News & Notes October 2004

Region Meeting Wrap-up

The Fall PACD Region Meetings included presentations and discussions on timely and important topics including the following:

• A discussion on revising the PACD bylaws was held at the region meetings to ask members to submit input for the committee to take into consideration.
  
  
• A PACD activity report provided by Executive Director, Susan Marquart. The report updated members on the projects and programs the PACD staff are currently working on.
  
  
• A presentation on marketing conservation district programs. The Department of Environmental Protection's Conservation District Field Representatives provided a demonstration and discussion on how to showcase district programs to a variety of audiences.
  
  
• Karl Brown, Executive Secretary of the State Conservation Commission provided an SCC update as well as information on the Governor's ACRE Initiative (Agriculture, Communities and Rural Environment). The ACRE initiative includes changes to farm-management regulations to strengthen key-water quality requirements for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), concentrated animal operations (CAOs) and manure-importing farms, and makes Pennsylvania among the first states to require odor mitigation.
  

"Building For Tomorrow" Committee Announces
Special Projects for 2004-2005

The Conservation Partnership's Leadership Development Committee has outlined their plans for 2004-2005. The Committee will sponsor the 2004 Conservation District Staff Conference in November, the June 2005 Conservation District Management Summit and a series of regional sessions on Employment Law in the spring of 2005.

The Committee is also continuing the popular District Team Visits and strategic planning special projects. Finances for these projects have been allocated to the "Building For Tomorrow" Leadership Development Program by the State Conservation Commission through funds provided by the Department of Agriculture.

Members anticipate completing six District Team Visits this fiscal year. During a Visit, team members conduct one-on-one interviews with district team members and attend a district board meeting in order to observe and reflect district team attitudes and understandings of district strengths and opportunities for development regarding district operations. This is not a program evaluation process. Feedback on past Visits shows that districts find this to be a helpful undertaking. Conservation districts interested in requesting a District Team Visit should contact Mike Lovegreen at the Bradford Conservation District as soon as possible.

Strategic planning grants up to a maximum of $1,000.00 will be available to all districts that did not receive a strategic planning grant in the past. Expenses will be covered on a reimbursement basis and only actual expenses will be reimbursed. Districts interested in receiving a strategic planning grant need to submit a Letter of Intent by December 1, 2004. District directors and staff need to think through how they will handle the various aspects of their intended strategic plan development process and research the costs associated with their intentions. Strategic plans using these funds must be completed by June 15, 2005.

Page 3>