Session 3 of the Employment Law for Conservation Districts webinar series was held on August 5. Videos of all three presentations, along with a reference guide, are posted at Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development.
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.
Jackie Ritko talking about the painted turtle from the Disaster’s Edge Environmental Education Center.
The Cambria County Library Children’s Department created a video featuring staff member Jackie Ritko talking about the various animals at the district’s education center.
Click here to view the video and here to read more about the Disaster’s Edge Environmental Education Center.
Screenshot from Delaware County Conservation District’s How to Install a Sticky Trap video.
The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive species that is spreading across Pennsylvania. One control method a homeowner can easily implement is the installation of sticky traps. Karen Wilwol, Watershed Specialist for the Delaware County Conservation District, is putting these traps on several trees in county-owned parks for demonstration purposes. This video shows how one of these traps was installed at Rose Tree Park.
With the safety of our members in mind, PACD will hold the fall PACD region meetings virtually. More information will be available closer to the date. In the meantime, mark your calendar and plan to attend your fall PACD region web meeting!
PACD North West Region Web Meeting September 25, 2020 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
PACD South Central Region Web Meeting September 29, 2020 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
PACD South East Region Web Meeting October 1, 2020 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
PACD North East Region Web Meeting October 2, 2020 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
PACD South West Region Web Meeting October 5, 2020 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
PACD North Central Region Web Meeting October 22, 2020 | 10:00 a.m. to Noon
(Clockwise): Rep. Keller, Sonia Wasco, Brooke Russick, and SCC.
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
Grace Petrunak’s poster, submitted by Lehigh County Conservation District, won the 2-3 grade category in the statewide poster contest.
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
Payton Joy Duncan, Greene County Conservation District
Category: Second through Third Grades
Grace Petrunak, Lehigh County Conservation District
Category: Fourth through Sixth Grades
Andrew John Watts, Berks County Conservation District
Category: Seventh through Ninth Grades
Sarah Hartman, Carbon Conservation District
Category: Tenth through Twelfth Grades
Natalie Brown, Clinton County Conservation District
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.
