The Lancaster County Conservation District held a gala at Moonstone Manor in Elizabethtown on Sept. 25 to celebrate 75 years of conservation efforts in Lancaster County.

For 75 years, volunteers and district staff have worked with landowners and communities to care for natural and agricultural resources in local watersheds that have a direct impact on the Chesapeake Bay. In 1950, Lancaster County commissioners approved establishing a countywide conservation district, initially working with farmers to maintain soils and installing sustainable conservation practices like field contour strips, cattle crossings, streambank fencing, and no-till planting practices. Today, the district's mission remains to promote the stewardship of natural resources for Lancaster County and beyond.

Dan Lynch, former Pennsylvania Game Commission educator, hosted the program, and Commissioner Ray D'Agostino shared remarks and presented a proclamation on behalf of the Lancaster County commissioners. Other speakers at the celebration included Sonia Wasco, district board chair; Chris Thompson, district administrator; Jill Whitcomb, Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Water Programs; Doug Wolfgang, the executive secretary of the State Conservation Commission; Don McNutt, former district administrator; Jim Caldwell, Rettew Associates; Matt Kofroth, assistant district manager; and Dan Zimmerman, district associate director. Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russ Redding closed out the program, and the evening ended with a toast by Chris Thompson, recognizing the district's strong reputation for high-quality service and opportunities for the future.