By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source(s):
Peter Colverson pcolverson@tnc.org, (352) 392-3210
Victoria Tschinkel vtschinkel@tnc.org, (850) 222-0199
GAINESVILLE, Fla.—To help meet the growing need for professionals who manage and protect important natural areas in Florida, The Nature Conservancy is offering a new training program in cooperation with the University of Florida.
The Natural Areas Training Academy — the result of a partnership between the non-profit, international conservation organization and UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, or UF/IFAS — is designed for public and private resource managers.
During the past four years, more than 600 people have participated in 30 academy workshops that provide up-to-date, practical training and management strategies for protecting natural areas in Florida. Five new workshops are being offered by the academy during February, March, April and May 2005.
Peter Colverson, an associate professor who manages the Conservancy’s training academy at UF/IFAS in Gainesville, said the state has added millions of acres to its protected lands during the past 15 years, which has created a need for more and better-trained professionals to manage those lands.
“These professionals provide a critical service — managing the state’s conservation lands to ensure that important biological resources are protected for future generations,” Colverson said. “The training academy’s workshops provide land managers with the techniques and strategies they need to protect these valuable natural resources.”
Those who complete a series of five workshops earn a Certificate in Natural Areas Management from the academy. Colverson said the credential has been adopted by five Florida counties as a basic qualification for land management work. The certificate has been endorsed by the Natural Areas Association and used as a template to establish nationwide standards for conservation land management training.
The academy training program is also supported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Park Service, which may make the training a basic requirement for managers in the state park system.
“Since 2000, the partnership between The Nature Conservancy and UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has been a key factor in the academy’s success,” Colverson said. “The partnership combines the expertise of a well-respected international conservation organization with 50 years of land management experience and Florida’s land-grant university.”
The combination also allows the conservation organization to improve its reach and effectiveness by working with the UF/IFAS statewide extension education program, he said. As a result, the Conservancy is able to present its scientifically based land management values to a diverse, interagency audience.
Colverson said the partnership has other benefits, too. The training academy provides university faculty and other personnel with new opportunities to engage in natural resource education. In 2004, for example, the Conservancy cooperated with the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation, presenting three workshops to help private land owners adopt ecologically friendly management practices. The close working relationship also helps the Conservancy obtain grant funding from state land management agencies.
“Of course, there are some challenges to this unique partnership between two organizations that have different cultures and policies,” he said. “We have to deal with issues such as ownership of resources, fund raising, accounting practices and liability. It’s important to give proper credit to each organization for their role in the partnership.” Victoria Tschinkel, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Tallahassee, Fla., said it is well known in the conservation community that acquiring land — while critical — is not enough to ensure its long-term protection.
“Lands must be restored, if damaged, and managed over time in order to preserve their natural values,” she said. “This can only be accomplished by well-trained people who have the necessary resources. The Natural Areas Training Academy has shown that Florida’s resource managers are interested and committed to expanding their skills and taking their expertise to a new level.”
While the majority of the lands the Conservancy helps protect are in public ownership, the organization also owns and manages several preserves throughout the state, Colverson said. These include: The Disney Wilderness Preserve in Osceola County, Blowing Rocks Preserve on Jupiter Island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon, Tiger Creek Preserve near Lake Wales, Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, and the Islands Initiative Preserve in northeast Florida.
He said spring 2005 workshops include Working Across Boundaries to Protect Ecosystems, Feb. 1-3, at Camp Kulaque in Gainesville; Vegetation Monitoring in a Management Context, Feb. 20-26, at the Archbold Biological Station in Lake Placid; Applying Technology to Management, March 1-3, at the Crystal River State Park; Restoration Planning and Techniques for Forested Lands, April 5-7, at Lake Talquin State Forest in Tallahassee; and Managing Visitors and Volunteers in Natural Areas, May 3-5, at the Disney Wilderness Preserve near Kissimmee.
For more information on the workshops and registration, visit the training academy Web site: http://nata.snre.ufl.edu or contact Colverson at (352) 392-3210 or pcolverson@tnc.org.
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