Thanks to the conservation districts for submitting their 2022 highlights pages. The pages will be sent to all PA General Assembly members in early January.  

Click here to see what other districts have accomplished this year! 

Huntingdon County Conservation District planted 16 acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer along a tributary to Crooked Creek at a farm in Huntingdon County. The project cost $59,630 and was paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program. Funding is still available. Click here to learn more about the program. 

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.

Submit Your Entries for the 3^rd Annual Conservation District Video Awards

Reminder to all districts who produced and shared video content this year – the deadline to submit your entries to the 2022 CDVAs is next Friday, December 31. Who will win the coveted CONDIVA trophy for 2022? Tune in to the 3^rd Annual Conservation District Video Awards on Thursday, February 16, to find out. In the meantime, please submit your videos for consideration. Click here for the submission form. 

2023 CliftonStrengths Initiative and Team-Building Workshops for Staff

Following the success of the 2022 CliftonStrengths for Managers initiative, Building for Tomorrow will be presenting a program in 2023 geared toward district staff. The two-part initiative begins this week with the CliftonStrengths assessment, an online exercise that identifies an individual’s unique talent themes and the greatest potential for building strengths. Participants will receive a report detailing their five signature themes, which serve as a starting point in discovering talents that can be productively applied to achieve success in their personal and professional lives. The assessment’s purpose is to facilitate development and growth, and it can be used as a springboard for discussion with managers, colleagues, and friends, and as a tool for self-awareness. Feedback about talents and strengths development can form the basis for further exploration to help individuals capitalize on their greatest talents and apply them to new challenges. Managers who previously indicated their district would participate will receive information for their staff this week. Individual staff at other districts can contact Leadership Development Coordinator Matt Miller at mmiller@pacd.org directly to participate.

After taking the assessment, the staff is encouraged to attend one of the CliftonStrengths Team-Building Workshops. Participants will visit State Parks to participate in a half-day program that explores the role of talents and strengths and the development, integration, and applications of talents and strengths for success. 2023 CliftonStrengths Team-Building Workshops are open to all district staff; there is no fee to attend, but space is limited and registration is required. Workshops are scheduled for February 28 at Hickory Run State Park, March 2 at French Creek State Park, March 7 at Bald Eagle State Park, March 8 at Moraine State Park, March 9 at Keystone State Park, and March 14 at Lackawanna State Park. Staff participating in the CliftonStrengths assessment can 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.

 

Strategic Planning Grants Reminder

The deadline for submitting a Letter of Intent for the Strategic Planning Grants program is Friday, December 23. The program will reimburse up to $1500 in costs associated with strategic planning activities and may assist in facilitating the planning process. Visit Building for Tomorrow for program information and requirements, or contact Leadership Development Coordinator Matt Miller at mmiller@pacd.org.

Building Blocks of Trust

In case you missed it, video and program materials for the 2022 Fall Leadership presentation Building Blocks of Trust, presented by River Network’s April Ingle, are posted at Building for Tomorrow. 

Register Now for 2023 Employment Law Seminars

Adam Long of McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC will present a seminar on Employment Law for Conservation Districts on February 21 at the Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh/Cranberry, February 22 at the Ramada State College, and February 23 at Country Inn & Suites Lehighton-Jim Thorpe. The presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of practice and policy for lawfully and effectively managing conservation district staff. Topics will include hiring considerations and employment policies such as harassment training and policy, employee absences and leave, wage and employee classification, and best management practices for staff communication, confidentiality, conduct, and performance concerns. All conservation district managers, directors, and associate directors are encouraged to attend. Networking begins at 9:00 a.m. and seminars will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Lunch is provided, and all attendees will receive a bound reference document to supplement the presentation. There is no fee to attend, but space is limited, and registration is required. Click here 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 mini-grant applications for up to $3,000 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.

Applications are due February 24, 2023.

Project examples:

• Walkabouts/field days
• Farmer and landowner workshops
• Riparian buffer workshops
• Workshop series with several topics
• Developing educational materials like brochures, flyers, fact sheets, or even billboards
• Hiring interns to provide CREP outreach

The guidelines and application for the new CREP mini-grant program for conservation districts are posted here. Questions should be directed to Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org.

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.

Mark your calendars for the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference July 19-20, 2023, at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey Area) in Grantville, PA. Conservation district directors, associate directors, staff, and agency partners are invited to attend. Catch up with old friends and make some new ones in Harrisburg this July! Registration will open in May.

All districts that produced and shared video or animated content in 2022 are encouraged to submit an entry for the 3^rd Annual Conservation District Video Awards. Videos will be scored on production, presentation, and messaging, and finalists will compete for the coveted CONDIVA trophy at the awards presentation on Thursday, February 16. Visit Building for Tomorrow for the submission form – entries must be received by December 31, 2022.

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.

All district staff are invited to participate in the 2023 CliftonStrengths Initiative, which includes an online strengths assessment and a team-building workshop scheduled at a PA State Park. Stay tuned for coming announcements, but in the meantime, please mark your calendars for the workshop date closest to you:

• Tuesday, February 28 – Hickory Run State Park
• Thursday, March 2 – French Creek State Park
• Tuesday, March 7 – Bald Eagle State Park
• Wednesday, March 8 – Moraine State Park
• Thursday, March 9 – Keystone State Park
• Tuesday, March 14 – Lackawanna State Park

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 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced $33.8 million in grant awards to support the restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The 104 grants will leverage more than $30 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of more than $64 million.

Awards for Pennsylvania’s Conservation Districts:

• Accelerating Agricultural Pollution Reduction in the Mahantango Watershed
  Grantee: Snyder County Conservation District Grant, $414,000. Reduce agricultural runoff in the West and North Branches of Mahantango Creek through farmer outreach, developing agricultural conservation plans, and implementing conservation practices on beef and poultry operations. The project will result in the development of 30 agricultural conservation plans to guide future farm management for improved water quality.
• Advancing Conservation Practice Implementation Through Planning
  Grantee: Lebanon County Conservation District Grant, $61,200. Provide additional technical assistance support to assist with the significant requests for conservation plans within the Little Swatara and Swatara Creek watersheds in Lebanon County. The project will result in the development of more than 50 agricultural conservation plans that will allow the advancement of future implementation of pollutant reduction best management practices on farms in these watersheds.
• Enhancing Resilience of the Cowanesque Watershed through Collaboration
  Grantee: Potter County Conservation District Grant, $500,000. Implement more than 11,000 acres of soil health practices across the headwaters of the Cowanesque River in Potter and Tioga counties, including cover crops, no-till, prescribed grazing, and nutrient management. The project will enhance eastern brook trout populations in a high-priority patch by restoring connectivity to upstream cold-water habitat by replacing an existing stream culvert.
• Helping Farmers Accomplish Conservation Goals in the West Branch Susquehanna River Watershed
  Grantee: Union County Conservation District Grant, $500,000. Implement agricultural conservation practices on four Turtle Creek watershed farms within the Susquehanna River’s broader West Branch. The project will complete whole farm conservation plans by strategically leveraging federal conservation program funding to fulfill farm-level funding needs.
• Middle Creek Strategic Watershed Restoration Plan
  Grantee: Schuylkill Conservation District Grant, $50,000. Conduct an assessment of the Middle Creek watershed and develop a restoration plan that addresses sources of stormwater, flooding, sediment, and habitat fragmentation to build environmental and community resiliency. The project will rank pollution sources and watershed stressors and identify specific restoration solutions with the highest impact and lowest cost and risk.

Click here to read more.