Earlier this month, the Building for Tomorrow Program, which provides leadership development training and resources to Pennsylvania’s conservation districts, announced the launch of its newly redesigned website at https://www.paleadership.org.

The new training modules page features an easy-to-navigate interface and a quiz function that allows users to save their progress. It’s an excellent tool for conservation district managers to use to onboard new staff and orient newly-appointed directors.

All conservation district personnel are encouraged to visit the new site and provide feedback and suggestions on content that can be added to support leadership development initiatives.

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.

Over 80 attendees, including 66 watershed specialists, participated in the 19th Annual Conservation District Watershed Specialist Meeting at Toftrees Golf Resort and Conference Center in State College, PA, October 2-4, 2019.

Sessions included new tools for planting riparian buffers, grants and resources, and updates on Growing Greener. Thursday morning there was a concurrent track for new watershed specialists. The last day was reserved for a watershed restoration and riparian buffer tour. The tour was hosted by the ClearWater Conservancy and the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center with help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Wildlife Program, the Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited, landowners Stan and Dar Smith, and Native Creations.

Each year, the watershed specialists hold a photo contest. This year, there were over 40 entries (the highest ever)!

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.

On September 30, 2019, PACD Conservation Engineer Danielle Kalp, PE, moved from the Somerset office to the Clarion office. Her new phone number is 814-297-5261.

Danielle joins Conservation Technician Randi Tyler in Clarion.

Click here for more information on the Engineering Assistance Program. 

On September 26, 2019, PACD Software Specialist Nick Yeagy traveled to Cumberland County for the celebration of 20,000 acres of preserved farmland.

He joined Cumberland County officials and farmland preservation staff for a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the county’s participation in Pennsylvania’s state farmland preservation program, held at Paulus Farm Market in Mechanicsburg. The Paulus family has preserved 219 acres of farmland, which grows much of the produce sold at their market, since the establishment of the county program in 1989.

Click here to read the entire press release. 

On Monday, September 23, 2019, the Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) hosted the annual “A Bite of Berks Scholarship Fundraiser.”

Here are a few of the highlights from the evening:

• Deputy Greg Hostetter joined the event and said a few words.
• The district awarded $20,500 in scholarships; partners gave an additional $2,500 in scholarships; there was a special award for the Berks Science Fair winner.
• Several award recipients were recognized, including Farmer of the Year, Conservation Individual of the Year, and others.
• After the scholarship and awards portion of the evening was complete, guests enjoyed food samples made by local restaurants, caterers, bakeries, food trucks, and others who used an ingredient that was grown or produced in Berks County. Guests tasted and then voted for their favorite. Awards were given to the top 3 in each of 4 categories.
• There was a Silent Auction with proceeds benefiting the BCCD Scholarship fund.
• Dave Kline’s Mountain folk Trio provided music.

Click here view the winners. Click here to read about the scholarship winners. 

The Building for Tomorrow Program, which provides leadership development training and resources to Pennsylvania’s Conservation Districts, is happy to announce the launch of its newly redesigned website at https://www.paleadership.org. 

The new site features: 

• a bright, modern design optimized for handheld and tablet devices
• an event portal and calendar that includes event registration, agendas, and other information, as well as session materials and handouts for Building for Tomorrow events
• a streamlined interface for self-directed learning modules with quiz functionality allowing users to save their progress – perfect for new Director orientation and on-boarding of new staff
• a blog to promote Building for Tomorrow programs, events, and other news and announcements 

All Conservation District personnel are encouraged to visit the new site and provide feedback and suggestions on content that can be added to support leadership development initiatives.

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.

Submitted by Kristie Smith, Watershed Specialist, Perry County Conservation District

Thank you to the Loysville Community Club and Tyrone Township for hosting this year’s Keep Perry County Beautiful Tire War. We are pleased to announce that Perry County residents successfully dropped off 702 tires that were removed from the landscape that are destined for proper recycling through Mahantango Enterprises of Liverpool, Perry County. (The breakdown: 670 car tires, 20 large truck tires, and 12 tractor tires).

Many thanks to our group of dedicated volunteers who used a lot of muscle to throw all of those tires up into the truck! Thank you to everyone who participated, together we are keeping Perry County a beautiful place to live & work! Since 2009, the Tire War program in Perry County has recycled over 11,000 tires!

The Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership is a collaborative effort of national, regional, state and local agencies, conservation organizations, outdoors enthusiasts, businesses, and citizens committed to improving Pennsylvania’s communities, economy, and ecology by planting 10 million trees throughout the Commonwealth.

PACD Program Manager Amy Brown and Software Specialist Nick Yeagy joined the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and other Keystone 10 Million Tree Partners on Thursday, September 19, 2019. The group met at the Raub Farm in Duncannon to plant 50 trees and shrubs next to a pasture.

On September 20, PACD’s 5-person team traveled to York County for the 12^th annual Sporting Clays Fundraiser benefitting the York County Envirothon. The event included teams with staff from the Cumberland and Lancaster County Conservation Districts, PACD, and the PA Department of Environmental Protection.

The event had a record of 103 shooters participate. Congratulations to York County Conservation District for a successful, well-organized event!

PACD Program Manager Amy Brown recently joined Pennsylvania farmers, members of the PA No-Till Alliance, staff from Clinton County Conservation District, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) on a trip to Port Isobel Island. The group of 27 spent the weekend on the Bay. CBF hosted the weekend so farmers can appreciate the Bay and share thoughts with local watermen about the similarities of their heritages and livelihoods.