District directors, associate directors, and managers are invited to participate in this year’s Director Workshop series: Staff Retention, the Employee Life Cycle, and Post-Covid Policies, presented by Mary Kay Williams of State College-based MindShift Consulting and Matt Miller with PACD. The workshops will present an overview of the current district staffing situation, background, and concepts that underlie successful retention strategies for conservation districts. These sessions are intended to allow district leadership from across the state to share and discuss their own problems and solutions. Workshops are scheduled for February 24 at Westmoreland Conservation District, March 3 at Clinton County Conservation District, and March 9 in Harrisburg (and streaming online via Zoom). They are free of charge and include lunch 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.

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.

The guidelines and application 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.

Reminder: Staff Conference Room Block Deadline is January 14

District staff planning to attend the 2022 Staff Conference in person have until this Friday, January 14, to make a reservation from the event room block. Instructions for making reservations are posted at the in-person registration portal. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

2022 Director Workshops to Focus on Staff Retention and Post-Covid Employee Policies

Registration is open for the 2022 Director Workshop Series, with in-person and online participation options. This year’s workshop program includes an overview of current district staffing challenges, a presentation on performance management and successful retention strategies, and a discussion of retention recommendations from managers. 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 2022 Virtual Conservation District and PA Agency Ag Meeting will be held via Zoom from February 23-24, 2022. CConservation district agricultural technicians, watershed specialists, and management, CAP coordinators, and staff from PA state agencies and USDA-NRCS, are invited to attend. Registration is free and required.

Formerly known as the All Bay Meeting, this annual meeting has been expanded to include sessions relevant to conservation districts across the state and more focused sessions for conservation districts within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The draft agenda includes topics such as agency updates, successful private/public partnerships, soil health education support for CAP implementation, getting credit for projects and practices through data management and reporting, a walkthrough of the Clean Water Academy, county CAP updates, funding, leveraging partners to get projects on the ground, targeted restoration using EPA’s Recovery Potential Screening Tool, and other timely and relevant sessions.

Click here for more information and to register.  

On December 15, 2021, the 10th Annual Corn Planter Clinic was held at the Shippensburg Auction Center. The clinic is the largest agricultural education event in Cumberland County. Staff from the Cumberland County Conservation District worked with Cumberland Planter in organizing this event. The event is beneficial for the farming community to come together to share ideas and gather valuable information from knowledgeable speakers. A total of 160 people attended.

Click here to read the entire article and to view more photos. 

Thanks to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection continuing to support conservation district educational projects, PACD is ready to open a new round of Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grants!

Grants up to $2,000 are awarded to conservation districts for adult educational projects that offer strategies for reducing and preventing NPS Pollution. Projects should stimulate a local awareness of water quality issues, promote the theme “We All Live Downstream,” and encourage citizen participation in activities to improve water quality in local watersheds.

The deadline for NPS mini-grant applications is January 28, 2022. Click here for the online application and more information. Questions should be directed to Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org. 

Financial and other support for the NPS Mini-grant Program 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.

The application period is open for the Agricultural Conservation Technical Training “Boot Camp”- Basic Level.

The training will be held April 4-8, 2022, at the Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County).

Click here to apply. The deadline to apply is January 28, 2022.

Questions? Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

These training opportunities are made possible by the following sponsors: Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Conservation Commission, and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.

PACD recently hired Jake Kennedy as a Conservation Technician in the Clarion, PA office. He recently graduated from Waynesburg University with a degree in environmental science. He was previously the AmeriCorps Member at the Armstrong Conservation District. Jake grew up on his family farm in Butler County with two sisters, where he was an active member of 4-H. Jake resides in Kittanning with his girlfriend and their pet Red-Foot Tortoise, Sheldon.

Jake can be reached at jkennedy@pacd.org.

PACD scheduled three free communication webinar series for conservation districts. Presented by Water Words That Work, LLC, these environmental communication trainings will begin in January and end in March 2022. Each topic has three parts, so plan to attend all three dates for your chosen topics.

How do we get more participation in our programs? How can we effectively reach our target audiences and the general public? What are the most cost-effective means to get the word out about our programs? Find out answers to these questions and more during these webinars.

Each webinar series consists of three sessions. Please mark your calendar for all three dates, so you don’t miss part 1, part 2, or part 3. Each session builds on the previous one, so don’t miss out!

Water Words That Work

January 18, 20, 25, 2022

1-3 pm

Register here for the Water Words That Work Series. 

More Than a Message

February 8, 10, 15, 2022

1-3 pm

Register here to register for the More Than a Message Series. 

Perfect Outreach Projects

February 22, 24, and March 1, 2022

1-3 pm

Register here to register for the Perfect Outreach Projects Series. 

Click here for the event flyer, which includes course descriptions. 

The webinars are free, but registration is required. Click on the links above to register. Space is limited to 100 participants for each topic. Please plan to attend all three parts of the topic you choose. Please register each person participating from your office separately.

Financial and other support for this program 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.

Registration is open for the 2022 Hybrid Staff Conference, featuring in-person and virtual attendance options on February 16 & 17. The Day 1 Conference program includes keynotes on dealing with difficult people and situations and learning from and overcoming stress before shifting gears to recognize excellence in video production with the 2nd Annual Conservation District Video Awards. Day 2 includes a keynote on public perceptions of conservation work and breakouts on working with rural landowners, cybersecurity, grant management, and district outreach. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

Reminder for all district directors, associate directors, and managers – register now for the 2022 Director workshop series on Staff Retention, the Employee Life Cycle, and post-Covid policies. Workshops are scheduled in-person for February 24 at Westmoreland Conservation District, March 3 at Clinton County Conservation District, and March 9 at Harrisburg’s Best Western Premier Central. A virtual option is also available on March 9. 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.