Notes from the Project Team |
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Director's Corner
By Jon Dain, NRLI Director
As we prepare for next week’s NRLI session in Miami, I realize that today marks two weeks since Hurricane Ian devastated a large swath of coastal southwest Florida. The disturbing littoral images of Ian’s impact are now seared into our memories as are the stories of loss and trauma. The storm also moved inland as we know, unleashing destructive rains and wind as it tore a path across the state. From power and internet outages to destruction of property, businesses and key infrastructure, innumerable Floridians have been heavily impacted - including many NRLI alumni. We now know that members of the current Class 22 were severely affected. Our hearts go out to all those touched by one of the most damaging storms in Florida’s history.
In every moment of darkness there is also light. Over the last week I have been moved by accounts of emergency hurricane response, including those of current and former NRLI Fellows. The stories are of long days of crisis and relief work carried out under extraordinarily difficult conditions. FWC law enforcement officers leading challenging search and rescue efforts, UF Extension agents tending to endless county needs, local government staff spending day after day at emergency shelters and distribution centers… I describe only a tiny fraction of alumni efforts and actions. We at NRLI are privileged to work with extraordinary people. Which is one reason I am so excited to be back working with the program.
Before the hurricane forced its way into the news and this newsletter, I had been intending to share reflections on my sabbatical year away* from NRLI. For those who do not know, Karen and I spent most of the last year on “Professional Development Leave” in the city of Kyoto, Japan. Kyoto is surely one of the most beautiful cities on earth with 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and jaw-dropping vistas seasonally framed by fall colors in autumn and an explosion of cherry blossoms each spring. It is Japan’s original capital (established 794) and home to Kyoto University where Karen and I were warmly welcomed as visiting faculty. Although the pandemic limited many of our planned activities, being at the University, taking memorable fieldtrips and having the chance to do a lot of reading made for a fascinating overall experience that provided me with innumerable insights about natural resources, natural resource management, environmental history and, of course, different ways of perceiving the world around us. Many of the things I studied are relevant to the State of Florida, something I will touch on in future editions of this newsletter.
In the meantime, we are thrilled to be working with another impressive group of professionals in NRLI Class 22. Below, current Fellows Emily Ducker and Tommy Van Trees describe our September session in Tampa. The curriculum focus was on empathic listening, further cohort building and understanding some of the basic principles underpinning conflict management strategies. We also learned about Manatee County’s 2021 “Piney Point incident” from people directly involved in the emergency response. A leak in a 480-million-gallon wastewater retention pond threatened the integrity of its associated (and immense) gypsum stack at Piney Point. The situation was far more complex than any of us had imagined and became alarmingly close to an environmental and socio-economic catastrophe. I have been reminded of that high-stakes emergency decision-making (thank you to alumnus Ben Melnick for walking us through it in riveting detail) as I follow the hurricane response in SW Florida and think about the actions of those involved. Recovery will require a lot of collective reflection, difficult negotiation and collaborative decision-making now and in the future. Thank you to those on the frontlines doing this challenging work.
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*A heartfelt thank you to Wendy-Lin, Joy, and Jocelyn for picking up the slack while I was away and doing a fabulous job running the program. Collaborative leadership at its best by an immensely talented project team.
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8-Month Flagship Program | Session 2 |
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Learning by Listening
By Emily Ducker and Tommy Van Trees, NRLI Class 22 Fellows
You would have found it hard to believe that we had been away from each other for a month watching each fellow roll into our beautiful hotel in Bradenton! It was so nice to get the “band back together” and be able to start putting lessons learned into play with the hot topic that is Piney Point. You could really see our cohort starting to gel and feel more comfortable around each other. This led to a great session, and a great discussion on an issue with no easy answer.
How do you have a productive and meaningful discussion on such topics? It starts with listening. We really delved into empathic listening and affective listening. We learned to keep an open mind, be patient with your speaker, and be in tune with what your speaker is feeling. This was best demonstrated in an exercise where our project team gave us three controversial topics pertinent in today's society. After everyone took a deep breath, thought “Ok, I can do this”, we were off and running. Admittedly, this was a much harder exercise than it may seem on paper. In some instances fellows had to listen to a peer with an opposing view, all while showing you were interested, asking questions, and not swaying the conversation. This tool was our key lesson learned during the session and proved beneficial for understanding the complex issue behind Piney Point.
When asked, many fellows had a very broad idea of what Piney Point was and what it entailed. After listening to subject matter experts the full picture of the issue came into focus. This process started with learning exactly what phosphate is used for, how important it is to our country and everyday people, how it is mined, and what’s done with the remaining phosphate gypsum. During the field trip we revisited key sites relating to Piney Point. We heard from the incident commander of the Piney Point response and were educated about the series of events that unfolded, and how they unfolded. It was evident that there was not going to be an outcome that appeased all sides, while saving lives, protecting the environment, and preserving nearby infrastructure. Many of the decisions made were made in the best interests of all, but as we have learned thru our first two sessions, communicating and listening could have likely led to a better understanding from all as to why these decisions were made.
Continuing our field trip, we entered Port Manatee where we learned the importance of the port and all the products coming in and exporting out, as well as how big an employer the port is in Manatee County. This experience gave us perspective on how the situation at Piney Point could have had catastrophic consequences if a full breach had come to fruition.
Our project team did a wonderful job lining up key stakeholders that were allowed to talk about Piney Point. This was no easy task since there is ongoing litigation. These stakeholders brought a personal insight into this current situation, but also the fact that this has been a concern going on for decades. We learned of the concerns for the bay going back almost 30 years, and how Piney Point may have been a major contributing factor to the declining health of the bay and its current state.
This session helped us all understand how truly complex issues can be and how listening is extremely important. Not only after the incident, but before and during. Our exercises helped us prepare for future endeavors while giving us a real-world example in the lessons gathered from Piney Point.
In conclusion, it was another amazing three days learning and growing. Our key take away is best summarized in a quote by Stephen Covey. “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
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2022-2023 Scholarship Recipients |
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Local Government Scholarship
Eliana Bardi
Senior Planner, Water Resources Division, Alachua County Environmental Protection Department
Eliana has been with the Alachua County’s Environmental Protection Department since 2006. She initially joined the Natural Resources Division where she evaluated large-scale developments for protection of conservation resources such as wetlands and habitat. In the last year, she dove into the Water Resources Division leading the Water Conservation group. In her current role, she has been able to leverage her experience with the development process and land development codes to further advance water conservation policies. Eliana works closely with developers, builders, irrigation installers, researchers, extension, utilities, and other partners to conserve Florida’s precious water resources and springs. She is passionate about reducing the impacts of our built environment.
Eliana graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. in Economics and an M.S. in Environmental Engineering Sciences (Systems/Wetlands Ecology). She started her career as a researcher in American Samoa inventorying mangrove forests and developing stream condition indexes. She then joined the University of Florida’s Center for Wetlands, participating in a variety of research projects including studies on isolated forested wetlands throughout Florida and evaluation of wetland mitigation policy.
In her spare time, Eliana enjoys hiking (preferably mountainous terrain), traveling, watching her kids play soccer or volleyball, or just chilling with her family and two dogs.
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Bruce Delaney Scholarship
Erika Henderson
Past President, Tangelo Farms
Erika Henderson is past president of Tangelo Farms, a specialty citrus operation in Alachua, Putnam, and Marion counties. Her farm - also known as Henderson and Daughter Plants and Produce - provided clean, affordable food to community members from 2001 to 2018 through grower-only farmers’ markets, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), and hunger-relief organizations in the area. After citrus greening devastated the groves of Tangelo Farms as well as the Florida citrus industry, Erika continued her work to support the food community through consumer and farmer education and by serving as an advisory member both to her local Extension office and to farmers’ market boards.
Erika earned her bachelor’s degree in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences from the University of Florida. Her professional experience includes project management, volunteer engagement, fundraising campaigns, outreach, marketing, and database administration for non-profit organizations and a municipal agency, as well as business and data analysis for a corporate Research and Development operation.
Her love of community, communication, and connectedness paired with extensive work experience gives Erika a unique perspective on building connections and relationships and inspiring stakeholders toward cooperative effort to solve problems and improve and enrich communities. Erika resides in Gainesville, Florida where she is currently the membership coordinator for a local public broadcast station.
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General Joe Joyce Scholarship for Natural Resources Leadership
Ashford Rosenberg
Policy Director, Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholder's Alliance
Ashford caught the “bug” young while fishing with her grandfather in St. Francis National Forest in Arkansas. That, compounded by early exposure to ocean-focused documentaries, led her to a passion for marine conservation. She obtained a BS in Marine Science at Eckerd College and an MS in Environmental Science at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Her graduate work focused on sustainable seafood education at the Tennessee Aquarium. From there, her journey landed her at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans, Louisiana where she was the Outreach Manager for their sustainable seafood initiative, Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries (G.U.L.F.). It was here that she found her calling working for, with, and on behalf of commercial fishermen and fishing communities in the Gulf of Mexico.
In 2018, Ashford joined the Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders’ Alliance, the largest organization of commercial grouper and snapper fishermen in the Gulf. She serves as their Policy Director, working to promote science-based fisheries management and to support healthy fish populations, robust ecosystems, and economically viable fishing businesses. While physically located in Nashville, Ashford’s work is based in Florida and across the Gulf region.
In her “spare time,” Ashford finds any excuse to dance, having recently taught fitness classes and danced for six years with a Mardi Gras krewe before moving away from New Orleans to Nashville, TN.
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Farm Credit of Florida Agricultural & Natural Resources Scholarship
Jared Smith
Smith and John's Inc.
Jared Smith is a representative of Florida Farm Bureau, and his family’s farming operation, Smith and John’s Inc. Jared is a 2017 graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College with Bachelors of Science in Agriculture. Three things that make Jared “tick” are Faith, Family, and Farm.
Faith: Jared and his wife Kamryn are active in their local church helping with the Next Gen program for young folks 7th grade through college. Jared’s goal is to be the best role model and example for the community’s young people that he can be. “As a producer I recognize the Lord’s hand in every aspect of my life. I recognize that though I may plant a seed, water it, fertilize it, cultivate it, etc. I am unable to make the embryo grow, that is in the Lord’s hands! In the same way I recognize that I see the small decisions I make each and every day in life, but God sees the whole picture, he knows the end of the film before I even get there!”
Family: Jared is extremely grateful to the Florida Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher program for bringing he and his wife together in 2019. Family is very important to him and he is excited to have had the opportunity to return to his family’s centennial farming operation this year in Hastings.
Farm: Agriculture runs deep in Jared’s roots. A smell that brings back fond memories is the smell of fresh turned soil. As a child his favorite thing to do was to climb in the tractor to ride with anyone willing to let him! He loved being his dad’s right hand helper until college and now looks forward to life coming full circle when one day he can take his own kids tractor riding on the same operation secured by the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program!
Raised in Farm Bureau Jared loves the opportunity to serve as The Voice of Agriculture and network and advocate on behalf of agriculture and good stewardship of the resources with which God has blessed us. He is grateful to Florida Farm Bureau for the opportunity to be a NRLI fellow to learn more about Florida's natural resources, expand leadership skills and knowledge, and be able to network with folks from around the state so that future generations will be able to enjoy a balanced State of Sunshine.
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Local Government Scholarship
John T. (Jay) Vogel
Operations Manager, Natural Resources Planning Services, Inc. | City Commissioner & Mayor Pro Tem, City of San Antonio, FL
Jay is actively involved in the forestry and environmental fields, both in Florida and nationally. He is the Operations Manager and the Environmental Services Division Manager for Natural Resource Planning Services, a forestry and environmental consulting firm based in San Antonio, Florida. Outside of work, he is the immediate past chairman of the Board of Directors of Earth Force, a national environmental education non-profit, serves as the forestry representative on the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Agricultural Advisory Board, and is also a member of the Forestry Advisory Committee for the Florida Farm Bureau. Jay is an elected municipal official and serves as the building and zoning commissioner and the Mayor Pro Tem of San Antonio, Florida. He attended Harvard University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Land-Use Planning and began his professional career with the US Army Corps of Engineers in federal natural resource management. After three years with the Corps, Jay attended Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to pursue a master’s degree in Natural Resources. His master’s research focused on rural land-use and habitat fragmentation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of Montana and the Upper Adirondack Park of New York State, and his interest in rural land-use informs his work at Natural Resource Planning and his service as a city commissioner.
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Class 22 Fellows & Schedule |
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Eliana Bardi Senior Planner, Alachua County Environmental Protection Department
Liza Bradford Director of Finance, Florida Farm Bureau Federation
Michael Chase Program Administrator, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Emily Ducker Water Supply Program Manager, Suwannee River Water Management District
Vincent Encomio Florida Sea Grant Agent, UF/IFAS Extension
Stephen Fulford Environmental Manager, Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Erika Henderson President, Tangelo Farms | Membership Coordinator, WUFT
Shelly Johnson State Specialized Agent, UF/IFAS Extension
Amanda Kahn Lead Environmental Project Manager, South FL Water Management District
Tiffany Lane Wildlife Biologist & Coastal Program Coordinator, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Brooke Langston Supervisor, Sarasota County Parks & Natural Resources
Jennifer Mitchell Environmental Scientist IV, St. Johns River Water Management District
Daniel Nelson Biologist IV, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Joni Petry Environmental Administrator, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Matthew Posner Executive Director, Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program
Mark Rachal Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries Manager, Audubon Florida
India Riedel Finance Director, City of Okeechobee
Daniel Roberts Environmental Specialist III, Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority
Ashford Rosenberg Policy Director, Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' Alliance
Linda Sapp Extension Agent, College of Ag & Food Sciences, Florida A&M University
Brian Seymour Archaeologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Jared Smith Smith & Johns, Inc.
Tommy Van Trees Captain Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Jay Vogel Operations & Environmental Services Manager, Natural Resource Planning Services, Inc.
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