Wetlands can have major impacts on our lives, but what in the world is a wetland anyway?
In this video, the Crawford County Conservation District discusses specific wetland qualities and why they’re important to us and our ecosystems.
Click here to view the video.
Several conservationists were recognized during the PACD Executive Council meeting online on July 23, 2020.
“These individuals are shining stars among Pennsylvania’s 66 conservation districts. Today we recognize their efforts going above and beyond for clean water and healthy soil,” said Brenda Shambaugh, PACD Executive Director. “Congratulations to all these individuals and organizations on this recognition.”
The 2020 PACD honorees are as follows:
Legislator Leadership Award
Representative Mark Keller (PA 86th District)
The Perry County Conservation District nominated representative Mark Keller. He is currently in his eighth and last term representing the 86th Legislative District in Perry and Cumberland counties. He serves as chairman of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.
President’s Award
Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission
The Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission (SCC) provides financial and other support for the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program. Starting in 2018, the SCC provided funding to hire a full-time program coordinator. This position allows consistent and regular training for conservation district directors, associate directors, and staff.
Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director Excellence Award
Sonia Wasco (Lancaster County)
Sonia Wasco has been connected to and supported the Lancaster County Conservation District (LCCD) for more than 40 years. Sonia is currently serving as a director on the LCCD board of directors for 12 years after serving as an Associate Director for ten years. She is also an active member of the PACD Executive Board, serving as treasurer. Sonia’s most unique and priceless volunteer work benefitting generations of students is her passion for serving as the co-director of the Lancaster County Youth Conservation School.
Conservation District Employee Excellence Award
Brooke Russick (Indiana County)
Brooke has worked for the Indiana County Conservation District for five years. She started as a watershed specialist, then moved to the Dirt, Gravel, and Low Volume Road Program specialist position. Through this position, Brooke built relationships with nearly every municipality in the county. These relationships allow the district to receive $1.5 million in requests for program funding each year. Brooke goes above and beyond to maintain the highest level of quality for the projects.
Conservation District Employee Service Recognition Program Awards
30 Years of Service
• Susan Gallagher, Chief Naturalist, Carbon County
• David Stoner, District Manager, Franklin County
• JoAnn McCready, District Manager, Lawrence County
• Patrick McKinney, Environmental Education Coordinator, Schuylkill County
•Keith Largent, E&S Technician, Somerset County
• Sylvia Thompson, Fiscal Coordinator/Bookkeeper II, Wayne County
35 Years of Service
• Donna Fisher, District Manager, Blair County
• Robert Sweitzer, District Manager (retired), Centre County
• Roger Spotts, Head Naturalist, Monroe County
• Mark Kimmel, District Manager, York County
Click here to read the entire press release.
PACD is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 “Where Would We BEE without Pollinators” statewide poster contest.
To promote the importance of pollinators, students from kindergarten through 12th grade entered posters conveying their thoughts and ideas through original artwork.
The winners and the county conservation districts that submitted the posters are:
Category: Kindergarten through First Grade
Category: Second through Third Grades
Category: Fourth through Sixth Grades
Category: Seventh through Ninth Grades
Category: Tenth through Twelfth Grades
Each state-level winner will be submitted for judging in the upcoming national competition this winter. The National Association of Conservation Districts sponsors the national contest. Visit https://www.nacdnet.org/general-resources/stewardship-and-education-materials/contests for more information.
Click here for the press release and here to view photos of the posters.
On Thursday, July 23, 2020, PACD held it’s first virtual Executive Council Meeting. There were over 92 participants. During the meeting, the following business took place:
– A new policy was adopted: PACD encourages the PA Department of Agriculture and related agencies to develop a delegated agreement with conservation districts to provide funding and authority to battle invasive species.
– A bylaws change to move Armstrong Conservation District from the PACD South West Region to the PACD North West Region received preliminary approval. The final review will take place at the next PACD Executive Council meeting.
– The following slate of officers was re-elected: President – Mike Price, Beaver County Conservation District; 1st Vice President, Kelly Stagen, Pike County Conservation District; 2nd Vice President, Dennis Beck, Cambria County Conservation District; Secretary, Charles Duritsa, Westmoreland Conservation District; Treasurer, Sonia Wasco, Lancaster County Conservation District; NACD Director, Clifford Lane, McKean County Conservation District.
– The budget for the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 was approved with no dues increase.
During the meeting, PACD award recipients and PA Poster Contest Winners were announced, and board and partner reports were given.
During the PACD Education & Outreach Committee meeting on July 13, 2020, the committee discussed the continuing need to create educational content that can be accessed virtually. As a result, PACD Software Specialist Nick Yeagy will host a webinar for conservation districts on creating educational videos. Nick’s full-time job is to create instructional videos for the Clean Water Academy. During the webinar, Nick will share his knowledge and experience to help districts create a video, including providing suggestions for hardware and software and sharing general tips for producing higher quality videos.
The Zoom webinar will take place using Zoom Friday, July 31, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. and is open to all PA conservation district staff, directors, and associate directors. Please send any topics you would like covered or questions you would like answered to Nick at nyeagy@pacd.org by July 28, 2020. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions during the Zoom session.
Please RSVP to Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org by July 30 to receive the information to access the webinar.
Thank you to the PA Department of Environmental Protection for supporting PACD in this educational endeavor.
The NACD Stewardship and Education Committee is excited to announce the release of the 2021 Poster Contest and Stewardship Week theme: “Healthy Forests = Healthy Communities.”
Trees and forests are critical in providing clean air and water, healthy soil, abundant wildlife habitat, and valuable resources we use every day. Rules, entry forms, and other resources for the 2021 NACD Poster Contest will be available for download later this summer.
The 66th Annual Stewardship Week will take place April 25-May 2, 2021. For more information, visit the NACD Stewardship Program webpage.
Lancaster County Conservation District’s Spotted Lanternfly Technician Amanda Goldsmith has created a how-to video. In the video Amanda shares instructions on how to set up sticky tape tree bands to control and monitor spotted lanternfly. She uses two bycatch prevention best management practices including 2-3-inch-wide strips and chicken wire around the tape. These combine to reduce wildlife, such as endangered bats and birds, getting stuck on the tape while catching just as many spotted lanternflies.
Click here to view the tree banding video.
Columbia County Conservation District is launching a brand-new program to promote sustainable backyard practices. The “Better Backyards” Certificate program is open to all Columbia County residential, business, school, and municipal lands.
This program aims to provide habitat for the county’s native flora and fauna, improve water quality and soil health, manage stormwater and erosion, reduce pollutants, and mitigate the effects of climate change.
The district is holding a webinar to launch the program on Friday, July 17, 2020, from Noon-1:00 p.m. Please register in advance for this webinar at: https://columbiaccd.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=20fd2bb3ba37aee106cc475c2&id=a51ea7ec8f&e=12ce2eb304
For more info about the “Better Backyards” Certificate Program go to www.columbiaccd.org/betterbackyards.
This project was funded by PACD’s Multifunctional Riparian Buffer Sub-grant for Conservation Districts program
Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) recently planted a multifunctional riparian buffer along Tulpehocken Creek in conjunction with a stream stabilization project. The buffer included 520 live stakes, 208 shrubs, and 82 trees planted over approximately 1.1 acres. All trees and shrubs outside of the immediate floodway (regular high-water mark) were installed with tree tubes and wood stakes. Trees in the floodway did not receive shelters due to flooding and debris concerns.
BCCD created before and after videos as part of the project and are working on developing a video presentation for the entire project.
Video Link Before Planting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjekAwceK8A
Video Link After Planting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58l0iK1OvNI
Pennsylvania’s conservation districts are encouraged to apply for funding to install multifunctional buffers in conjunction with landowners. Click here https://pacd.org/?page_id=17536 or email Amy Brown at abrown@pacd.org for more information.
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.
Registration is open for the Management Summit 2020 Webinar Series, scheduled for Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. from September 2 through September 30. This year’s program features topics including Managing Remote Teams, Negotiation Skills, and Volunteer Engagement, as well as a follow-up session from the Summer Employment Law webinar series. The Summit Series program will be bookended by the Manager Forum meetings on Wednesday August 26 and October 7, giving Managers an opportunity for roundtable discussion on the topics of resilient leadership and team cohesion in times of uncertainty.
Agenda and registration for the Summit Series can be found at the Building for Tomorrow website.
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.