Notes from the Project Team |
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Things We Miss About Jon
by Wendy-Lin Bartles, Interim NRLI Director
The first hint of difference becomes evident with the use of flipcharts. If alumni walked into a Class 21 session, they would warm up inside seeing the walls wrapped in flipcharts. But the next moment, they would begin to sense a difference, a gap, a lack of .... something. At first, they would not be able to name it. Yet, once it came to them, they would smile and know how much matters.
Without Jon, there is no art. None of those creative expressions that bring an agenda alive. Flipcharts are stark white with words in two colors (perhaps three). Jon would carefully hide double folded tape on the backside of each sheet. Instead, this year, copious amounts of blue tape crisscross each corner garishly. The differential translates into a significant sensation. A feng shui, of sorts. A sense of being slightly off balance. And it is feeling that every NRLI alumnus would perceive.
With Jon away on sabbatical in Japan this year, everyone on the NRLI project team has stepped up, filled roles, taken on new teaching assignments, and found familiar co-facilitation grooves. Paul's presence adds great ease and expertise. Based on their experience of 2020, Joy and Jocelyn have helped us seamlessly transition from hectic safety protocols to a quasi-post-COVID, still-not-quite-normal mode of being. It works. And together we’ve made it to Session 7!
But each session we notice Jon’s absence. So often it is in the small things. Like the dearth of dad puns. We just don’t laugh (or groan) as much without him. And we have so many left-overs to distribute at the end of sessions. But more substantially we recognize the depth of Jon’s understanding and experience in managing conflict and how effortlessly he conveys his knowledge to the Fellows. We also miss the session debriefs during which we thread together observations, concerns, and insights – breathing a combined sigh of satisfaction. And whenever we arrive at a new session venue, a nostalgia arises to see Jon over in a corner of the room coloring flipcharts on Wednesday morning – a moment of Zen before Fellows appear.
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NRLI Skills in the Wild
by Jocelyn Peskin, NRLI Program Coordinator
Earlier this month, NRLI alumni Jessica McIntosh (DEP 2020), Emily Dark (DEP 2020), and Ana Zangroniz (Class 19) facilitated South Florida's Social Coast Gathering on Zoom, and it was great to see so many NRLI skills put into practice to make the session interactive, engaging, comfortable, and fun. The team masterfully implemented their facilitation skills and used breakout rooms, creative introductions for a large group, interactive methods for participants to share, and the ever-important appropriately timed breaks. Sadly, Zoom does not allow for snacks, but I am sure there would have been delicious delicacies had we met in person. As a participant in this gathering (and NRLI Program Coordinator), I was reminded again of the power of the NRLI network. Seeing NRLI concepts and tools implemented in collaboration across programs and classes just warms my heart!
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8-Month Flagship Program | Session 6 |
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Who Does Number Two Work For?
By Travis Franklin and Cat Ingram, NRLI Class 21 Fellows
The sixth session of the 21st NRLI class gathered on the 16th of February 2022. While the weather was somewhat overcast and rainy, the Fellows’ spirits were high as we gathered outside at historic De Leon Springs State Park in Volusia County. The afternoon’s venue provided a scenic view of the spring, the historic grounds of the old plantation and Old Spanish Sugar Mill restaurant, as well as brief swimming opportunities for those of us that needed a quick dunk between class activities. We gathered our stools in a circle as our first speaker, Ginger Adair, a Fellow of NRLI Class 9 and Environmental Management Director for Volusia County, welcomed us to the session. She provided a comprehensive overview of the three Outstanding Springs in Volusia County (De Leon, Blue, and Gemini), as well as the water quality issues facing the residents, diverse governmental entities, and NGO partners in the area. The complexity of water quality issues in Volusia County has resulted in multiple strong working relationships, leading to adaptive and evolving solutions. We also discovered that several of our Fellows are budding players of stage and screen, as they performed diverse and energetic roles during the group dynamics exercise! One of our revelations during this exercise was how quickly one group member’s behavior can derail collective consensus. Unfortunately, we all met an untimely demise due to our inability to cooperatively crack the code to survival.
Day Number Two began with a trip to the SW Regional Water Reclamation Facility in Debary, one of the several municipal partners in the area. The conductor on our odorific adventure was Director Mike Ulrich of the Volusia County Water Resources and Utilities Division. Some hard questions without easy answers were asked by some of our cohort, particularly regarding the transportation of biosolids out of county and presence of pharmaceuticals in treated wastewater. While an educational stop on our journey, the foul stench of wastewater and treatment chemicals lingered in our nostrils and clung to us as we ventured through Orange City and down French Avenue towards Blue Springs, where we washed our hands. The lingering odors were soon lost in our wakes, though, as we boarded kayaks and paddled in search of the elusive West Indian Manatee. We didn’t need to search far, as several of the docile yet powerful marine mammals were quickly spotted by the more eagle-eyed members of our party. Numerous species of migratory birds were seen as well, including egrets, herons, white and glossy ibis, anhingas, and a wood stork, along with inquisitive turtles poking heads out of their shells, and several alligators. The beautiful spring run was accessible via a wooden boardwalk along the eastern shore, which provided additional manatee viewing opportunities, along with quite a few species of native fish. Many were surprised to see the number of invasive exotic fish within the spring run, particularly the Plecostomus and Tilapia. By visiting this park, it was easily demonstrated to the Fellows how inadequate treatment of human waste can result in the degradation of fragile water systems, negatively impacting flora and fauna.
Class XXI had several realizations throughout this session. Everything consumed by humans eventually ends up back in the environment, where our food is grown. Number Two, don’t take plumbing for granted! The wastewater treatment plant was surprisingly clean to many of us. Situating panelists dispersed between NRLI Fellows during the Stakeholder Panel led to a more interactive experience, particularly amongst the stakeholders themselves. When discussing difficult group dynamics, it was interesting to hear each other’s perspectives regarding annoying behaviors. Some of us were quite forgiving of behaviors that we ourselves exhibit, while others were critical. We discovered that applying recently acquired difficult group dynamics skills was easier said than done, as we found our way into the Groan Zone while stewing on how to select class superlatives. We also discovered a cure for chocolate milk cravings.
The mantra of “God, Country, and Septic” was still ringing in our ears as we left this session behind, pondering the future of our fragile, magical springs, our native soil of Florida, and the legacy we leave behind. Will our human engineered solutions overcome our disastrous fecal discharge?
Who does Number Two work for?
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We're now accepting applications for NRLI Class 22!
Please spread the word to anyone you think might be a good fit for NRLI - our alumni make the best references for our program!
Also, if you are interested in helping plan and/or attending any of the sessions, please let us know! We love seeing you and having you meet the current Fellows.
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Kelly Aue
Outreach Coordinator, Suwannee River Partnership
With a bachelor's and master’s in Agricultural Communications, Kelly thought her path would lead directly to a career in agriculture. Instead, while getting her master’s in Ohio, it took a sharp turn for the automotive industry. That career moved her to Phoenix, AZ where she worked as a creative writer and logistics manager for MINI, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, and Toyota.
After her stint in the automotive industry, she joined the entertainment industry as an event producer for private and corporate events. Her favorite event... Bellagio’s NYE VIP Party. She lived for the confetti drop at midnight.
However, her native home of Florida was calling her, and she accepted the position of Outreach Coordinator for the Suwannee River Partnership. This position is grant-funded by the Florida Department of Agricultural Consumer Service- Office of Ag Water Policy, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the Suwannee River Water Management District, and she is housed at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center – Suwannee Valley.
While at the partnership, Kelly has built relationships with stakeholders in the Suwannee Valley and helped move them towards their goals of leveraging research-based solutions to protect and conserve our waters. This position perfectly marries her background in agriculture and her love for the rivers and springs she grew up visiting.
When not at work, she spends time with her dog, Sadie, exploring Florida State Parks. You can also find her in the kitchen making macarons and pastries or trying her hand at a new hobby.
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Jessica Blain
Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Forest Service, Ocala National Forest
Jessica Blain is a Wildlife Biologist for the U.S Forest Service on the Ocala National Forest. Jessica’s position is multi-faceted and requires her to manage habitats from springs to sand pine scrub. She works with federally protected species that occur on the forest such as the Florida Scrub Jay and Red-Cockaded Woodpecker. She is involved in invasive species eradication across the forest and engages in prescribed fire and wildland firefighting.
Jessica graduated with a B.S. in Wildlife Science from Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife in 2016. After working as a technician for a couple of years, she continued her education and graduated in 2020 with a M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation from Clemson University School of Forestry and Environmental Conservation.
In her free time, she is a collector of Smokey Bear swag and enjoys traveling, paddle boarding, gardening, and hiking with her pup Koda.
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Rosezetta Bobo
Diversity Officer, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Rosezetta claims home as Mississippi, Illinois and Florida and her worldviews from world travel. She has spent her professional career as a trainer, mediator, arbitrator and consultant. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and undergraduate in Criminal Justice, History and Social Science.
She spent many years as a criminal justice professor and volunteer time fighting for social justice and educational equity. Her last twenty years has been working with diversity and inclusion throughout the country.
She is currently the Diversity Officer for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. She enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and continuing to contribute toward social justice and educational issues by serving on the local Police Review Board and FSUS school board. Extracurricular activities that Rosezetta enjoys are bird watching, trail walking, ocean fishing, culture watching and traveling. When time permits, you can find her with a great legal thriller or history novel.
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Class 21 Fellows & Schedule |
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Rob Aldredge Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Chad Allison Partners for Fish & Wildlife/Coastal Program Coordinator, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Chris Altes Archaeologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Clay Archey Senior Manager of Purchasing & Corporate Facilities, A. Duda & Sons Inc.
Kelly Aue Suwannee River Partnership Outreach Coordinator, UF/IFAS Extension
Jessica Blain Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Forest Service
Rosezetta Bobo Diversity Director, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Katherine Clements Ecology & Natural Resources Educator, UF/IFAS Extension
Greg DeAngelo Division Director, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Kristin Foss Biological Scientist IV, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Travis Franklin Captain, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Maxine Hunter Urban Horticulture Extension Agent, UF/IFAS
Cat Ingram Intergovernmental Liaison, Florida Forest Service, FDACS
Kristen Kosik Program Associate for the Conservation Leadership Initiative, Audubon Florida
Jared Lanier Field Representative, Florida Farm Bureau Federation
Jason Lawor Public Affairs Specialist, National Forests in Florida – USDA
Chris Marble Associate Professor, Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida
Nate Mouzon Technical Program Manager, St. Johns River Water Management District
Gregory Owen Senior Planner, Alachua County Board of County Commissioners
Brian Pelc North Florida Restoration Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy
Liesa Priddy Owner, JB Ranch
Jennifer Thera Environmental Consultant, Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Armando Ubeda Florida Sea Grant Agent, UF/IFAS
Savannah Winstanley Ecosystem & Asset Analyst, City of Winter Haven
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