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.

The deadline to register for the PACD Executive Council Web Conference is Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The meeting will be held via Zoom on Thursday, July 23, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. to Noon. PACD members and partner agency staff are invited to participate. Registration is free and required. Click here for more information and to register.

The Lebanon County Conservation District (LCCD) scheduled a rain barrel workshop that was postponed due to the coronavirus and finally had to be held virtually. LCCD Watershed Specialist Stephanie Harmon educated participants on non-point source pollution via a PowerPoint presentation. They were introduced to the concepts of water quality, quantity, and how homeowners can help minimize non-point source (NPS) pollution in and around their own homes. Specifically, they were introduced to local sources of NPS pollution and how a rain barrel can be used as one measure to minimize NPS pollution and conserve water.

Through this grant, twenty-four rain barrels were purchased and distributed to workshop participants. Those receiving rain barrels scheduled time on June 4 or 5, 2020, to pick up their rain barrel at the Lebanon Valley Agricultural Center. Pick-ups were scheduled at 15-minute intervals to implement social distancing.

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.

Prerequisite and Application Information Available

PACD partners 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 for November 4-6, 2020, at the Pennsylvania NRCS State Office, USDA Conference Center, Harrisburg, PA.

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, non-profits, and private consultants. The training is free, and lunch will be provided.

An online prerequisite is required. Click here for instructions on the prerequisite. Email completed prerequisite certificates to Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org. Click here to apply for the course. The application deadline is September 18, 2020.

Registration is open for the Management Summit 2020 Webinar Series, scheduled on Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. from September 2 through September 30. This year’s program features a variety of 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, allowing Managers to discuss 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.

As part of their Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Project, the Beaver County Conservation District held two workshops in early March. The goal was to train local farmers in the development of manure management and agricultural erosion and sedimentation plans. Four manure management plans were completed as a result of the project.

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.