If you haven’t done it already, this is the week to register for the Winter Meeting and make your overnight reservation. Take advantage of the Early Bird discount and reduced hotel room rate before they expire this Friday, December 20. Make your arrangements before the holiday and rest easy in the new year! Click here for hotel information and to register.

The 2020 Regional Director Training Workshop theme is “Back to Basics.” The half-day workshops are perfect for new and recently appointed directors, but all board members can benefit from this refresher course on effective leadership and primary roles and responsibilities. The program will review all conservation district board functions and activities, including legal, governance, and fiduciary responsibilities, as well as information on partner programs and guidance on board efficiency, understanding mission and outcomes, and important director support roles. 

Debra Thompson, President of Erie-based Strategy Solutions, Inc., will lead the workshop sessions, assisted by staff from the State Conservation Commission and DEP. Along with an extensive background of training and consulting in the areas of organizational development, strategic planning, and community leadership, Debra’s experience with conservation districts as a trainer through the Building for Tomorrow Leadership Development Program will provide workshop attendees with valuable insights on effective board leadership. 

Workshops are scheduled for 9:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m. and will include lunch for all attendees. All conservation district directors and associate directors are encouraged to attend, and district managers are welcome to participate with their board members at these sessions.

Click on the links below to register:

Wednesday, February 26, at Clinton County Conservation District
Thursday, February 27, at Monroe County Conservation District
Wednesday, March 4, at Erie County Conservation District
Thursday, March 5, at Westmoreland Conservation District
Tuesday, March 10, at Berks County Conservation District – Cancelled
Wednesday, March 11, at Cumberland County Conservation District

Registration info and the workshop agenda can also be found at the Building for Tomorrow website. The registration deadline is one week prior to the workshop date.

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 the work PACD performs for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Outreach Program Office, staff recently added a Spanish translation option to the www.creppa.org website. Users can view the website in Spanish by clicking on the Mexican flag in the upper right corner of the website. The PDF files linked on the site are currently only available in English, but the USDA Farm Service Agency is working on providing Spanish translated versions.

With this update, more farmers will be able to access information on the CREP program.

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

Registration is open for the 2020 Building for Tomorrow Staff Conference, scheduled for February 12 & 13 at the Wyndham Garden State College. The conference is open to all non-management conservation district staff.

In addition to keynote sessions on Productive Conflict & Emotional Intelligence and Getting Things Done through Time Management, the 2020 Conference will include breakout and workshop sessions suitable for a variety of conservation district staff roles. Attendees will have opportunities to learn about:

• Strategy and tactics for effective conservation messaging that reaches “beyond the choir”
• The importance of paradigm shift around multifunctional and conventional riparian buffers
• Best practices and compliance for records retention and management
• Prevailing wage issues for conservation district projects
• Environmental education resources, initiatives, and opportunities for conservation districts
• Project management fundamentals proven to help deliver on time and within budget
• Showcasing district-developed content within DEP’s Clean Water Academy

Click here for more information and to register. The deadline for room block reservations is January 10, 2020.

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 Berks County Conservation District (BCCD) was awarded a $2,500 grant through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Outreach Program Office (administered by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts).

The grant funds were used to hold a community tree planting event on November 9, 2019. At the event, 20 volunteers helped to plant 130 trees on 0.6 acres. As part of the event, BCCD staff provided education on how to plant a forested riparian buffer, the environmental benefits, financial programs available, and required maintenance for the buffers to succeed.

Financial and other support for the CREP Outreach Program Office Mini-grant Program is provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. through a Growing Greener Watershed Protection grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and with additional support from USDA-NRCS.

Click here to read the entire article.

Registration is open for the 2020 Building for Tomorrow Staff Conference, scheduled for February 12–13 at the Wyndham Garden State College. The conference is open to all non-management conservation district staff.

Productive Conflict & Emotional Intelligence will be the focus of the Day 1 Keynote session. Understanding what emotional intelligence is and why it’s important to develop is crucial in maintaining good relationships with your team and dealing effectively with difficult people. The presentation will introduce four attributes of emotional intelligence and a quadrant model. Participants will explore scenarios for utilizing each attribute and take a self-scored inventory to identify and better understand their individual and team behavior styles.

This session will be presented by Janet McNally, D.Ed. SPHR, of Camp Hill-based Team Development Services. Janet brings over 25 years of experience in human resources and organization development consulting and is an instructor for management and leadership courses at Penn State York.

The Day 2 Keynote session, Getting Things Done through Time Management, will provide an informative and entertaining take on navigating the productivity and time management challenges everyone faces in their daily lives. Participants will discover the secrets of effective time management and learn why it has nothing to do with cramming more into your day and to-do list. The presentation will cover powerful tools for time management that will help change your thinking about time, develop daily discipline for how you spend it, maximize your impact at work, build the foundations for professional success, and improve your peace of mind.

This session will be presented by Cindy Aronson of Cindy Aronson Workplace Training, based in Bemus Point, NY. With over 25 years of experience in the field of organizational development, Cindy has been a training partner with a variety of businesses and organizations and thousands of talented professionals in the fields of education, healthcare, human services, manufacturing, finance, entertainment, government, utilities, and not-for-profits.

Click here for more information and to register. The deadline for room block reservations is January 10, 2020.

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.

In August, the Pike County Conservation District refurbished a bioswale on the district’s property as part of their Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Project. The bioswale filters and slows down the movement of stormwater runoff. (What is the difference between the bioswale and a rain garden? Click here to find out.)

An educational sign was installed to teach the public how the bioswale functions and the positive effect this type of installment can have on local water resources. The district plans to use the site as a demonstration area for future educational programs.

The sign is available on the Educational Events Sample Materials page on the PACD website. Click here to view the sample materials from previously funded mini-grant projects. Districts are encouraged to use these materials for their own activities rather than starting from scratch.

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.

PACD will again be partnering with USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to host a conservation district booth at the 2020 PA Farm Show. 

We need volunteers to staff the booth for the following days and times:

Saturday, January 4–8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 5–12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday, January 6–8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 7–8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 8–8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 9    ALL SLOTS FILLED
Friday, January 10–8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 11–8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.   

Please let us know as soon as possible if you would like to fill one of these shifts by contacting Jann McNamara at jmcnamara@pacd.org with your contact information and the shift you’d like to fill.

On November 20, 2019, representatives from the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD) met with the PA House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. The majority committee chair is Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter) and the minority committee chair is Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski (D-Luzerne). The informational meeting discussed the operations and activities of the county conservation districts.

Presenters included PACD Executive Director Brenda Shambaugh who explained why conservation districts were created. Lancaster County Conservation District Manager Christopher Thompson spoke about interaction between conservation districts and the agricultural community. Blair County Conservation District Manager Donna Fisher spoke about stormwater concerns. McKean County Conservation District Manager Sandy Thompson gave an overview of the Dirt and Gravel/Low Volume Road Program in PA.

Click here to read the press release.