Fall Leadership Webinar Series

Directors, managers, and interested district personnel and partners are encouraged to register for the Fall Leadership webinar series in October and November. This year’s Fall Leadership series includes presentations on succession planning and environmental justice. Click here for more information and to register.

Strategic Planning Grants

Reminder to districts considering strategic planning for the coming year – deadline to submit a Letter of Intent for the 2021-22 Strategic Planning Grants program is November 19. Click here for program requirements.

Management Summit Wrap-Up

The 2021 Management Summit was held last week in State College. This year’s event included a pre-conference meeting to wrap up the 2021 new manager hybrid training program. Fifteen new managers, assistant managers, and partners attended the pre-conference, with an additional four participating virtually.

Congratulations to the 2021 New Manager Training class, which included Nathan Brophy (Northumberland), Dion Campbell (Northampton), James Coslo (Centre), Ellen Enslin (Pike), Kevin Frederick (Lehigh), Kristina Heaney (Monroe), Holly Laird (Armstrong), Matthew Long (Lycoming), Jeff Hill (York), Jeff Pflug (Beaver), Carrie Richmond (Sullivan), and Trevor Weaver (Mifflin).

The Summit was attended by 48 managers, assistant managers, and partner staff, with an additional seven participating virtually. This year’s program focused on staff development and retention, with keynotes on coaching, mentoring, performance management, and employee life cycle.

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.

Montgomery County Conservation District planted a total of 0.75 acres of multi-functional riparian forest buffer at the Upper Perkiomen Valley YMCA in Montgomery County. The total cost for the buffer was $10,131.39 and was paid for through PACD’s multi-functional buffer sub-grant program: https://pacd.org/?page_id=17536

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. 

In June, Jefferson County Conservation District received a Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Mini-grant to hold their first-ever rain barrel workshop. The district educated over 13 participants about the importance of nonpoint source pollution, water conservation, and water quality.

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.

On Friday, August 27, 2021, the Potter and Cameron County Conservation Districts held a joint legislative project tour. The tour showcased two project sites in each county and highlighted the need for continued funding and prioritization. North West Region Director and National Association of Conservation Districts Director Cliff Lane represented PACD at the event.

Project sites visited include the Sterling Run Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Site and the Driftwood Mudsill Crib Wall and Riparian Planting Site in Cameron County. In Potter County, the areas visited included the Southwoods Road Soil Pinning Site and the Pine Run Culvert Replacement Project.

Tour participants included Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection North Central Regional Office representatives, local state representatives, commissioners, and conservation district board members from multiple counties.

The project sites provide great benefits for their respective watersheds and demonstrate the need for continued funding and prioritization of this work.

On August 25, 2021, two Fayette County Conservation District representatives spoke to the local radio station WMBS. Dave Lohr, Commissioner Director, and Pierce Willson, Agricultural Coordinator, participated in a 45-minute segment called “What’s Working in Fayette County.”

Dave and Pierce spoke about the history of conservation districts, soil conservation, and how the district helps farmers in the county.

Click here to watch the video. 

 

Westmoreland Conservation District has created “The Homeowner’s Guide to Stormwater Video Series.” The series is available on YouTube and through the district’s website here. This series of videos will help homeowners learn how they can control stormwater around their homes and property.

 

The Allegheny County Conservation District and partners have released a Flood Education Workshop series for home and business owners.

This educational series includes instruction from experts about why it floods, ways to prepare before and after, and how to recover from a flood event.

The five-part series covers the following topics:

• Watershed Basics and Types of Flooding
• Where Flooding Occurs and How You Can Find Out
• Preparation and Mitigation for Flooding
• Responding to Flooding
• Recovering from Flooding

Workshop recordings are now available here.

Twenty-five individuals attended Agricultural Conservation Technical Boot Camp Training – Level II, August 23-27, 2021, at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County. Attendees included staff from conservation districts, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and affiliates.

The Level II annual training consists of two learning tracks: agronomy and engineering. The two tracks allow participants to focus more deeply on their area of study. The event features a balance of classroom work and field work to give participants hands-on experience.

The Basic level course was held earlier this month.

The training is sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the State Conservation Commission. PACD works with these partners to coordinate the training.

The 2021 Conservation District Watershed Specialist Webinar Series will take place October 5-7, 2021. Watershed specialists will learn how to use Stroud Water Research Center’s EnviroDIY program and Monitor My Watershed to build, program, install, and manage a standard Enviro DIY monitoring station; learn how a seasoned watershed specialist approaches project management; learn about prevailing wage; get tips on putting together a project bid package from a conservation district perspective, and much more. Registration is open to conservation district watershed specialists and invited guests only. For a registration link, contact Molly Burns with PACD at mburns@pacd.org.

Dakota Welkom recently graduated from Cecil College in North East, Maryland, with a Biological and Environmental Science degree. Dakota was previously employed as a Mosquito-borne Disease Control Technician by the Northumberland County Conservation District. She grew up on her family farm with her four sisters in Columbia County. Dakota currently resides with her fiancé, Micah, their four hounds, and a variety of farm animals.

Welcome, Dakota!