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 Thursday, May 29, 2025.
The morning program will start at Willow Lake Nature Center (2725 Easton Trail, Woodbine, IA 51579), where we will learn about western Iowa and Willow Lake Recreation Area. Mid-morning we will have a group discussion activity about Extension natural resources programming in the counties and how we can all connect to provide natural resources programming throughout the state. We will have lunch together, then in the afternoon we will spend time outdoors recreating in and around the lake! To wrap up the day, we will head to the Murray Hill Scenic Overlook and Loess Hills State Forest for a hike.
Registration
Funding from several sources described below allows us to offer this event at no cost to participants. Registration is 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 May 22nd: https://go.iastate.edu/BKFHS9
Schedule
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 8:30 am | Sign-in table opens - Willow Lake Nature Center |
| 9:00 - 9:10 am | Welcome and introductions |
| 9:10 - 9:30 am | Introduction to western Iowa |
| 9:30 - 10:00 am | Willow Lake Recreation Area overview |
| 10:00 - 11:00 am | Natural resources programming group discussion |
| 11:00 am - 12:00 pm | Lunch |
| 12:00 - 1:30 pm | Willow Lake activities: kayaking, fishing, and archery |
| 1:30 - 2:00 pm | Travel to Murray Hill |
| 2:00 - 3:30 pm | Murray Hill Overlook and hike at Loess Hills State Forest |
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 Madelynn Wuestenberg (mjwues@iastate.edu), Carter Oliver (cpoliver@iastate.edu), Billy Beck (wjbeck@iastate.edu), and Julia Baker (jaclymer@iastate.edu).