Director's Corner
Making NRLI more accessible
by Jon Dain, NRLI Director
NRLI is focused on collaborative leadership and improved communication. We advocate inclusive approaches to addressing Florida's natural resource challenges. We want as many people as possible, from as many natural resource sectors and background as possible, to go through the NRLI program and become part of a network of leaders that can work across boundaries and address complex problems. That said, going through NRLI requires a significant commitment of time and of resources.
NRLI has worked hard to become more accessible. Take our yearly, 8-month schedule. In 2009, based on feedback, we changed the program calendar. Instead of meeting January-June, taking off July and August and ending in October, we moved to a schedule that better followed the school year, holding sessions monthly from August-March. This change enabled us to remove the long, disruptive break and made it easier for people with families to plan summer vacations (and commit to the 8 sessions of NRLI).
In 2011, again based on feedback from program alumni, we determined that December was too stressful a time for participants to attend a 3-day NRLI session. We decided to take December off which meant that participants could finish up end-of-year tasks at work and better enjoy their holiday break (and commit to the 8 sessions of NRLI). Three years ago, we shifted from a Thursday-Saturday schedule to a Wednesday-Friday schedule. The change allowed Fellows to do things like attend their kids' soccer games on Saturdays and have more than just 24 hours to recover before having to return to work on Monday. In each of these cases, our intention was to make it easier for a broader spectrum of professionals to take part in the program. Scheduling however, is not the only constraint to participation. For those from non-profits, county governments, community groups or the agricultural community (among many others), costs can be a major constraint. This year we were able to formally offer a limited number of competitive scholarships thanks to the generosity of friends, alumni and other supporters. Applicants to NRLI can now apply to the following (see our webpage for details):
Bruce Delaney Scholarship
Support for individuals from communities or organizations that would not otherwise be able to financially support their participation in NRLI
Farm Credit of Florida Agricultural and Natural Resources Leadership Scholarship
Support to young farmers 35 years old or younger
General Joe Joyce Scholarship for Natural Resources Leadership
Unspecified competitive scholarship
Local Government Scholarship
(enter "Natural Resources Leadership Institute" in the "name of fund" box)
Support for individuals and elected officials from local government
If you know someone who would make a great NRLI Fellow but is reluctant to apply due to costs, encourage them to apply and let them know about these scholarship opportunities. And if you would like to help us grow these funds and increase our scholarship offerings, please consider making a donation by clicking on the links above or
on our website.
Thank you and have a warm and wonderful holiday season!
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Halfway through the program,
and a whole lot bear-wiser
by Katelyn Cucinotta and Mark Lotz, NRLI Class XIX Fellows
Cool breezes whispering through rustling pines greeted NRLI Class XIX fellows to their fourth session in the Ocala National Forest. After setting up camp in the rustic cabins of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's (FWC) Ocala Conservation Center, we dove in to a jam-packed week focused on understanding the intricacies of Florida black bear management and developing tools for dialogue. Fellows practiced a new stakeholder engagement method via small group interviews, learned ways to develop better questions that provoke thought and catalyze conversation, and were introduced to scenario planning tools that a few of us have already used!
An expanding black bear population, in conjunction with a growing human population, has led to a plethora of coexistence issues. Mike Orlando, FWC's Assistant Black Bear Program Coordinator, not only gave an overview of these issues, but showed us - literally - what happens when humans and bears collide by revealing two road-killed black bears he was transporting in his truck. He also demonstrated how biologists collect data from
 such specimens, explaining how valuable information is gathered from these unfortunate incidents. Hair is plucked and used to genetically identify individuals, a tooth is pulled and analyzed to determine its age, and weight, length and girth measurements are taken.
Bears are driven by their stomachs. As explained by Mike Orlando, a bear's sense of smell is 7 times greater than a blood hound and they can smell food from 20 miles away. Their desire for food, especially as they prepare for winter, is a frequent source of conflict as bears turn to easily raided garbage cans to meet their 20,000 calorie per day requirements. Luckily, people like Gary Kaleita, an attorney from Longwood, Florida who participated in our stakeholder exercises, are working with their communities and FWC to spread awareness of the measures property owners can take to prevent human-bear conflicts. One major initiative, aptly named "BearWise," introduces actions communities can require of homeowners such as securing waste in bear-resistant garbage cans, avoiding bird feeders and outdoor pet food, and storing grills in a protected area. BearWise communities enjoy fewer human-bear conflicts, and, if enforced properly, protection from possible liability charges. Fellows who interviewed Gary were especially interested in his legal perspective and were reminded that diverse perspectives are always helpful when working toward a common solution.
 Along our journey through the rolling sandy roads of the Ocala National Forest, our van came to a screeching halt before fellows and NRLI project team leaders piled out to gaze in wonderment at a pile of bear scat. Equally as exciting as the bear scat was a scrub jay sighting and an opportunity to follow the tracks of a bobcat, lizard, and raccoon that had recently passed before us on the trail! While we explored this trail, Jay Garcia, the Supervisory Wildlife Biologist for Ocala National Forest and Liz Ramirez, Ocala National Forest biologist, led discussions on the history of the forest and its management, particularly regarding fire regimes. Jay and Liz also shared stories from the Juniper Prairie Wilderness Area that highlighted the fine line between humans safely coexisting with wild bears and humans altering the behavior of wild bears.
 Brian Scheick, FWC's Black Bear Research Program Coordinator, taught us about bear research in the forest and pointed out a tree along our trail that had been marked by bears. These "community billboards" are often located along an open trail and used by passing bears to communicate with each other - a fact most fellows found to be captivating. Bears bite and rub on the tree, leaving their scent for others to "read." Males can determine if more dominant males are in the area while females can announce their presence and determine if a desirable suitor is around, sort of like swiping for a date on a modern-day dating app!
Back at the camp site, temperatures were just right for roasting oversized s'mores around an open campfire and we were lucky to enjoy the company of alumni from almost every NRLI class! Some alumni stayed the night and several fellows even chose to camp in tents, enjoying the beautiful 60 degree nights. There was a constant buzz of chatter during this session, which was appropriate considering NRLI project leads were sharing tips to bolster participation and dialogue.
Just as the bears hibernate through winter, we took a hiatus from NRLI sessions in December too. We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and look forward to session five in Okeechobee!
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The authors of the NRLI Fellows article were incorrectly listed in the November newsletter. The correct authors of
Troubled Waters: Navigating Rivers of Conflict in Fort Myers
are
Katrina Moseley and Ben Christ
. The corrected version is uploaded on the
NRLI newsletter web page.
Apologies for the error!
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2019 Fall Alumni Gathering
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Pictured above from left to right:
Ann Moore (IV), Joy Hazell (IX), Craig Faulhaber (XIII), Liz Ramirez (XVII), Graham Williams (XVII), Stacie Greco (XII), Jay Garcia (XVIII), Stacey Simmons (XVIII)
The 2019 NRLI Alumni gathering was a huge amount of fun as current NRLI Fellows and alumni spent the evening sitting together by the fire, roasting enormous marshmallows, and getting to know each other. The following NRLI folks joined us for the alumni event and/or played an integral role in helping plan session 4 in Ocala - thank you!!
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Alumni in Action
NRLI alumni
Amy Reaume (Class XVII, pictured on left) of Brevard Zoo and Holly Abeels (Class XI, on right) of Florida Sea Grant and University of Florida/IFAS Brevard County Extension worked together recently to plan and conduct a facilitation crash course for Brevard Zoo staff.
The training provided useful tips and tricks for staff who assisted at a large community
Strategic Doing session. Based on an evaluation after putting their newly-learned facilitation skills to work, those who took Holly's and Amy's training beforehand felt confident going into the Strategic Doing session and they used the information they learned.
These NRLI alumni will be incorporating helpful feedback from the evaluation into another training in January 2020.
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Applications are now open for NRLI's 20th cohort.
As you know, NRLI alumni are a key element to our success in attracting stellar applicants - please help recruit by spreading the word!
The application, schedule, details on available scholarships, and other information is
available here.
The deadline to apply is March 31, 2020.
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Getting to Know Class XIX Fellows
Ben Glass
Community Affairs Manager, Suwannee River Water Management District
Ben graduated from Suwannee High School in 2012, completed his AA degree from North Florida College in 2013, received his Bachelor of Science in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida in 2015, and a Master of Science from the same program and university in 2016.
In 2017, Ben was employed by the Suwannee River Water Management District as project manager working with agricultural cost-share programs. In June 2018, he took on the role of the District's Community Affairs Manager. In this new role, Ben continues to work with the agriculture cost-share programs. He also acts as the District's liaison to local governments and chambers of commerce within the District's 15 county area.
Ben is active in the community as member of the Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Live Oak Lion's Club Treasurer, Chairman of the Suwannee County Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers, and a member of the Suwannee FFA Alumni.
Kathleen Greenwood
Office of Agricultural Water Policy, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
For the past three years, Kathleen has worked for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in their Office of Agricultural Water Policy. In this role she has been involved in the development of Basin Management Action Plans throughout the state and also activities associated with the Central Florida Water Initiative. Prior to that she worked for several years in the FDEP's Office of Water Policy and was involved in the water management district's development of minimum flows and levels and water supply plans, revising consumptive use permitting rules, and many other issues related to Florida's water management system. She also has experience with state land management plans, state land acquisition programs, wetland permitting and wetland delineation.
Although she is not a native of Florida, Florida is the only home she remembers. Growing up in South Florida and visiting California she gained an appreciation for the natural world which led to her attending the University of Florida and graduating with a degree in Forestry. Soon after she attended Duke University and received her Masters of Environmental Management.
Outside of work, Kathleen has a husband, grown twin daughters and has recently adopted two goldendooldle puppies. She enjoys many things especially hiking, kayaking, camping, boating, reading, learning new things, contributing to her church, and spending time with family. Be careful hiking with her because she will try to identify all the plants, so it will be slow going! NRLI has been a wonderful experience both in learning and making all these new friends.
Elizabeth Guthrie
Stewardship Director, North Florida Land Trust
Elizabeth Guthrie is the Stewardship Director for North Florida Land Trust (NFLT), a non-profit land conservation organization based in Jacksonville. Since 2014, she has been responsible for overseeing the stewardship, management, and restoration of NFLT's portfolio of conserved lands and conservation easements.
Recently, her role has expanded to include the development and management of alternative income streams for the land trust, including forest carbon projects, leases and mitigation banks.
A native North Carolinian, Elizabeth originally came to Florida for an AmeriCorps position with the Florida Park Service, traveling around the state completing land and resource management projects. Elizabeth received her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!) and holds a Master of Science degree in ecological restoration from the University of Florida's School of Forest Resources and Conservation. Elizabeth also holds graduate certificates in natural resource policy and administration, and geographic information systems (GIS).
Elizabeth resides in St. Augustine, where you can find her enjoying live music, catching flounder and redfish, or biking downtown for a local craft beer.
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Class XIX Fellows
Chris Cason
Equipment Operations/Engineering Tech/Law Enforcement Officer, U.S. Forest Service
Matthew Chopp
Regional Public Hunting Areas Biologist, Wild Hog Issues Specialist, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Ben Christ
Researcher, UF - SPARC USDA
Katelyn Cucinotta
Environmental Analyst, Office of Resilience, Palm Beach County
Ben Glass
Community Affairs Manager, Suwannee River Water Management District
Kathleen Greenwood
Environmental Consultant, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Elizabeth Guthrie
Stewardship Director, North Florida Land Trust
Cacee Hilliard
CARES Coordinator, Florida Farm Bureau
Marjorie Karter
Program Consultant, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Mark Lotz
Biological Scientist III, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Katrina Moseley
Owner/Operator, family cattle & hay farm
Mulit-family Housing & Loan Specialist, USDA Rural Development
Melissa Nasuti
Biologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Planning Division
Sara Owen
Deputy City Manager, City of Lake Butler
Scott Pearce
Law Enforcement Captain, Marine Law Administrator, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Frank Powell
Assistant Deputy Secretary of Ecosystems Restoration, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Zachary Prusak
Central Florida Program Manager/Florida Fire Manager, The Nature Conservancy
Andrew Rappe
Assistant Director, Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, UF/IFAS
Rachael Reichenbach
Independent Community Food System Consultant
Norma Samuel
Extension Agent IV, Florida-Friendly Landscaping & Urban Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tiffany Trent
Environmental Scientist IV, St Johns River Water Management District
Matt Warren
Environmental Manager, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Office of Agricultural Water Policy
Ana Zangroniz
Extension Agent, UF/IFAS Sea Grant
Class XVIII Schedule
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Dates
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Topic |
Location |
| August 21-23, 2019 |
Impacts of Port Expansion |
Fort Lauderdale |
| September 25-27, 2019 |
Beach Renourishment |
Niceville |
| October 23-25, 2019 |
Water Quality & Estuary Health |
Fort Myers |
| November 20-22, 2019 |
Wildlife Management: Florida Black Bear |
Ocala |
| January 22-24, 2020 |
Agriculture & Water Quality |
Okeechobee |
| February 19-21, 2020 |
Lake Istokpoga Management |
Sebring |
| March 18-20, 2020 |
Forestry |
Marianna area |
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April 15-17, 2019
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Graduation & Practicum Presentations |
Gainesville |
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#NRLI #NRLIrocks #NRLIalum
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