Representatives from across the Commonwealth traveled to the Genetti Hotel in Williamsport for the PACD/State Conservation Commission’s 72^nd Joint Annual Conference. Several conservationists were recognized at an awards luncheon on July 17, 2019.

The 2019 PACD honorees are as follows: 

• Legislator Leadership Award: Representative Donna Oberlander (PA 63rd District)
• President’s Award: Denise Coleman, State Conservationist, Pennsylvania USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
• Ann Rudd Saxman Conservation District Director Excellence Award: Pownall Jones (Chester County)
• Conservation District Employee Excellence Award: Carl Goshorn (Cumberland County)
• Conservation District Employee Service Recognition Program Awards
  30 Years of Service
• Martie Hetherington, Chesapeake Bay Program Coordinator, Schuylkill County
• Rob Fetter, Resource Conservationist/Network Administrator, York County

 Click here to read the entire press release.

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD) in conjunction with the award sponsor, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), presented the operators of five farms with the Clean Water Farm Award during its annual conference on July 17, 2019 in Williamsport, PA. The honor is awarded annually to farmers who manage their daily farm operations in an environmentally conscious manner that helps to protect Pennsylvania’s water quality.

DEP has sponsored this award for the past thirty-three years. Recipients receive a certificate signed by the DEP Secretary and a large Clean Water Farm Award sign to erect on their property.

This year’s award recipients are:

• Snider Homestead Farm (Bedford County)
• Hard Earned Acres, Bob and Barb Keefer (Cumberland County)
• Martin Farms, Josh & Brandi Martin and Robert & Patsy Martin (Franklin County)
• Iams Farm (Washington County)
• Belview Valley Farms LLC, Eric Gemmill (York County)

Financial support for this award is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program and the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Education Office (administered by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.).

Click here for the entire press release.

PACD is partnering with the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to facilitate Chapter 102 Fall Regional Sessions. These free sessions are for conservation district and DEP staff.

Click here for directions on how to register for these sessions.

Due to limited space, please limit registrations to 3-4 staff per office.

Northwest Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 1, 2019 (deadline to register is September 20)
DEP Northwest Regional Office, Meadville, PA

Southwest Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 2, 2019 (deadline to register is September 20)
Westmoreland Conservation District, Greensburg, PA

Northcentral Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 15, 2019 (deadline to register is October 4)
DEP Northcentral Regional Office, Williamsport, PA

Northeast Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 22, 2019 (deadline to register is October 11)
Back Mountain Regional Emergency Services, Dallas, PA

Southeast Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 29, 2019 (deadline to register is October 18)
DEP Southeast Regional Office, Norristown, PA

Southcentral Chapter 102 Fall Regional Session
October 31, 2019 (deadline to register is October 21)
Dauphin County Agriculture and Natural Resources Center, Dauphin, PA

For questions related to the Clean Water Academy, contact Jay Braund at jbraund@pa.gov.

Contact Shannon Wehinger swehinger@pacd.org with questions about the fall sessions.

In June, Columbia County Conservation District held a workshop for local landowners. The workshop encouraged attendees to establish more vegetation on their properties. A second “Establishing a No Mow Zone on Your Property” workshop will be held this week. Participants will learn about the benefits of reduced mowing and the use of cover crops to prevent floods, create wildlife habitat, and promote clean water for their communities.

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.

Mini-grants were available to all 66 conservation districts to hold local Manure Management Manual and Chapter 102 Compliance seminars/work sessions and one-on-one assistance on a first-come, first-served basis. These sessions assisted farmers in understanding manure management requirements and led to the development of a complete manure management and/or agricultural erosion and sedimentation plan.

Thirty-four conservation districts completed projects. Nineteen full-day and thirty-five half-day workshops were completed.

Additional outcomes include:

Farmers reached: 1,526

Manure management plans developed: 265

Acres covered in the manure plans cover: 2,4628.70

Ag E&S plans developed: 43

Acres covered in the Ag E&S plans:  3,285.50

Click here for the program webpage.

Financial support for this project is provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection through the Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant, the Clean Water Fund and the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program (CBRAP).

Discount available for conservation district staff

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) is co-hosting a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) Review Course on September 3, 2019. The exam will be September 4, 2019. Both the review course and exam will take place at the Lebanon County Conservation District Office, 2120 Cornwall Rd., Lebanon, PA.

The CPESC certification is a professional designation for erosion and sedimentation technicians, engineers, and other specialists involved in design, construction, inspection or other aspects of erosion and sedimentation control. If you have not yet started the CPESC certification process, we recommend you go to the Envirocert International, Inc. website and review the requirements and process now.

The review course is designed to ensure CPESC applicants understand what concepts will be covered by the exam and acts as a review for most of those concepts. Note that there is special pricing for PA conservation district staff for the review course. The cost is $175 for conservation district employees and $365 for everyone else. The exam fee is $150. Before registering, contact Amy Brown at abrown@pacd.org or 717-238-7223 x104 for a district staff discount code or with any questions.

Click here for the registration link and here with instructions on how to register.

The review course is open to anyone including conservation districts, agency staff, or private companies, who is actively pursuing a CPESC certification through EnviroCert International, Inc. Please pass this information along to anyone who may be interested.

Registration is now open for the 2019 Management Summit, September 4-5, 2019, at the Wyndham Garden State College. This year’s Summit features keynote and workshop sessions on both the theory and practical applications of team leadership and maximizing your team’s performance.

 Click here for more information, program highlights, and to register.

Rooms are available at the Wyndham Garden at a rate of $109/night plus tax. Attendees can contact the hotel directly to make room reservations at 814-466-2255. Please indicate the PA Association of Conservation Districts room block (group code: PACDSEPT19). The deadline for hotel room block reservations is August 3.

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.

Please consider volunteering at the Conservation District Exhibit at the Penn State’s 2019 Ag Progress Days.

Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College, PA, and features the latest technology and research exhibits, educational programs, and guided tours.

About 60% of the 45,000 expected to attend are actively engaged in agriculture or related activities. With so many farming families from across Pennsylvania at this event, it’s a great opportunity to call attention to the work and programs districts do.

This year’s event will be held August 13-15, 2019. Volunteers are needed for the shifts listed below. Send your name and contact information to jmcnamara@pacd.org or call 717-238-7223 with questions or to schedule your shift.

Tuesday, Aug. 13:     9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (1 volunteer needed)

Tuesday, Aug. 13:     1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Wednesday, Aug. 14: 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Wednesday, Aug. 14: 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Wednesday, Aug. 14: 5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Thursday, Aug. 15:   9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (2 volunteers needed)

Thursday, Aug. 15:   1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m (1 volunteer needed)

A final volunteer schedule, parking passes, and other show information will be sent to volunteers when available. For more information on Ag Progress Days go to the event website at https://agsci.psu.edu/apd.

If you haven’t visited the conference website lately, stop by and check out the newest information. Updates include changes to the afternoon sessions on Wednesday, July 17, and a list of nearby after-dinner options within walking distance of the hotel. Haven’t registered yet? Make sure to register before the July 4 holiday. The preregistration deadline is Monday, July 8. Walk-in registrations are welcome and will be taken on a space-available basis at the conference. Click here for updated information and register today!

The 2018-19 round of Pennsylvania Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) mini-grants for conservation districts concluded in June.

Some of the outcomes include:

•      14 projects conducted
•      1,472 farmers and landowners reached
•      19 field days/walkabouts held
•      11 workshops held
•      167 one-on-one visits held
•      27 participants indicated they plan to enroll in CREP in the future

Earlier this year, PACD opened the 2019-20 round and awarded 16 mini-grants. Questions about the mini-grant program should be directed to abrown@pacd.org.