News & Notes December 2005

New Region Directors Elected

PACD members elected seven PACD Region Directors at the fall region meetings. Five Region Directors were re-elected and two new Region Directors, Phyllis Hoople and John Torok, were elected.

North West
Phyllis Hoople, Crawford CD
Phyllis received a B.A. degree in English from Thiel College in Greenville, PA. Phyllis has been involved with conservation districts for 18 years. She was the first region director in the North West region and previously served on the PACD Executive Board as Secretary. She currently works at Allegheny College as an administrative assistant in the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs. Additionally, Phyllis serves as chair of Crawford County Conservation District, member of the PACD Operations Committee, and the new North West Region Director.
North Central
John Torok, Potter CD
John has been a director at the Potter County Conservation District and a County Commissioner for 6 years. Before he became a County Commissioner, he was a dairy farmer. John owns a 1,000 acre farm and raises grain and hay on part of his land and rents the rest. Groups of college students have visited his farm for its unique feature of being on the eastern continental divide. John is the new North Central Region Director and the Commissioner Director at the District. He is also a member of PACD's Legislative Committee.
These five region directors were reelected for another term.
South West
William Slosky, Washington CD
Central
Robert Ritchey, Cambria CD
South Central
Donald Bashore, Juniata CD
North East
Robert Robinson, Wyoming CD
South East
Harold Kulp, Chester CD

PACD Executive Board Appoints New PACD Committee Members

On November 1, the PACD Executive Board appointed members from nominations submitted by the seven PACD regions. The following Directors, Associate Directors, and Staff were appointed to the new PACD Committees:

Conservation
Chair: Robert Ritchey, Cambria CD
Director and Associate Director Members:
Don Bashore, Director, Juniata CD
Gerald Breininger, Director, Lehigh CD
Carol Harrell, Director, Crawford CD
George Hildenbrandt, Director, Centre CD
Clyde Hunt, Associate Director, Delaware CD
Jim Luce, Associate Director, Wyoming CD
William Slosky, Director, Washington CD
Conservation District Staff Members:
Ed Magargee, District Manager, Delaware CD
Robert Piper Jr., District Manager, Cambria CD
Anthony Quadro, Assistant District Manager, Westmoreland CD
Jim Resh, District Manager, Indiana CD
Marc Rickard, District Manager, Venango CD
Sandy Thompson, District Manager, Potter CD
Craig Todd, District Manager, Monroe CD

District Employees
Chair: Don McNutt, Lancaster CD
Director and Associate Director Members:
Donald Bowser, Director, Fayette CD
Clair Dumm, Director, Cambria CD
Larry Kehl, Director, Berks CD
Wayne Sweitzer, Director, York CD
Conservation District Staff Members:
Edward Feigel, District Manager, Allegheny CD
Dan Greig, District Manager, Chester CD
Gregory Phillips, District Manager, Westmoreland CD
Lynn Sandieson, District Manager, Crawford CD
Robert Sweitzer, District Manager, Centre CD
Ernest Tarner, District Manager, Franklin CD
Deborah Wilson, District Manager, Jefferson CD

Education and Outreach
Chair: Heather Knupsky, Fayette CD
Director and Associate Director Members:
Ronald Kopp, Director, Dauphin CD
Kenneth Meck, Director, Lancaster CD
Glenn Seidel, Director, Berks CD
Katherine Shelly, Associate Director, Susquehanna CD
Catherine Skwara, Associate Director, Bucks CD
Conservation District Staff Members:
Mary Ann Bower, District Manager, Clinton CD
Karen Jurkovic, Communications Consultant, Westmoreland CD
Josh Longmore, District Manager, Luzerne CD
James Mondok, District Manager, Mercer CD
Amanda Ritchey, Ombudsman, Blair CD
Charlotte Severcool, District Manager, Wyoming CD
Roger Spotts, Environmental Education Coordinator, Monroe CD

Legislative
Chair: Larry Kehl, Berks CD, and PACD 1st Vice President
Director and Associate Director Members:
Donald Baker, Director, Mifflin CD
Donald Koontz, Director, Mercer CD
Harold Kulp, Director, Chester CD
Ronald Rohall, Director, Westmoreland CD
Patricia Sueck, Director, York CD
John Torok, Director, Potter CD
Carl Urbanski, Director, Luzerne CD
Conservation District Staff Members:
Donna Fisher, District Manager, Blair CD
Jo Ann McCready, District Manager, Lawrence CD
Paul Sell, District Manager, Lehigh CD

Operations
Chair: Irvil Kear, Schuylkill CD, and PACD 2nd Vice President
Director and Associate Director Members:
David Collura, Director, Allegheny CD
Malcolm Crooks, Director, Bucks CD
Andrew Gilchrist, Director, Montgomery CD
Phyllis Hoople, Director, Crawford CD
Robert Ritchey, Director, Cambria CD
Robert Robinson, Director, Wyoming CD
Piper Sherburne, Director, Berks CD
Conservation District Staff Members:
Laurence Martick, District Manager, Adams CD
John Ravert, District Manager, Berks CD
Jacquelyn Rouse, District Manager, Sullivan CD
Sandy Thompson, District Manager, Potter CD

Ways and Means
Chair: Porter DuVall, Jefferson CD, and PACD Treasurer
Director and Associate Director Members:
Keith Eisenhart, Associate Director, York CD
Elliott Lengel, Director, Mercer CD
Patricia Powley, Director, Dauphin CD
John Schueller, Associate Director, Berks CD
Catherine Skwara, Associate Director, Bucks CD
Jack Tressler, Director, Somerset CD
Samuel Worley, Director, Franklin CD
Conservation District Staff Members:
John Dryzal, Assistant District Manager, Cambria CD
Mark Jackson, Visual Communications Specialist, Westmoreland CD
Carolyn O'Hare, Assistant District Manager, Berks CD
Charlotte Severcool, District Manager, Wyoming CD

The PACD committees will meet at the PACD Winter Meeting in State College, January 18-20, 2006. Even if you were not appointed, please plan on attending one or more of these six committee meetings. While only committee members may vote, your input is greatly appreciated.

PACD Receives Chesapeake Bay Commission Grant

PACD has received a $75,000 grant from the Chesapeake Bay Commission to facilitate the role that conservation districts can play in nutrient trading within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Since there are opportunities for nutrient trading in Pennsylvania's Chesapeake Bay Basin that will help Pennsylvania meet the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy, PACD will use these funds to assist with the development of a framework to encourage nutrient trading.

Specifically, PACD will assist conservation districts to determine their role in nutrient trading, support educational activities identified by districts that are needed to provide outreach and education to farmers and others about nutrient trading, and assist conservation districts to develop processes that can facilitate nutrient trading in their counties.

Nutrient trading will be one of the topics discussed at the PACD Winter Meeting. See page 2 for more information on the meeting.

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