How do they do it?

Working effectively with rural landowners on conservation practices is one of the Chesapeake watershed’s most in-demand skills. Ever wonder what makes the best-of-the-best so successful?

We asked them.

Join us for a one-hour webinar on Tuesday, September 18 at 1 pm to learn about the findings of our research on rural landowner outreach, including what some of the watershed’s top NGO, agency, and private sector outreach professionals think about:

…the benefits and challenges for landowners of the watershed’s most-used conservation practices

…the skills that make them most successful at cultivating landowner relationships

…the advice they would give to new outreach staff

…how they work with Plain Sect farmers, who play a critical role in Pennsylvania’s agricultural community

Through survey and focus group results, this project provides new insights to help staff at soil conservation districts, land trusts, and other agency and NGO partners build and refine their outreach skills. Findings from this research will also inform training workshops to be delivered later this fall in several watershed locations.

This project is a collaboration of Water Words that Work, LLC and the Chesapeake Land and Water Initiative, a partnership of the Chesapeake Bay Funders Network and the Land Trust Alliance. We are grateful for the project support of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund’s Technical Capacity Grants program, funded in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as support from the Foundation for Pennsylvania’s Watersheds.

Register here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IaPpYdYZzUnj2SC35wxvpj8baPSEBCpZQNbHGsQtmIo/viewform?edit_requested=true  

Questions? Contact Jennifer Miller Herzog at jmillerherzog@lta.org or 406-580-6410.

About the presenters:

Eric Eckl, founder and principal at Water Words That Work, LLC, has more than 20 years’ experience planning and executing environmental outreach and communications programs. Eric is a sought-after conference speaker and has appeared on CNN and been quoted in the New York Times. Before starting the firm, Eric worked for Beaconfire Consulting, American Rivers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Environmental Law Institute.

Bobby Whitescarver, Whitescarver Natural Resources Management, LLC, has decades of experience in watershed and wildlife habitat restoration working with farmers. Bobby retired from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service after 31 years in the field. He has extensive experience designing and implementing livestock grazing systems, including fencing and alternative watering systems. He has been involved with more than 500 miles of stream bank protection work, helped landowners plant over half a million native hardwood trees and establish and maintain more than a thousand acres of native prairie, and has successfully brought back the Northern Bobwhite to many farms. Bobby is an Agronomist, certified Nutrient Management Planner, certified Prescribed Burn Manager, and certified Resource Management Planner.