Article published in the Indiana Gazette on 9 July 2026
Commissioner Sherene Hess has nominated Barbara Peace, of Conemaugh Township, to be the 2026 Evergreen Award recipient. The Evergreen Conservancy board approved this nomination unanimously.
Peace and her husband, Dr. Matt Klain, are owners of Peace Farm, which is a working model of environmental responsible agriculture. The farm humanely raises animals and produces high-quality goods for local farmers markets.
Aside from the farm, Peace is the former Southwest Region director with the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts and the current executive vice president. She is also involved with the Indiana County Envirothon and the Conservation District’s Apple Fest. Additional accomplishments include being a voice for conservation as an Indiana County Farm Bureau board member and program vice president for the Indiana County League of Women Voters.
She also has served five years as a farmer director with the Indiana Conservation District. Through the Agricultural Assistance Fund, she helps guide the distribution of clean streams funds to address critical environmental challenges.
She is not just a farm girl but gives leadership to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The foundation strives for habitat protection, healthy ecosystems and thriving wildlife populations.
Peace’s commitment to conservation parallels her dedication to justice — social, gender, racial and environmental — which is illustrated by her support of the Blairsville Underground Railroad. She promotes education and community engagement around the legacy of past struggles for justice with present-day efforts to build more equitable and sustainable communities.
Whether leading at Peace Farm, advancing conservation initiates across the Southwest region or supporting programs like ACAP, the Envirothon and the Apple Festival, Peace consistently advocates for policies and programs that promote the conservation of resources uplift education and opportunities to reach diverse audiences, and build a more inclusive agricultural and environmental community.
Evergreen Conservancy will present Peace with its Evergreen Award at its annual meeting of members and friends, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Indiana County Conservation District office at 435 Hamill Road, White Township. Friends of Peace are especially invited to attend.
About Evergreen Conservancy
Preservation, Protection and Stewardship | Evergreen Conservancy’s mission is to advance the preservation, protection and stewardship of Natural, Cultural, and Historical Resources in and around Indiana County.
The Evergreen Conservancy is comprised of a group of caring and committed volunteers who have worked hard to form this organization and are prepared to sustain this work to preserve local areas in order to raise the quality of life of the citizens in and around Indiana County.
Our diverse board is comprised of caring people from a variety of professions who have joined together to fulfill Evergreen’s mission.
EC may acquire and/or conserve property in a variety of ways – grants, land exchanges, conservation easements, tax-deductible donations and by other means. When acquiring land, we recognize that a balance must be reached. Thus, our goal is to maximize the ecological value of land while meeting the needs of landowners.
