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Front Page
April 27, 2026
| | Brown and Thompson Visit State Senators | |
Lancaster County Conservation District Manager Chris Thompson and PACD Executive Director Amy Brown recently joined MeeCee Baker and Derek Snyder of Versant Strategies at the Capitol in Harrisburg. The group met with Senator Judy Schwank and Senator Scott Martin to thank them for their continued support. They also spoke about the increase in the line items in the state budget for conservation districts.
Photo caption: (left photo, left to right) Amy Brown, Senator Judy Schwank, and Chris Thompson. (right photo) Chris Thompson, Amy Brown, Senator Scott Martin, MeeCee Baker, and Derek Snyder.
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Conservation Districts Promoted at PSATS Conference | |
Nearly 4,000 township officials and guests from across Pennsylvania gathered for the annual Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) Conference and Trade Show, held April 19-21, 2026. As in previous years, conservation districts were represented with an informational booth at the event.
A special thank you goes out to the dedicated volunteers who helped staff the booth:
- Dean Druckenmiller, Berks County Conservation District
- Jason Fillhart, Washington County Conservation District
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Barb Peace, Indiana County Conservation District and PACD 1st Vice President
Your time and support make participation in events like this possible—thank you for representing conservation districts!
Photo caption: Photo of Berks County Conservation District’s District Executive Dean Druckenmiller at PSATS. Photo taken by Shannon Wehinger.
| | Brown Attends Earth Day Event | |
On April 22, 2026, PACD Executive Director Amy Brown attended the Goodwill Keystone’s Earth Day Celebration in Middletown, PA. Local students (grades 8-10) attended the event along with community partners and elected officials. The event included hands-on activities, interactive learning opportunities, and exclusive behind-the-scenes tours that showcase the environmental impact of Goodwill Keystone.
At the conservation district booth, students played an interactive stormwater Plinko game and learned about conservation districts.
Photo caption: Top right: PA Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley speaks at the event. Photo taken by Amy Brown.
| | Upcoming Webinar on Watershed Restoration | |
Clean Water Academy is hosting an upcoming lunch and learn webinar on May 14, 2026, from Noon-1:00 p.m. Our speaker is Lamonte Garber, Watershed Restoration Coordinator with the Stroud Water Research Center. Lamonte will be covering the topic of Landowner Outreach: Communicating the Value of Riparian Buffer Installation.
The upcoming webinar will provide an overview of effective strategies for engaging landowners in conversations about riparian buffer installation. Drawing from recent field experience, it highlights practical approaches for communicating the value of buffers, addressing common concerns, and building trust with landowners.
Registration is free but required. Please use this link to register.
| | Regional Director Trainings Support Board Awareness and Development | |
The 2026 series of regional “Back to Basics” Director Orientation trainings wrapped up last week with a workshop hosted by Berks County Conservation District on April 23. Training content was developed from the newly revised 2026 Director Handbook and featured an overview that included district history, law, governance, and board development. A total of 59 district staff, directors, associate directors, county commissioners, and partner staff participated in the training sessions.
Thank you again to Clinton, Westmoreland, Monroe, Forest, and Berks Conservation Districts for hosting, and to everyone who attended. The regional training series was part of the 2026 Board Development Initiative, which also includes a monthly short-video series and the release of the updated 2026 Director Handbook, which is currently being distributed to district offices.
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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.
| | Learn the Basics of Common Agricultural Equipment at Penn State Extension Workshop | |
Penn State Extension will hold an Equipment Demo workshop from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on June 30, 2026, at Penn State’s Agronomy Research Farm, located at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center, Gate D, 1794 West Pine Grove Road, Pennsylvania Furnace.
Anyone interested in becoming familiar with, or updating their knowledge of, agricultural machinery can get the latest information on the most commonly used farm equipment by attending the workshop. Registrants also can earn certified crop advisor, nutrient management, manure hauler/broker, and pesticide applicator credits, pending approval.
Space is limited and preregistration is required. Registration costs $35 with a deadline of June 25.
More information is available on the Penn State Extension website at https://extension.psu.edu/equipment-demo.
Photo caption: Photo by Jesse Bussard, Marketing Coordinator for the Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training with Penn State Extension.
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PACD will randomly spotlight one social media post from a conservation district each week. Don’t forget to share or tag other districts to share good news or something others could learn about.
This week’s feature is the Susquehanna County Conservation District’s Facebook post on turtles. Follow the district at https://www.facebook.com/SusqConDistrict/.
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