In March, thirty-seven individuals attended the Luzerne Conservation District’s two rain barrel events. The workshops were held at The Back Mountain Makery in Dallas, PA. Attendees learned about stormwater, non-point source pollution, and impacts, best management practices specific to homeowners, and mosquito prevention.

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.

In March of 2025, Clean Water Academy (CWA) surpassed 50,000 course completions. Course completions refer to the total number of individual courses successfully completed by all users of CWA. This milestone reflects significant engagement and successful completion of many courses by DEP staff, conservation district staff, sewage enforcement officers, cooperating agencies, and the public. A CWA usage report was recently released.

From January 1, 2018, through March 1, 2025, CWA recorded a total of 52,264 course completions by 4,205 users. Of the 52,264 total course completions, 23,165 (45%) were completed by conservation district staff.

Congratulations to the top ten individuals with the highest course completions:

1. Stephen Beach, Blair CD
2. Matthew Golden, Washington CD
3. Rebecca Smith, Mercer CD
4. Tyne Blazier, Huntingdon CD
5. Patti Abrogast, Union CD
6. Zach Green, Adams CD
7. Dave Taylor, Wyoming CD
8. Tom Ulrich, Washington CD
9. Jason Branning, Susquehanna CD
10. Devon Weyant, Blair CD

Click here to read the report.

 

 

New for 2025, Leadership Development will post a monthly series of short videos to share information, promote programming, and encourage discussion on board development topics.

The May installment of the series includes a brief discussion of the differences in liability for Delegated and Non-delegated programs, as well as links to a presentation video and reference checklist from the December 2023 Identifying Insurance Coverage Gaps webinar.

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.

In response to ongoing conversations about onboarding needs, highlighted most recently by the PACD District Employees Committee, we’ve developed new Clean Water Academy (CWA) resources to support conservation districts in training new staff.

These new resources include a CWA Orientation one-pager that provides a broad overview of the training platform, along with instructions on how to access CWA. We’re also offering CWA Course Checklists tailored to various conservation district roles, including Erosion & Sedimentation Technicians, Agricultural Technicians, and Watershed Specialists. 

These documents highlight available courses and training programs on CWA (links provided) and help streamline the onboarding process.

Please contact Kelly Davidson at kdavidson@pacd.org with questions.

On April 19, 2025, Cumberland County Conservation District held a rain barrel workshop during the Mechanicsburg Earth Day Festival. Thirty participants built and took rain barrels home to install.

Because the workshop took place during an earth day event, the district was able to not only educate those who signed up for the workshop, but also answer questions and educate the general public attending the festival. The district reports that seeing the rain barrels created a lot of curiosity, questions, and interest from passersby.

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.

 

Agricultural professionals and conservation leaders from across Pennsylvania gathered in Harrisburg from April 1-3, 2025, for the second annual Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP) Ag Conservation Con, a statewide conference designed to strengthen knowledge, skills, and partnerships supporting on-farm conservation.

The banquet and awards ceremony celebrated exceptional conservation efforts across the commonwealth.

The following are the 2025 ACAP award recipients:

— Karl Brown Award for Conservation Leadership: Sens. Yaw and Martin.

— ACAP Team Collaboration Award: Rob Cronauer, Chelsea Gross, and Allie Shreffler from the Westmoreland Conservation District.

— ACAP Partnership Award: Hammer Creek Wetland, Floodplain, and Stream Restoration Partnership from the Lebanon County Conservation District.

— Innovative ACAP Project: Jay Zullinger Project from the Cumberland County Conservation District.

— ACAP Rookie of the Year: Emily Stambaugh of the Cumberland County Conservation District.

— ACAP MVP: Devyn McPheeters of the Centre County Conservation District.

— Best ACAP Project Photo: Colter Johnson of the Warren County Conservation District.

Click here to view all the photos of the award winners. 

The Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training at Penn State Extension was formed in 2023 along with partners at the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission (SCC) and the Pennsylvania State Office of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Funding for the center is provided through the state Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program (ACAP).

 

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry announced a more than $6.6 million investment in 19 Pennsylvania organizations to develop and expand registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs in the agriculture, health care, and information technology (IT) sectors.

Through the Supporting Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Sector through Apprenticeships and Pre-Apprenticeship grant initiative, Indiana County Conservation District will receive $399,317.

The Indiana County Conservation District will create and establish an agriculture conservation technician apprenticeship program that will provide apprentices with the necessary training and work experience for careers as agriculture conservation employees at Pennsylvania conservation districts, the State Conservation Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the Penn State Center for Agriculture Conservation and Training.

Click here to read the entire article. 

Lancaster County Conservation District (LCCD) celebrated its 75th anniversary with WGAL News 8 on April 21, 2025.

The video was filmed at the LCCD Annual Awards Banquet on March 25 and LCCD requested that it be featured during Conservation District Week.

Click here to watch the video. 

Join us for the next Clean Water Academy Lunch & Learn session on Thursday, May 1, 2025, from Noon–1:00 p.m. with Jordan Sanford and Jason Beale from the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Jordan and Jason will present “Revitalizing Conservation Education: Strategies for Connecting with Broader Audiences,” where they’ll provide a broad overview of the Game Commission’s education efforts, highlight recent projects, and explore strategies for engaging various audiences.

Grab your lunch and join us for this engaging and informative discussion! Click here to learn more and register. Registration is free but required.

Stay tuned for more Lunch & Learn sessions in the coming months!

 

Nominations are being accepted for the PACD Conservation Awards. The nomination process has been simplified and streamlined with an online nomination form. Nominations must be received by April 30, 2025.

To date, two nominations have been received for the Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director or Associate Director Excellence Award. No nominations have been received for the other awards.

The awards are:

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

Click here for more information.  Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org with any questions.