NEW CASTLE, Pa. — The Lawrence County Conservation District hosted its annual awards luncheon on Dec. 17 at Grace United Methodist Church in New Castle, Pennsylvania.
Conservation Farm Award
William Kolehmainen received the 2025 Conservation Farm Award for the conservation initiatives he has implemented on his grain and beef farm. Kolehmainen took over operations of his father’s grain farm in Enon Valley in 2000; his father founded the farm in 1980. He started raising cattle in 2015 and, in 2020, Kolehmainen bought his uncle’s neighboring farm. This farm came with a partially roofed feeding and finishing barn located on the banks of an unnamed tributary to the North Fork Little Beaver Creek. The proximity to the stream resulted in sediment and nutrients regularly flowing into the tributary.
In 2025, Kolehmainen replaced the existing barn with a $1.5 million, multi-use 67-by-304-foot steel and fabric CCS Monosclope cattle confinement barn with under-barn manure storage and dry pack to stop sediment and nutrient flow to the tributary. The new building, possible through Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Conservation Assistance Program funding and his own money, holds 200 head of cattle over the manure pit and 75 cow/calf pairs in the bed pack area. The new building also contains a watering facility, Silencer hydraulic cattle working system and thermostat-controlled automatic fans and curtains. Kolehmainen hopes to increase grazing and pasture in the future. Currently, he raises Angus and Angus/Wagyu cross beef and grows corn, high oleic soybeans, barley, oats and hay. He also runs a veterinary practice.
Environmental Education Award
Andrea Hopper received the 2025 Environmental Education Award for her involvement at Lawrence County Conservation District’s Summer Nature Camp. Hopper first became involved at camp in 2019, teaching a butterfly education and release program. She raises butterflies and teaches campers about their life cycles and how to care for them. Hopper began her teaching career at Lincoln High School and, in 2019, began helping her mother-in-law with the Wish Upon a Butterfly business during her summers off. She switched over to the business full-time in 2022 and, since then, has become an expert on all things butterfly. In addition to teaching next-generation campers about butterflies, she is also teaching her 3-year-old how to feed and care for caterpillars.
Environmental Partner Award
William Humphrey was honored with the 2025 Environmental Partner Award for his role as a township engineer, working closely with municipalities and conservation districts to meticulously review submitted development plans. For many years, Humphrey has been a reliable and enthusiastic partner to municipalities, developers and the district. He has attended regular communication and meetings with district staff to learn about updates to the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit forms and regulations, which ensures a more efficient submittal process. His efforts to learn the Dirt, Gravel and Low Volume Roads Program’s new Stream Crossing Design Policy also ensured that the Phillip’s School Road Stream Crossing project was completed successfully. Humphrey spent hours reviewing the design manual to create an outstanding design that the district now uses as an example for other county districts.
