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News & Notes July 2001

General Assembly Approves 2001-2002 Commonwealth Budget

The Pennsylvania General Assembly approved the Commonwealth Budget for fiscal year 2001-2002, on June 20, 2001.The new budget takes effect on July 1, 2001.

Funding for conservation districts, referenced in two line items of the Commonwealth Budget, remains nearly identical to that of the 2000/2001 budget.

Budget items of particular interest to county conservation districts include:

  • The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s line item for conservation districts (Local Soil and Water District Assistance), which remained at $3.1 million for the next fiscal year. This marks the second year that the budget was passed without an increase for the district line item.
  • The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s line item for conservation districts (Local Soil and Water District Assistance), was increased from $1.15 million to $1.21 million. The increase in funding has been earmarked toward the Ombudsman Program. PACD is, at this time, unaware of any additional funding increases that have been designated for conservation districts.

DEP Secretary David Hess has stated that, although the department is still in the process of analyzing their budget, he is unaware of any increase in funding for conservation district programs.

PACD has begun to prepare its funding requests for conservation districts for fiscal year 2002-2003. The request will be discussed during the upcoming PACD Executive Council Meeting on July 18.

Departmental budget requests must be submitted by October 1, 2001. Therefore, it is essential that PACD submit its complete funding requests for consideration to Commonwealth departments for review well in advance.

Students Share Knowledge of Stewardship Through Art

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. is pleased to announce the winners of the 2001 PACD Poster Contest. The contest, open to students in grades K – 12, offers young people an opportunity to express their views on natural resources and the environment through art.

Themes explored during the poster contest included “Nature in Your Neighborhood” and “Habitat for Life.”

The winners of the 2001 PACD Poster Contest are:

  • Brigid Duggan, of Cumberland County – Kindergarten to First Grade;
  • Melina Webb, of Bradford County – Second to Third Grade;
  • Felicha Koscheck, of Greene County – Fourth to Sixth Grade;
  • James Lincke, of Delaware County – Seventh to Ninth Grade; and
  • Anna Spoor, of Delaware County – Tenth to Twelfth Grade.

These five students will each be awarded a cash prize and a framed certificate, courtesy of the PACD Auxiliary, and will be invited to attend the PACD Awards Luncheon Program, where their posters will be unveiled to the audience.

Individual entries to the PACD Poster Contest previously captured first place in a competition held by a county conservation district.

Winners of the PACD statewide poster contest will be forwarded to the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), to represent Pennsylvania in the NACD National Poster Contest.

The PACD annually hosts a poster contest for students in grades K – 12. The contest is sponsored by the PACD Auxiliary and is open to students from both public and private schools. Annual poster contest themes vary based on National Wildlife Week activities, NACD Stewardship Week activities and the availability of PACD supporting materials.

Rules and regulations for the 2002 PACD Poster Contest are available on the Association’s website: www.pacd.org.

PACD Building Fund Update

Breakdown of Funds:
Contributions/Interest:		 $62,362.24
Pledges: $7,250
Building Fund Total: $69,612.24

 

 

 

 

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