News & Notes March 2008

PA Conservation District Leaders Attend NACD Annual Convention

A contingency of eighteen represented Pennsylvania at the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) Annual Convention in Reno, Nevada from February 10 to 13, 2008. Over 1,000 conservationists from all fifty states and many territories attended. During the convention, Pennsylvania received a Top Ten Award, new NACD leaders were elected, and conservation issues were discussed.

During the awards banquet, Pennsylvania was presented with the Top Ten Award. The award is given to the ten states that contribute the most dues to NACD. Pennsylvania finished tenth, contributing $48,612. The award plaque will be displayed in the PACD headquarters building.

PACD President Larry Kehl accepts the NACD Top Ten Award from NACD President Elect Steve Robinson during the Leadership Luncheon on February 11, 2008.

New leaders were elected during the convention. The new slate of officers is as follows:
President - John Redding (Georgia)
Second Vice-president - Bob Cordova (Colorado)
Secretary/Treasurer - Gene Schmidt (Indiana)
President Elect - Steve Robinson (Ohio) Steve will take over the presidency in February 2009.
Northeast Region Representative - Cliff Lundin (New Jersey)
Executive Board Member - Jerry Snodgrass (Illinois)

Other NACD business included amending the bylaws to include additional voting members. Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia and American Somoa all received voting rights.

A variety of conservation partners discussed current issues around the theme "Conservation Beyond Boundaries." The Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Arlen Lancaster launched a new national campaign, "Conservation: Our Purpose, Our Passion." A video was presented featuring eight producers from across the country showcasing conservation as part of their lives and legacies. For more information, go to http://www.nrcs.usda.gov.

New and emerging partners were also represented at the conference. Colonel James Seaton of the U.S. Marines spoke about the potential for conservation districts to work with the military on natural resource challenges surrounding military installations.

"Our 62nd Annual Conference was a great success," said newly-elected NACD President John Redding. "It was exciting to see conservation leaders from all over America come together to share ideas and report progress in their respective areas. I think we all left the conference feeling reenergized about our shared mission to provide national leadership and a unified voice for natural resource conservation."

Presentations and speeches from the event will be posted on the NACD website, http://www.nacdnet.org/events/annualmeeting/resources/. The 2009 NACD Annual Meeting is scheduled to be held February 1-5 in New Orleans, LA.

Marketing Conservation: An Exciting New PACD Project

Imagine what could be accomplished if every citizen in your county was aware of the programs offered by your district and was motivated to take full advantage of them.

Sound like a tall order? It is - but the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts has launched an exciting effort to take a step in the right direction. We're calling it "Marketing Conservation," and we're committed to developing a plan that addresses the most urgent marketing needs that districts face.

We're on track to unveil the final plan in July 2008 during the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference. Here's what will happen between now and then -- and how you can contribute to this important effort.

Several conservation district staff, along with PACD staff, have stepped forward to serve on a subcommittee that oversees the project. These individuals are charged with helping to make some big decisions about the project: Who are we targeting, What do we want them to do, How are we going to reach them, and When should we expect to see some results? The subcommittee will also play the role of ambassador to district board members, staff, and the marketing consultant PACD has retained to help with the effort.

Over the course of the next few weeks, subcommittee members will continue laying some important groundwork. Based on the results of the Marketing Survey, that was widely distributed to district board members and staff in mid February, they will work to identify the target audience(s) that we will focus our efforts on, survey those audiences to learn what they know and think about conservation districts, and determine what attitudes and behaviors we want to encourage from those audiences. The results will help create the final elements of the Marketing Strategy. The feedback that was provided by conservation districts through the February Marketing Survey was a critical first step to the entire process. We are happy to report that a total of 183 individuals from sixty conservation districts participated in the survey.

The next step is crucial, as well. During early spring we'll approach representatives of our target audiences and ask them what they know and think about conservation districts. It's our chance to find out how close their perceptions match what we see in the mirror everyday.

Then we'll move into serious planning and the pace will pick up. We'll start developing marketing programs and activities intended to move our target audiences in the right direction. And to do that, we'll need more input from you. We'll invite you to share your experiences with us about what outreach and marketing efforts have and haven't been successful for you in the past. We'll ask you what you've seen other organizations doing that you might like to try yourself.

Your representatives on the Marketing Conservation Subcommittee will have some tough choices to make along the way. They'll be reviewing dozens of possibilities, and they'll have to decide how much money and manpower to commit to the ones they pick.

After rolling out the plan in July, we'll get started on the various elements of the project and form initiatives that will help districts get the respect and cooperation needed to further conservation work in Pennsylvania.

Should you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Kathleen Banski at Kathleen-Banski@pacd.org or any of the subcommittee members:
Chotty Sprenkle (Chester), csprenkle@chesco.org
Heather Knupsky (Fayette), HKnupsky@yahoo.com
Greg Reineke (Fulton) gregfccd@pa.net
Jaci Lucas (Northumberland), Jaci.Lucas@pa.nacdnet.net
Laura Anderson (Wyoming), Laura.D.Anderson@pa.nacdnet.net
Christopher Thompson (York), CThompson@yorkccd.org

A special thank you to all of those who participated in the survey.

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