News & Notes October 2003

PACD Strategic Planning Update

Input for the PACD strategic plan was gathered at the PACD fall region meetings. Attendees broke into groups and created goals for PACD using the individual member input forms for guidance. Participants were enthusiastic about having their ideas incorporated into this plan.

The next step will take place October 9th and 10th when the PACD Strategic Planning Team will meet in Harrisburg to consolidate the group input gathered at the region meetings. These six people will determine the members highest priorities by grouping like goals. Then, PACD will prepare a draft strategic plan. At the Executive Council meeting on October 30, this plan will be presented to the membership for approval.

If anyone is interested in seeing the multi-page document containing input from all the groups at the Region meetings, it will be available at the PACD fall meeting.

Resolutions from the Region Meetings

Three resolutions were passed at the fall PACD Region Meetings. One was from the South Central Region and two were from the South West Region. The resolutions are shown below.

These resolutions will be brought forward to the District Operations Committee Wednesday, October 29 at 9 p.m. in the Faculty Staff Club 2 room at the Nittany Lion Inn. From there the resolutions will be forwarded to the PACD Executive Council Meeting Thursday, October 30 at 9 a.m. at the Nittany Lion Inn for approval by the Executive Council.

This is your opportunity to send your delegate to vote and guide the direction of future activities of the PACD.

The resolutions are as follows:

PACD South Central Region
That PACD will develop a process to reopen and revise its position paper on amending Act 217.

PACD South West Region
That PACD develop a policy statement and similar arrangements to enter into an agreement with the PA Association of RC&D Areas.

PACD South West Region
That PACD request that DEP begin the process to amend the Chapter 105 Rules and Regulations so that conservation districts could recover their costs for implementing the General Permit Program

On November 25, a meeting will be held in Kentucky on starting an initiative for the Ohio River Basin. Participating states will include West Virginia, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. PACD's Executive Council passed a resolution at the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference in July to support the initiative. Other states passed similar resolutions.

Stakeholders from these states will meet and try to find ways to work together to promote the Ohio River Basin. The goal will be to provide technical and financial assistance to the basin via agencies throughout the region.

PACD President Jarrett Miller (Erie CD) will represent PACD at the meeting.

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