PACD is partnering with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the State Conservation Commission (SCC) to deliver a three-day Introduction to Conservation Planning course. This free training is scheduled to take place October 19-21, 2021, at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg (Hershey area) in Grantville, PA.

If you are interested in taking this training, please begin the process to get an AgLearn account NOW!  There is a prerequisite, and it can take months to get an account.

The event is for entry-level employees of all organizations in Pennsylvania delivering conservation planning technical assistance including, but not limited to, NRCS, conservation districts, SCC, farmland preservation entities, and non-profits. The training is free, and lunch will be provided.

To receive information on this training as it becomes available, including the online prerequisite, email Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

Please consider volunteering at the conservation district exhibit at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days.

Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College, PA, and features the latest technology and research exhibits, educational programs, and guided tours.

Over 60% of the 46,000 expected to attend are actively engaged in agriculture or related activities. With so many farming families from across Pennsylvania at this event, it’s an excellent opportunity to call attention to the work and programs done at the districts.

This year’s event will be held from August 10-12, 2021. Volunteers are needed for the shifts listed below. If you have questions or to schedule your shift, send your name, contact information, and preferred shift to dyoung@pacd.org.

Tuesday, August 10:             1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Wednesday, August 11:         9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Wednesday, August 11:         1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Wednesday, August 11:         5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Thursday, August 12:            9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (1 volunteer needed)

Thursday, August 12:            1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (1 volunteer needed)

A final volunteer schedule, parking passes, and other show information will be sent to volunteers when available. For more information on Ag Progress Days, go to their website at http://agsci.psu.edu/apd.

The Lawrence County Conservation District installed a dry creek and rain garden at the South Side Community Garden. The community garden is situated on the site of a demolished elementary school. There are remains of asphalt and concrete just below the grass on a significant portion of the site perimeter. Rain sheet flows much faster than on a typical grassed site and flows over spots that had creosote-soaked railroad tie beds recently removed. The dry creek and rain garden capture that flow and allow it to infiltrate rather than runoff.

The district adapted to COVID-19 restrictions and educated the volunteers and neighbors who help build the dry creek and rain garden with a nonpoint source presentation. The district also created a booklet for homeowners on stormwater management, and an informational sign will be installed at the site.

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.

District directors and managers, mark your calendars for the Fall 2021 Leadership Webinar series on Wednesdays: October 27, November 3, and November 10, at noon. Stay tuned for a registration announcement later this month.

The 2021 Board Leadership series recordings and session materials are still available at Building for Tomorrow, and expense reimbursement is available to districts that host watch parties for their board members to review the sessions on ethics, conflict of interest, and planning effectiveness. Contact Leadership Development Coordinator Matt Miller at mmiller@pacd.org for more information.

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 Potter County Conservation District (PCCD) held a Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Roads (DGLVR) Municipal Breakfast. The event took place on May 18, 2021, at the Coudersport Firehall and Senior Center. In all, 22 representatives from 11 townships were in attendance.

Speakers included Jacob Tomlinson of Trout Unlimited and David Morrison and Eric Nevel of the Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies. PCCD DGLVR Technician Andrew Mickey and the local Quality Assurance Board presented program updates and preliminary project movement.

Adopt A Highway

This spring, the Beaver County Conservation District (BCCD) adopted a stretch of State Route 151 in Independence Township. The PA Department of Transportation runs the Adopt A Highway Program to beautify our roads. Twice a year, roadside litter is cleaned up by the organization that adopted the highway. On Earth Day, April 22, 2021, BCCD  staff and directors conducted their first clean-up! The district picked up forty bags of trash, some more oversized items, and a few tires along the roadside. These efforts will improve the look of the road. More importantly, this clean-up will prevent all that trash from ending up in Raccoon Creek or its tributaries which flow along the roadside. 

Tire Collection

The Beaver County Conservation District’s (BCCD) West Nile program conducted its first tire collection event this May. BCCD was awarded money through the DEP West Nile grant to offer mosquito habitat reduction and public outreach through the collection of tires from residents of Beaver County.

The district collected over 1,150 tires during the collection event. With the help of the grant, BCCD lowered the cost for residents by offering a discount price per tire for the first 600 tires collected. The event was a tremendous success. The 600-tire limit for the discount was met on the first day of the collection!

This year the district accepted light truck and car tires up to 20″ off rim. BCCD collaborated with a tire facility that recycles the tires. The district made information available describing the methods of recycling and products made from the recycled rubber. They distributed mosquito dunks for standing water at residents’ homes with information about West Nile Virus, mosquito habitat, and protection from mosquitoes, and offered mosquito activity books for kids. BCCD is so pleased with this year’s event and hopes to expand the event to additional tire types next year.

As the Conservation Technician for the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) in the North East Region, the incumbent will provide technical assistance to the Growing Greener program and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).

This position will: Provide technical assistance to area partnership Growing Greener personnel and the NRCS in the planning, design and construction of engineering practices; Prepare designs of agricultural conservation practices and water quality best management practices (BMPs), which are site specific and require coordination among various groups and individuals; and Provide engineering assistance in conducting preliminary investigations.

Click here for the full job description. Candidates must submit a resume and cover letter to PACD at jobs@pacd.org. All application materials must be received by 4:30 p.m. on June 11, 2021.

Since January, PACD has partnered with Water Words That Work, LLC to offer farmer focus groups and interviews across the state to learn how we can improve and gain more interest in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Join us for a presentation on the findings of the series of focus groups and interviews with Pennsylvania farmers about the CREP program on June 24, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. Register for the meeting here.

Please contact Holly Miller at hmiller@pacd.org with questions.

Financial and other support for this project is provided through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

Clarion Conservation District held a Backyard Conservation workshop on May 6, 2021. The district had to turn away folks after their maximum number of attendees was exceeded. The workshop topics included edible and pollinator rain gardens, rain barrels, and no-till gardening. The event was held outside at the conservation district office.

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.

The McKean County Conservation District board of directors, along with conservation district and McKean County Planning Commission staff, cleaned up litter along their adopted two-mile stretch of Route 6 West of Smethport. Twenty bags, plus a few larger items, were gathered. The district is part of the Adopt-A-Highway program with PennDOT and holds the litter collection every spring and fall.