It was a beautiful spring here in Gainesville, lots of cool, dry weather and an explosion of green foliage as buds broke and leaves grew at the usual astonishing pace. One day there was a touch of lime green on the tips of branches, then suddenly the canopy was verdant and complete. I felt that same sensation of suddenness at NRLI graduation. Granted it happened over a 9-month period, but it seemed we had just gotten to know this remarkable group of people in Class XVIII and were now saying "congratulations" and snapping pictures on the steps of the local Hippodrome Theater. In similar fashion, the previous week we handed certificates to a different, but equally impressive group - staff from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection who over four months had completed an intense four-module training program focused on effectively engaging stakeholders.

It was spring and the canopy was expanding.

If you glance at the class picture in this Newsletter you will see happy faces smiling at the camera (formal attire is not something Fellows are accustomed to assuming at NRLI sessions). If, however, you look closely, beyond the image captured by the camera, you will see someone who helps private landowners protect their properties in perpetuity, someone who monitors bear populations, someone who make sure that Florida produce is safely and efficiently shipped around the state and country, and a number of people who make sure that our fresh water resources are well-managed through planning, monitoring, Best Management Practices, and enforcement. You will find professionals who expertly carry out prescribed burns to maintain our ecosystem health, work through UF/IFAS Extension to engage and strengthen rural communities, and even manage cross-border ecological restoration partnerships with our Mexican neighbors. Look again and you will find schoolteachers, journalists and both private preserve and protected area managers. Concerned about interactions between Floridians and coyotes? At risk species? Hurricane evacuation strategies? Don't let the attire fool you, these are the people who daily and effectively address these challenging issues on the ground. And in this case, "on the ground" refers to everything from managing recreational hunting and enforcing environmental laws to restoring oyster reefs and helping Florida prepare for the impacts of climate change.

Despite this diversity, what the Fellows of NRLI Class XVIII have in common is that their effectiveness depends on their ability to work with diverse groups of people who often disagree about the governance of Florida's natural resources. They are all experts in their fields, but that expertise is only useful if it can be applied, if the people of Florida are willing to work with them and with each other to make difficult decisions about managing our state.  

Which brings me to what else they have in common - with each other and with over 300 other NRLI alumni. Class XVIII has the awareness, skills, knowledge and network to help make sure that future generations of Floridians have plentiful and healthy sources of water, food, green-and-marine space and ecosystem resilience.

Congratulations Class XVIII; it is spring and the NRLI canopy is expanding.