Registration will open March 1st on the conference website – registration for both ANREP members and non-members is $150, and a special $35 student registration fee is available (current status as a student is required).

This year’s virtual conference will be hosted using the Whova platform. Registered participants will receive a link to access the conference and all associated resources in May.

The current conference program is now posted to the conference website! Check out the wide range of topics that will be presented by clicking on the links for ignite presentations, oral presentations, workshops, and posters. We’re excited to see all of the great information that our colleagues will be sharing!

Participants will have access to recorded presentations and resources before, during, and after the conference dates; live Q&A, interactive workshops, and group meetings during the conference. There will be many opportunities to network and socially engage with ANREP members from across the country through live video and the conference platform.

THE WEST IS BURNING raises awareness about the conditions of forests in the western U.S. Told through a full-feature documentary, filmmakers examine the history of forest management and litigation that led to the current conditions which are causing catastrophic fire nearly year-round. The film explores the urgent need to act now, and the potential to generate positive change in our forests, watersheds, and communities, both rural and urban.

Join us for a showing of the documentary and panel discussion during the ANREP 2021 conference on May 25th from 4-6pm Pacific/7-9pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!

Check the conference website for more updates as they become available. Communications will also be sent through the ANREP listserv, ANREP newsletter, and to all accepted presenters and registrants for the original 2020 dates. Please contact the Planning Committee with any questions by emailing Shannon Murray.

Click the button below to download this year's ANREP Awards Program guide. The guide describes the awards available, dates to be aware of, judging criteria, and helpful hints to submitting awards. Review the attachment carefully - the awards process was updated in 2020 with more opportunities to be recognized for your work! Recognition from your peers is always a good CV booster and it just plain feels good too!

To apply or nominate a colleague for an ANREP award, please complete the online application form in its entirety. All awards must be submitted online.

Please email any questions regarding electronic submission of your entry to anrepweb@anrep.org.

For further information or questions about the awards program, please contact:

ANREP Awards Co-Chairs

Nomination deadline: February 19, 2021

Notification of awards: March 24, 2021

The Natural Resources Extension Education Foundation (NREEF) conducted regional focus groups last fall to gather wisdom from ANREP members. Group participants discussed the challenges that natural resources extension professionals are facing, and their ideas for meeting these with positive action. Also addressed was how NREEF should focus its fundraising and programs to meet it mission of supporting natural resources extension professionals. The findings are now in and a summary is shown below. If you want to be involved in the NREEF mission, visit our website or contact any of the Trustees for more information.

The ANREP Professional Development Committee would like to invite any ANREP members to forward professional development opportunities (webinar or otherwise) that may benefit the membership to Committee Chair, Norm Haley so that they may be shared with the membership in upcoming newsletters. Thank you!

Registration for the Extension Public Issues Leadership Develop (PILD) Conference, to be held virtually April 12 & 13th, opened February 2nd.

Early registration is $100 and runs through April 2nd, regular registration is $150 April 3-9th, and late registration is $200 starting April 10th. Speakers include Dr. Waded Cruzado, President of Montana State University and Dr. Chuck Hibberd, Extension Dean & Director Emeritus, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

PILD is sponsored by JCEP (Joint Council of Extension Professionals) and is conducted by and for Extension professionals. This year’s conference theme is “Building Our Future Together”. Through speakers, workshops and panels, participants will learn how to communicate and engage with stakeholders and elected officials in advocating for Extension at the local, state, and national level. Please join us for the 2021 PILD Conference.

Work continues on the 2021 National Extension Energy Summit and National Sustainability Summit scheduled for October 4-6 at the Penn Stater Hotel on the campus of Penn State University. Penn State Extension is the official host of the Summits which will again be held jointly following the success of the 2019 event in Tampa. The National Extension Energy Initiative (NEEI) and National Network of Sustainability Education (NNSLE), both ANREP-supported initiatives, are helping organize the joint event.

The Summits will have both energy and sustainability tracks with a full schedule of keynote speakers, panel discussions, and breakout sessions in which educators and specialists can give presentations about their programs and successes. Project teams are also encouraged to schedule pre- or post- conference team meetings to help maximize the value of the time spent. Meals, poster sessions and break times will all be included to maximize opportunities for networking informally with fellow extension professionals.

Penn State is a regional leader in energy and sustainability, and will be a great venue for discussing and developing our vision for these important extension programs. Site tours will again be a highlight, with visits to several nearby examples of energy and sustainability activities. When the list is finalized, it will likely include visits to biomass thermal facilities, anaerobic digesters, research labs, biomass crop sites, innovative water quality systems, and local farms that are setting the regional pace for energy and sustainability innovation.

You can stay up-to-date by visiting https://www.nationalextensionsummits.com. A call for abstracts will be issued in late February with acceptances made by May 15th.

Another set of questions addressed agent’s familiarity and opinions of local water usage and water sources. They were asked to rank the significance of the following water dependent activities in their county: A. Industrial/manufacturing, B. Lawn landscaping/home garden/golf course/parks C. Agricultural products, D. Recreation on the water, E. Municipal water treatment, and F. Other. Some agents provided feedback afterwards, recommending drinking well-water be included in the list of activities. Agents were asked to categorize their knowledge of local water supplies, water industries, and governmental water management agencies, to determine if they needed assistance with regional networking and resource identification.

To determine the need for water resource programming related to agriculture, agents were asked which types of irrigation or frost protection systems are predominantly used in their county: drip irrigation, traveling gun, center pivot, linear/lateral move, set sprinklers, or micro sprinklers. Agents were also asked which agriculture sector they help clients with the most: Poultry & Eggs, Livestock, Honeybees, Aquaculture/Aquaponics/Hydroponics, Row & Forage Crops, Ornamental horticulture, Vegetables, Forestry & Products, Fruits & Nuts, and Urban Agriculture/School or Community gardens. Each of these sectors have different water resource requirements and require specific extension programming content. The responses to this question could also help direct non-water related agriculture programming.

The survey results showed some differences between counties and across urban/rural delineations. The results can help in planning and creating water related Extension programming in Georgia. The survey framework might be useful in your state or district to gather opinions from agents on water resource programming needs. With some editing, similar survey questions could be developed for other natural resource topics. Knowing which agriculture sectors are popular for clients can also guide your programming efforts, whether they are water related or not. The survey can also be used again years from now to measure changes in programming needs.

As 4-H programs began to emerge in the early 20th century, the premise behind these clubs was for youth to learn practical, life-enhancing skills related to agriculture. County Extension professionals invested time, efforts, and resources, educating youth using emerging information from land-grant universities. Their outreach work often affected the entire family because young people shared their new knowledge and skills with those around them. Over a century later, 4-H programs and Extension professionals still have the opportunity to impact youth and families through innovative and issue-based program efforts related to agriculture and natural resources.

National 4-H Council and Corteva Agriscience awarded the University of Georgia’s Grady County 4-H Club a $14,000 grant to educate their community about the importance of pollinators and install a pollinator teaching garden. As pollinator species continue to face various factors that affect population health, this new program quickly became the “buzz” around the small town. Coordinated by Extension professionals at the county, district, and state level, the three phases of the project included: training 4-H teens to be content teachers, educating youth and adults in the roles that pollinators play in the ecosystem, and installing a demonstration garden.

Grady County 4-H Agents Deron Rehberg and Lisa Pollock recruited middle and high school youth to serve as 4-H Pollinator Ambassadors. Kasey Bozeman, Extension 4-H Specialist for Science Programs, coordinated trainings for the ambassadors. Youth dissected flowers to learn their parts, modeled the pollination process, and created anatomy diagrams of insects and other pollinating animals. Discussion focused on how pollinators affect an ecosystem’s overall health and our food supply. Additionally, 4-H Pollinator Ambassadors learned best practices related to natural resource education.

Under Rehberg and Pollock's direction, these youth provided monthly lessons at the public schools in Grady County, teaching students about how pollinators affect our ecosystems and food supply. To date, seven Pollinator Ambassadors have led nearly 650 students in various activities designed to increase their knowledge about pollinators' importance. These youth have read pollinator-related stories at the local library and provided online storytime for families at a distance.

In late November, 4-H youth installed a pollinator garden at the Shiver School in Grady County. Utilizing support from Shiver School FFA and Quail Forever, over 400 students and adults participated in the planting field day – spreading seed and participating in various hands-on demonstrations. Students planted native pollinators to attract bees, butterflies, birds, moths, bats, ants, and lizards.

Participants received wildflower seeds, a trowel, and literature about starting a pollinator garden at their homes. “The pollinator planting site will serve as an example of what families can plant on their property to attract various pollinators. Planting a pollinator garden doesn’t have to be complicated,” says Rehberg.

Melinda Miller, Southwest District 4-H Program Development Coordinator, and Jenna Daniel, Extension 4-H Specialist for Grants and Fund Development, supported this project as well. This core team of five Extension professionals with varied knowledge and skills regularly met to review timelines and expectations and discuss programming modifications due to COVID-19. Despite a global pandemic, the team has prevailed and exceeded the goals of the grant project. “I’m so excited that Grady County 4-H was selected to be part of this national agriculture educational effort. The expertise of Extension agents Deron Rehberg and Lisa Pollock shines through the pollinator habitat partnership. They are exceptional 4-H youth development professionals who embed the 4-H essential elements (independence, belonging, mastery and generosity) in their total program,” says Miller. The team shared their successes at the virtual Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance conference and plans to continue to share the lessons learned and promising practices at other events.

Two years ago this month, a student at College of the Florida Keys was the first to report and photograph the spread of stony coral tissue loss disease off Key West, Florida at the Eastern Dry Rocks. He was able to identify the disease because he was trained by Florida Sea Grant agents Shelly Krueger and Ana Zangroniz and completed the UF/IFAS Extension Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease Underwater Observer Training course. Stony coral tissue loss disease is devastating Florida's Coral Reef and the Caribbean from the Bahamas to St. Lucia and affects more than half of the 45 species of stony corals that live in our region. Thankfully, staghorn and elkhorn coral are not susceptible.

After infection, the disease rapidly kills young colonies and corals that are hundreds of years old. These reef-building corals are vital for the habitat they create for hundreds of species of fish, invertebrates, and marine animals. Healthy coral reefs support jobs and the economy through tourism and fishing, and protect the land from hurricanes and storm surges. Since four of these stony coral species are already listed under the Endangered Species Act, it is critical that scientists and the public work together to save these beautiful animals.

Stony coral tissue loss disease was first identified in 2014 near the Port of Miami and rapidly spread up and down Florida's Coral Reef. Unfortunately, the disease continues to spread and is extant in nearly all of the Florida Reef Tract (except for the Dry Tortugas) and 16 countries in the Caribbean, most recently Roatan, Honduras. The pathogen(s) have not been identified but an alphabet soup of federal, state, and local governments, nonprofits, and the University of Florida are working non-stop to defeat stony coral tissue loss disease. Zoos and aquariums throughout the US are holding rescued corals to preserve genetic diversity. While the situation is urgent, it is not too late to save these incredibly important ecosystems. Corals are resilient if given the chance and the enabling conditions for their growth and survival.

The citizen science training developed by Florida Sea Grant agents has been used to document the spread of the disease and coral recovery in South Florida and the Caribbean by snorkelers and SCUBA divers. Volunteers are trained to identify and photograph the susceptible species and report these data to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Southeast Florida Action Network (FDEP SEAFAN.net), which scientists monitor to track the extent of the disease and coral recovery. Learn more at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Coral

National Institute of Health (NIH) studies have shown that community greenspaces positively impact two important public health issues: obesity and mental wellness.

Environmental psychologists have also published reports on the role greenspaces play in enhancing mindfulness and reducing stress levels. This concept is further explained by Attention Restoration Theory, exploring the concept that exposure to nature and natural surroundings produces a restorative effect, relieves mental fatigue, improves cognitive function, and contributes to increased creativity and higher productivity.

Because greenspaces promote social interaction and reduce social isolation, as well as facilitate health-promoting activities including physical exercise, relaxation, and psychological recovery from attention fatigue, stress, and anxiety, the value greenspaces provide to a community is regarded as exponentially greater than their real estate value.

As a follow up to NIH and World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations promoting the benefits of greenspaces on psychological and physical wellbeing, some healthcare studies have considered the effect of prescribing ‘doses’ of greenspace interaction to improve mental health. The studies specifically measured the relationship between the amount of time spent on activities in green environments and the impact on participants’ disposition and self-confidence.

To provide residents in Sarasota, FL with a good dose of green, our Treejuvenation Florida UF/IFAS urban forestry Extension program hosted a TreeQuest. TreeQuest is a scavenger hunt for native trees in local greenspaces, held each year to celebrate Florida Arbor Day. Participants search for tagged trees and answer clues on the various benefits derived from specific urban trees e.g., pounds of carbon sequestered annually. Participants are also invited to take selfies with their favorite tree on the scavenger hunt. Since our first TreeQuest held in 2018, 96% of participants (n=207) responded that they increased their knowledge on the benefits of urban trees, and 64% indicated they intended to plant a tree.

In addition to the Florida Arbor Day TreeQuest, other urban forestry Extension projects hosted by our Treejuvenation Florida program include Adopt-a-Tree: National Arbor Day tree planting demonstration events; Talking Trees: experiential summer youth workshops; and Tree Trail Tours: guided tree-centric nature walks in greenspaces each October.

Inspired by Jim Ekins at the 2018 ANREP Conference in Biloxi, Jessica Warren, University of Georgia County Extension Coordinator and Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent in Camden County, worked with the Coastal Georgia Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) to create and produce invasive species playing cards as an outreach and education tool. Jessica has served on the Coastal Georgia CISMA steering committee since 2015.

CISMA partners were able to pool resources and utilize funding from a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant as well as funding from the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve to produce the cards for distribution. Each card has the Coastal Georgia CISMA logo on the back and an image, name and brief description of an invasive plant on the face. Cards were assigned rank based on the level of threat that they pose. As coastal Georgia counties are near two state lines and house or are adjacent to three major ports (Savannah, Brunswick, Jacksonville), invasive species education is an important and ever-evolving topic. The playing cards offer a passive learning tool to help engage audiences that may not usually take an interest in these topics. For example, many decks have been distributed at the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Camden County where mechanics and machinists are utilizing the cards on their breaks. This group has given feedback such as, “I didn’t know that was from China” and “I always thought that belonged here.”

Card decks are available for free from any of the CISMA partners.

H₂OSAV is a University of Florida IFAS Extension Program working to help measurably reduce water use. Utilities across Florida, along with their Water Management Districts, work with our program. By enriching the metered water data provided by our partners, we can find valuable insights and patterns. As part of our Extension work, we share our insights about water consumption, development, and the effectiveness of individual conservation programs. We also provide support directly to the utilities in the form of custom analyses, interactive tools, and targeting assistance.

One of our biggest efforts is helping our partners determine which homes to target for certain conservation programs. For example, with toilet rebate programs, we recommend targeting homes built between 1960 and 1994. Any homes older likely have already had to replace their toilets, and any newer homes were already built with more efficient toilets.

In addition, it’s critical to target homes that have high water use. With our research, we see that in many areas, the highest quartile homes are using more than twice the average amount of water. Bringing these users down to even the average amount of water use could result in millions of gallons of water savings.

In July 2020, one of our partner utilities received funding to install smart irrigation controllers and efficient irrigation heads for 100 of their residential customers. H₂OSAV has been providing guidance and technical support to help them target users with high landscape irrigation (more than five times the average). With this focused effort, the target group could see a reduction of as much as 120,000 gallons of water per day. If savings persist over 5 years, as expected, this will be one of the most cost-effective water conservation programs ever implemented in Florida.

With population rising, we need to prepare for the increase in new homes and overall water consumption. Homes using at or below the average amount of water are unlikely to see significant reductions in water use. Targeting homes for conservation programs is more cost-effective and leads to the greatest amount of water savings.

Nick Taylor & Kaitlin Robb Price

Farewell to Dr. Mark Megalos, who retired from NC State University effective December 31, 2020. Just prior to retirement Dr. Megalos was recognized by EcoForesters with a Lifetime Achievement award for his 34 years of service to the citizens of North Carolina and beyond. Over his 34 years of service, he strived to maintain a science-based approach to Extension and Engagement, resolving conflicts and challenges that face family forest landowners, the forest industry, and the general public. His focus on the long-term economic, environmental, and social viability of forestry in North Carolina, made significant impact on the well-being of the landowners, industry and citizens of the state. Even though Dr. Megalos is retired from NC State he has not slowed down on behalf of family forest owners. He has moved on to a new role as the Executive Director of the National Woodland Owners Association. Reach Mark at: execdirector@nationalwoodlands.org

Mindy Habecker, Natural Resources Educator with UW-Madison Division of Extension- Dane County, retired on Feb 2, 2021. An educator with Dane County Extension for nearly 32 years, Habecker worked across various disciplines including agriculture, community and organizational development, and natural resources education. Mindy had been very involved with ANREP serving on the executive committee and facilitated ANREP through strategic planning. Mindy’s legacy will live on through the many public projects, publications, gardens, interpretive signs, and other educational resources created during her career. She has a remarkable body of work and it demonstrates her desire to help others and improve Dane County and the State of Wisconsin.

Jerry Iles retired September 2020 after 20 years with Ohio State University Extension, during which he was an active member in the Ohio Association of Natural Resource Outreach Professionals and National ANREP. Jerry specialized in watershed management and water quality issues and served on the North Central Regional Water Network and has been recognized for his work on citizen water quality monitoring. Jerry plans to travel in his retirement and we wish him all our best!

Natural Resources University is a podcast network focused on delivering science-based natural resources information to landowners and managers. This network builds off the successes of the Deer University podcast (Mississippi State) and is a result of a RREA Focus Grant.

The network includes 4 podcasts lead by various extension specialists. And each podcast focuses on natural resource topics relevant to landowners and managers.

You can listen to any of the podcasts wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, etc.). We are hoping to continue to grow the network to include various other natural resources topics relevant to landowners and managers. And many of you might see an email in your inbox in the near future about joining us on one of the shows as a guest.

ANREP members who like to get out in the great outdoors and gather edibles and decoratives from the wild will enjoy the Minnesota Harvester Handbook as a resource for northern climates. There is also a website which reviews woody plants that produce edibles that can be grown in urban landscapes may also be of value to Extension Educators from Horticulture to Forestry.

The University of Minnesota Extension Forestry Team recently published an educational needs assessment for its tree and woodland programs. It describes interests in woodland topics, learning preferences during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and how our audience identifies with key words. The most popular topics that learners were interested in were woodland management, wildlife, and tree and plant identification.