You, and Me	$2,000
Washington	Washington County Agriculture Outreach Events	$2,000
Westmoreland	Forest Best Management Practices Workshop	$1,200

Click here to read summaries of the projects. 

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.

Allegheny County Conservation District completed two multi-functional riparian forest buffer projects. First, they planted 2.7 acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer at Round Hill Park in Allegheny County. The project cost $17,832. They also planted 0.3 acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer along Copper Creek in Allegheny County. This project cost $3,215.

Both projects were paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program: https://pacd.org/?page_id=17536 Please direct questions about the program to PACD Program Manager Holly Miller hmiller@pacd.org.

Click here to see more before and after photos from these projects.

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.

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) is disappointed that the Governor’s proposed state budget does not include an increase for conservation districts.  This additional conservation district funding is needed to continue our operations and ever-growing responsibilities. We urge legislators to include a $500,000 increase for the Conservation District Fund in both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Environmental Protection. 

“The conservation districts play an important role in protecting the Commonwealth’s resources. By including an increase in the state budget for conservation districts, the legislators would be investing in continuing the conservation district mission of clean water and healthy soil for all Pennsylvanians,” said PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh.

Conservation districts continue to review permits, provide assistance to farmers, assist municipalities in preparing to fix low volume roads and dirt and gravel roads throughout the state, and help control mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus and Zika Virus.  

For more information about the work of the state’s 66 conservation districts, visit www.pacd.org. You can also follow PACD on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PAConservation.

Conservation district and DEP staff working with Chapters 102 and 105 are invited to register for 102/105 Virtual Topic-based Technical Training. The event will take place via Zoom March 29-31, 2022. There is no cost to participate. Click here for registration and the draft agenda. (Clean Water Academy login is required for access.)

This training is 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.

PACD is accepting applications for a new round of CREP mini-grants until February 25, 2022.

Grants up to $3,000 will be awarded to implement educational and outreach activities that support and extend the work of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Projects should focus on CREP enrollment, re-enrollment, and/or CREP maintenance.

Click here for the application and guidelines.

Please reach out to Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org with questions.

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

Directors, associate directors, and managers – there’s still time to register for the 2022 Director Training workshop on staff retention, the employee lifecycle, and post-COVID policies. This year’s program builds on themes presented in last year’s Management Summit and Fall Leadership webinar series. In addition, it will examine staff retention challenges in the contexts of generational and other workforce changes, focusing on district staffing and employee policies in the wake of COVID-19.

The program is free of charge, and lunch is included for in-person attendees. 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.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has announced projects in Southcentral Pennsylvania.

Approved conservation district projects include: 

• Berks County Conservation District: Little Cacoosing Creek Restoration, $374,128
• Franklin County Conservation District: West Branch Conococheague Tributary Floodplain Restoration—Design and Permitting, $117,500 
• York County Conservation District: West Branch Codorus Creek Stream Restoration Phase 2, $563,365

Three other agencies also received funds to distribute for appropriate projects: the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to administer farmland preservation projects, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for state park renovations and improvements, and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority for water and sewer system upgrades.

For more information on Growing Greener go to DEP’s website.

 

The PACD Executive Council Video Conference was held on January 27, 2022. In addition to PACD’s business meeting, several partners provided reports.

“While we were disappointed that we could not meet in person, we were happy to connect with each other over Zoom,” said PACD President Kelly Stagen. “We are grateful to PA Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell and PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn for joining us and for their continued support of conservation districts.”

Other key partners providing reports were PA Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary for Animal Health and Food Safety Greg Hostetter, State Conservation Commission Executive Secretary Karl Brown, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Assistant State Conservationist for Partnerships and RCPP Coordinator Susan Marquart.

The next PACD event will be the regional meetings in March and April. Click here for more information.