The Natural Resources Stewardship Professional Development Day is an annual one-day training and networking event for extension professionals to come together from across Iowa and a broad swath of program areas and disciplines to be inspired by some time outdoors, as well as discuss, network, and learn about natural resource issues, educational needs, and programming opportunities.This year's program is on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 and will be exploring conservation around Carroll and Guthrie Counties. We'll start at White Rock Conservancy, where the private organization is engaged in a wide variety of natural resource conservation efforts in forests, grasslands, agriculture, and outdoor recreation. From there, attendees can choose from one of two tours exploring conservation topics at Templeton Rye Distillery or Swan Lake State Park.
The morning program will start at Bur Oak Visitor Center (1436 IA 141, Coon Rapids, IA 50058)
Registration
Registration for this event is free and open to all ISU Extension employees. Educators from county offices and campus across all four program areas are welcome and encouraged to attend this unique professional development event!
Please use this link to register by Wednesday, May 8th, 2024: https://go.iastate.edu/MLGLHQ
Schedule
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 9:30 am | Registration opens, Bur Oak Visitor Center |
| 10:00 am | Welcome and orientation, Bur Oak Visitor Center |
| 10:30 am |
Driving tour of conservation at White Rock Conservancy |
| 11:45 am | Lunch, Bur Oak Visitor Center |
| 12:30 pm | Dismiss for afternoon tours, see details below |
Tour details
The afternoon session will be two seperate tours that you can choose from.
Templeton Rye Tour
Explore the Templeton Distillery along with natural resources experts who will share how fundamental healthy natural resources are to this thriving Iowa business.
You will need to pay $10 cash / card on-site to participate in this tour.
Carrol County Conservation Tour (Swan Lake State Park)
Learn about natural resources education and management at Swan Lake State Park near Carroll. We'll visit with a fisheries biologist from the Iowa DNR to learn about management efforts at the lake, we'll explore the park and their facilities, and we'll learn from Carroll County Naturalists about their education center.
Funding
Funding for the annual Natural Resources Professional Development Day is provided by the Renewable Resources Extension Act from USDA, the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State, and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Iowa mini-grants.
Organizing Committee
This year's event is organized by Adam Janke (ajanke@iastate.edu), Kay Stefanik (kcstefan@iastate.edu), and Mike Witt (witt@iastate.edu). Please contact them with any questions.