PACD Front Page e-Newsletter

Front Page e-Newsletter

January 3, 2022

$60,000 Available for 2022-23 Nonpoint Source Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grant Program for Conservation Districts

Thanks to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection continuing to support conservation district educational projects, PACD is ready to open a new round of Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Prevention Educational Mini-grants!

Grants up to $2,000 are awarded to conservation districts for adult educational projects that offer strategies for reducing and preventing NPS Pollution. Projects should stimulate a local awareness of water quality issues, promote the theme “We All Live Downstream,” and encourage citizen participation in activities to improve water quality in local watersheds.

The deadline for NPS mini-grant applications is January 28, 2022. Click here for the online application and more information. Questions should be directed to Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

Financial and other support for the NPS Mini-grant Program 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.

Agricultural Conservation Technical “Boot Camp” Training – Basic Level Application Period Opens

The application period is open for the Agricultural Conservation Technical Training “Boot Camp”- Basic Level.

The training will be held April 4-8, 2022, at the Keystone Conference Center, Ft. Indiantown Gap, Annville, PA (Lebanon County).

Click here to apply. The deadline to apply is January 28, 2022.

Questions? Contact Shannon Wehinger at swehinger@pacd.org.

These training opportunities are made possible by the following sponsors: Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Conservation Commission, and the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc.

Meet Jake Kennedy - PACD Conservation Technician in the Clarion Office

PACD recently hired Jake Kennedy as a Conservation Technician in the Clarion, PA office. He recently graduated from Waynesburg University with a degree in environmental science. He was previously the AmeriCorps Member at the Armstrong Conservation District. Jake grew up on his family farm in Butler County with two sisters, where he was an active member of 4-H. Jake resides in Kittanning with his girlfriend and their pet Red-Foot Tortoise, Sheldon.

Jake can be reached at jkennedy@pacd.org.

Free Communication Webinar Series for Conservation Districts

PACD scheduled three free communication webinar series for conservation districts. Presented by Water Words That Work, LLC, these environmental communication trainings will begin in January and end in March 2022. Each topic has three parts, so plan to attend all three dates for your chosen topics.

How do we get more participation in our programs? How can we effectively reach our target audiences and the general public? What are the most cost-effective means to get the word out about our programs? Find out answers to these questions and more during these webinars.

Each webinar series consists of three sessions. Please mark your calendar for all three dates, so you don't miss part 1, part 2, or part 3. Each session builds on the previous one, so don't miss out!

Water Words That Work

January 18, 20, 25, 2022

1-3 pm

More Than a Message

February 8, 10, 15, 2022

1-3 pm

Perfect Outreach Projects

February 22, 24, and March 1, 2022

1-3 pm

Click here for the event flyer, which includes course descriptions.

The webinars are free, but registration is required. Click on the links above to register. Space is limited to 100 participants for each topic. Please plan to attend all three parts of the topic you choose. Please register each person participating from your office separately.

Financial and other support for this program 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.

Two Days of Learning and Networking, Two Ways to Participate: Register Now for the 2022 Hybrid Staff Conference

Registration is open for the 2022 Hybrid Staff Conference, featuring in-person and virtual attendance options on February 16 & 17. The Day 1 Conference program includes keynotes on dealing with difficult people and situations and learning from and overcoming stress before shifting gears to recognize excellence in video production with the 2nd Annual Conservation District Video Awards. Day 2 includes a keynote on public perceptions of conservation work and breakouts on working with rural landowners, cybersecurity, grant management, and district outreach. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

Reminder for all district directors, associate directors, and managers – register now for the 2022 Director workshop series on Staff Retention, the Employee Life Cycle, and post-Covid policies. Workshops are scheduled in-person for February 24 at Westmoreland Conservation District, March 3 at Clinton County Conservation District, and March 9 at Harrisburg's Best Western Premier Central. A virtual option is also available on March 9. Visit Building for Tomorrow for more information and to register.

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.

Westmoreland Hosts Annual Partner and Legislator Breakfast

On December 8, the Westmoreland Conservation District hosted its annual partner breakfast to thank and acknowledge the people and organizations who helped us complete conservation projects this year. Nearly 60 people attended the event at the District's office, which is an 1880s-era barn that was decorated for the holiday season. Among the guests were three county commissioners and eight state legislators or their staff members.

The partner breakfast allowed District staff and board members to discuss with our elected leaders how valuable conservation districts are to county residents. We also requested an increase in the transfer to the conservation district fund in the PA DEP and PA Department of Agriculture lines by 20% in the state budget. As a result, Senator Kim Ward's office will arrange a meeting next year in Harrisburg to talk with PACD and representatives of various districts about the details of their budget needs.

Photo caption: District directors and state and county elected officials and their representatives talk at the breakfast. Photo provided by Westmoreland Conservation District.

Pennsylvania’s 2020 Chesapeake Bay Progress Report is Released

Through extensive work under the Wolf Administration, Pennsylvania is at an unprecedented turning point in improving its share of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. A key sign: Despite significant challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many community leaders, farmers and other landowners, and sector partners persevered together and independently to improve local water quality by reducing nutrient and sediment pollution. All 34 counties that were asked to develop and implement Countywide Action Plans (CAPs) have signed on to a level of commitment whose significance is impossible to overstate.

Farmers also stepped up to meet their commitment to reducing nutrient and sediment loads. Many developed and implemented conservation plans or joined the ranks of those using fertilizers more efficiently, planting cover crops, or using no-till technology. In doing so, they joined the wastewater treatment sector in reaching record levels of nitrogen and phosphorus reductions. Increasingly, farmers recognize that soil, nitrogen, and phosphorus washing into streams is a symptom of a farm operating at less than peak efficiency. For many, the pandemic underscored the importance of ensuring their farms' future viability, which requires stewardship of soil and water today.

Last year, other landowners took steps to plant trees on streambanks and replace turf with meadow, responding to a major outreach effort and offer of financial support and expert help from the commonwealth—one of many new approaches to support local and sector water quality improvement efforts. In a year when an undertaking of this scale easily could have derailed, the center held. Pennsylvanians are forging ahead to accelerate a transformation in our share of the watershed. Check out more about Pennsylvania, and its county partners' progress in the 2020 Healthy Waters, Healthy Communities: Chesapeake Bay Progress Report.