September 2022
NRLI News
Alumni News
Heads Up, NRLI Alumni!

It's alumni interview time of year again - you may receive a call or email from a current Fellow asking for tips on a) how to get the best out the NRLI experience, b) how you are using your NRLI skills and tools and c) the mysteries surrounding “the Practicum.” 

Additionally, the project team is holding a planning retreat in October to select session topics and locations for Class 23. 

Please offer your session suggestions here: https://airtable.com/shrTwwTNjdZyXmuSL
8-Month Flagship Program | Session 1
Reflections of Apalachicola
By Tiffany Lane and Linda Sapp, NRLI Class 22 Fellows

It’s Saturday morning after session 1 of NRLI Cohort 22. We find ourselves sipping coffee and reflecting on what a captivating group of people we just met. This will be no surprise to NRLI alumni, but the leadership group has put together a talented and diverse set of individuals for this cohort. We gathered from far and wide across the state (and 1 all the way from Nashville!) in the small town of Apalachicola. It was obvious that we represented many different organizations from our name badges, but the backgrounds and perspectives that trickled out over the course of a few days were interesting and inspirational.

We learned that one of our cohort members participated in the Peace Corps Response on the Pacific Island nation of Fiji. While providing educational and technical support on environmental preservation focused on coastal systems, she learned the importance of family heritage to the local people. It was very important to local families to honor their grandfather by working and living on the same land as he did, even though that land was succumbing to sea-level rise and other threats. Working with other partners and non-profits, they focused on the needs and priorities of the local community and developed messaging that emphasized the best way they could honor their grandfathers is to set their grandkids up for safety and success. By understanding and supporting the priorities of the stakeholders, they were able to successfully help families relocate to more sustainable and resilient lands at higher elevations.

We heard similar stories when speaking to stakeholders in Apalachicola and hearing about their perspectives on the current status of the watershed and oyster harvest. This community has centered around oyster harvest as its main economic driver and employment for many generations. This reality has been halted with oyster harvest completely shut down in Apalachicola Bay in 2020. While this shut down could have completely dismantled the community, many have remained resilient and hopeful. A major way they have moved forward this is by turning towards their children and setting them up for success. They have deployed conservation programs to teach kids and young adults skills for coastal restoration that will maintain their culture of working outdoors and within the coastal environment. These stories taught us that understanding stakeholder needs and priorities for the community can help focus our messaging and practices to develop relevant natural resource conservation strategies.

While continuing to reflect on life and the things happening in the small town of Apalachicola, let’s go back to why we were there in the first place. The question arises: “What is NRLI and why are we here?” From this first session it seems NRLI is about listening, communicating with one another to disagree, addressing issues, understanding past and present history, networking for the good of the people and collaborating on how we can all work together to solve the problems that relate to natural resources, in this instance the issues facing Apalachicola, "Florida’s forgotten coast."
 
This session had to do a lot with respecting one another, becoming a new leader, working together as a people and discussing what’s going on in this part of the world. Thank you NRLI for teaching us how to be patient and listen, because there is a lot to be said, and a lot to learn.
Getting to Know Class 22
Two New Scholarships Awarded to Class 22 Fellows

For the first time, NRLI awarded two Rosetta Bobo Equity & Inclusion Scholarships, as well as a scholarship from the UF Water Institute. Both of these scholarships are the first of their kind and highlight the integral role partners and alumni play in helping NRLI grow in ways we wouldn't otherwise be able to.

The unique partnership with the UF Water Institute (UFWI) and the UF Water Institute's NRLI Scholarship are highlighted on the UFWI's blog, and you can read more about the Rosetta Bobo Equity & Inclusion Scholarship, spearheaded by an alumnae from Class 21, on our website.

If you'd like to help make the Rosetta Bobo Equity & Inclusion Scholarship sustainable so we can award this scholarship on an annual basis, please consider making a donation.

The Class 22 recipients of the Rosetta Bobo Equity & Inclusion Scholarship and the UF Water Institute's NRLI Scholarship are featured below.
Rosetta Bobo Equity & Inclusion Scholarship
Mark Rachal
Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries Manager, Audubon Florida

Mark Rachal is originally from the Midwest; born in Chicago and lived in St. Louis. Mark moved to Tampa in 2005 and began volunteering with Audubon Florida’s Roseate Spoonbill banding project in the spring of 2006. He is currently the Sanctuary Manager for the Coastal Islands Sanctuaries. Mark has a Bachelor of Science degree from Davidson College and undertook graduate work at Eastern Michigan University. His duties include bird surveys, habitat management, and bird sanctuary conservation. He has surveyed and managed the majority of the significant waterbird colonies, including three recently designated as Critical Wildlife Areas by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, along the Gulf Coast of Florida. He is a member of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Reddish Egret Working Group, Wood Stork Working Group and the American Oystercatcher Working Group. He works on a number of habitat restoration projects in the Tampa Bay area, including large-scale living shoreline projects to protect important bird nesting islands.
Rosetta Bobo Equity & Inclusion Scholarship
Linda Sapp
Extension Agent, Cooperative Extension Program, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU)
 
Linda Sapp is an Extension Agent for Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Cooperative Extension Program. Linda’s position requires frequent travel to various counties which include: Leon, Gadsden, Gulf, and Franklin. As an Extension Agent Linda educates youth and seniors on how to prepare and sustain urban gardens using raised beds for growing vegetables, herbs and native flowers and plants.
 
Linda facilitates the Florida Youth Naturalist Summer Program. This is a FAMU 4H partnership/University of Florida curriculum for youth which involves learning about the ecology in Florida, upland ecosystems, freshwater ecosystems, and coastal ecosystems. Linda’s goal is to help develop a greater appreciation and respect for the great outdoors.

In her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends. She also enjoys biking, hiking, searching and rescuing rare plants, birdwatching, and traveling. She loves trying to save what is valuable for the environment and the ecosystems. She loves planting flowers to feed beneficial insects.
 
Linda is excited to be a NRLI participant. She hopes to gain knowledge on the critical natural resource issues facing the state of Florida and network with other professionals. Linda graduated with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Florida A&M University, she is a Certified Florida Master Naturalist, and Master Gardener.
UF Water Institute Scholarship
Daniel Roberts
Environmental Specialist III, Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority

Originally from Valdosta, GA, Daniel moved to SW Florida ten years ago after completing his BS Biology – Microbiology at Dalton State College in North Georgia. His goal when relocating to Florida - to “find a career doing something scientific and also was mostly outdoors.” That he did! Daniel is now an environmental specialist at Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority with over 10 years’ experience working in water resources, aquifer storage and recovery (ASR), land management and environmental planning, monitoring, and sampling projects in Southwest Florida.

In his current role, Daniel manages The Authority’s network of 21 ASR wells and their 24 associated monitoring wells, assists with land management of a 6500-acre reserve, and leads the Authority’s environmental projects on the Peace River including monitoring up-river mining and agriculture related activities. Within this role, Daniel currently serves on the Steering Committee for the Florida and Water Climate Alliance, Technical Advisory Committee for the Coastal and Heartland National Estuary Program, and Technical Advisory Group for the Horse Creek Stewardship Program.
Class 22 Fellows & Schedule
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.
Natural Resources Leadership Institute
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