On Saturday, September 6, 2025, the Lehigh County Conservation District partnered with the Lehigh Valley Zoo to raise awareness about the damage invasive plants can do to our landscape and ecosystem.

Participants in this unique new event met on The Trexler Game Preserve with a two-fold mission. First, learn all about invasive Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), then collect berries and foliage. After discussing identification, look-alikes, and native berry producers, the group paraded back to the Zoo grounds with harvest in tow to make a tasty jam and provide enrichment to resident megafauna!

Although E. umbellata is not preferred browse for PA native whitetail and elk, its thorny branches are similar enough to the Masai giraffe’s beloved Acacia foliage to be thoroughly enjoyed! With each jar of jam, participants brought home the knowledge to prevent thousands of new autumn olive seedlings from taking root in our public lands each year.

 

On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, the Columbia County Conservation District held its 8th annual Water Education Day at Briar Creek Lake Park in Berwick. About 190 eighth-grade students from two different school districts in Columbia County attended the event. The students rotated through six stations where they learned about various aspects of our water sources, water quality, and aquatic ecosystems. The six stations—Water Quality, Streams, Groundwater, Music and Discovery, Art and Poetry, and Fish Ecology—are all led by volunteers.

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

PACD Executive Director Amy Brown spoke at the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s Citizens Advisory Council on September 9, 2025.

Amy spoke about PACD programs, training, and sub-grants for conservation districts and emphasized the importance of conservation district work. She also explained the vital role of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation Technical Assistance program, whose funding may be in jeopardy at the federal level.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced that it has awarded $196,832 in grant funding through its R3 Education Grant Program. 

Through this program, the PFBC will support 16 education projects in 10 counties to promote new and renewed interest in fishing and boating in Pennsylvania through the recruitment of new participants, retention of existing participants, and reactivation of former participants – collectively known as “R3.”

The Mercer County Conservation District received a grant for a “Fishing Skills Workshop Series.”

The next round of grants is expected to open for applications on September 15, 2025. 

Click here to read the entire press release. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has awarded $5,222,250 for the environmental restoration of seven abandoned mine lands (AML) projects as part of the Abandoned Mine Lands and Acid Mine Drainage Grant Program.

The Elk County Conservation District was awarded $437,761 for the continued operation and maintenance of two lime silos located in Winslow Hill, Saint Mary’s City.

Click here to read the press release. 

On September 3, the PA Association of Conservation Districts Executive Board announced Amy Brown’s promotion to Executive Director. Amy was previously the Director of Operations and Acting Executive Director.

Brown has served as Acting Executive Director since March 2025, guiding the Association during a period of transition. In her new role, she will oversee statewide programs, advocate for conservation districts, and focus on partnerships that enhance conservation district initiatives.

Amy came to the Association in 2018 as the Program Manager and previously worked as an Agricultural Technician at the Luzerne Conservation District.

Including an extensive farming background, Amy’s family owns TLV Tree Farm in Glenelg, MD.

On August 26, 2025, PACD hosted a strategic planning retreat at its Harrisburg office. Twenty participants, including staff, board, and managers, created a framework of priorities, an updated mission, and a vision for the Association for the next five years. Stay tuned for more outcomes from the retreat.

Strategy Solutions facilitated the PACD’s 2025-30 Strategic Planning session.  

Registration is open for Riparian Buffer Bootcamp! PACD has partnered with the Alliance for the Chesapeake to offer a hands-on riparian buffer learning experience for conservation district staff at JS Farm in McClure (Snyder County), PA, on September 23, 2025.

Registration is free and required. Space is limited to 25 participants. Lunch and snacks will be provided.

Please click here to register today! 

This training is financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Environmental Stewardship fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

PACD is offering two sessions of the Level 1 Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) training for conservation districts. Staff DO NOT need to be located in the Chesapeake Bay to take the training. The training is a baseline credential in design, installation, and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, with emphasis on how to properly maintain stormwater best management practices.

The training is two days – one day of classroom and one day of field learning.

The sessions are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following dates/locations:

• October 30-31, 2025, in Berwick, PA
• December 9-10 (snow date December 11) in Indiana, PA

Registration is a two-step process:

• The first step is to fill out the online application here. 
• The second step is to select your training date here. 

Space is limited to 30 participants per session. The sessions are for conservation district staff only and are free of charge. Pre-class assignments and logistical details will come from Katie@cblpro.org as we get closer to the start date. There is a written exam that participants must pass to become certified. Continuing education credits are available from many organizations. The complete list is at cblpro.org.

Thank you to the PA Department of Environmental Protection, Indiana County Conservation District, and Native Creations for coming together to host this opportunity for district staff to become credentialed.

Questions? Contact melissa@cblpro.org.

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 Board Development Video Series provides information and review on governance, compliance, and programmatic topics. These short-format videos are intended for viewing and follow-up discussion at your district board meetings.

In the September installment, we review the Pennsylvania Public Official & Employee Ethics Act and how it applies to Conservation Districts. Click here to watch the video.

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.