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Troubled Waters:
Navigating Rivers of Conflict in Fort Myers
by Ben Christ and Katrina Moseley, NRLI Class XIX Fellows
 A notable silence fell over our group as the gates of the Franklin Lock slowly creaked open, causing the river water to slowly rise around our tour boat. In the eerie calm, we sat at the junction of an intensively managed natural resource system. Ahead lay the fresh water of the Caloosahatchee River, whose dredged bottoms have connected to Lake Okeechobee in South Florida since the 19th century. Behind us, the river's waters mixed with the salt of the Gulf of Mexico to form an invaluable estuary. As if we needed the reminder of man's impact on Florida's ecosystems, the lock in which we sat seemed to symbolize the management needed to compensate for our past meddling with the balance of nature.
A quick flip of a switch broke the silence, and after untying, our boat's powerful motor took us steadily upstream, winding through the Caloosahatchee's beautiful oxbows, taking us past houses and agriculture right at the river's edge.
Our third month of NRLI training completed exposure to our state's three coasts. This month, however, the issue expanded beyond just the coast to encompass the vast freshwater ecosystems that combine to form the Greater Everglades. News of blue-green algae blooms and red tide events in South Florida have been hard to miss in recent years, for the economic and environmental impacts wrought by these disasters are truly staggering. The stress of the algae blooms and red tides for the residents and business of South Florida - inevitably and, perhaps, unsurprisingly - led to significant finger-pointing between stakeholders that could be contributing to the problem. Certainly, someone was to blame, and that someone should be responsible for fixing the issue ... right?
Using this contentious issue to provide context, our NRLI cohort focused on understanding the roots of conflict between stakeholders. As complex and winding as the Caloosahatchee itself, we relied on new tools and each other's experiences to navigate the activities and discussions in the classroom.
In understanding the roots of conflicts, it became apparent that drivers such as relationships, structural issues, data information and personal values can all cause conflict or exacerbate the conflict itself. We learned a lot about one another's individual values, how we differ from one another, how much our values often intertwine, and how truly similar we are to one another. The discussion of values and interests and driving forces behind conflict seemed to bring our group even closer together. It became apparent that although we are all very different people from various walks of life, we all share many similar values such as family, integrity and kindness. It makes you stop and think about how things might be different if stakeholders sat down and discussed their own values with one another so they could learn about the driving forces behind their individual positions and interests.
It simply seems that the more we learn about one another, the deeper we dig into our core and evaluate our values and interests, the closer we become. We have a better sense of understanding one another and what makes each of us tick. Resolving conflict requires us to understand where our fellow stakeholders stand or where they're coming from, which is exactly what we continue to do as a group in NRLI.
 For the second time, we wrapped up our Friday session in a group hug, two dozen very different people united in a common cause: developing leadership skills to better manage Florida's precious natural resources. Scientists of all kinds, policy makers, law enforcement officers, government and non-governmental agents, teachers, moms, dads, friends, and everything in between - our complexity grants us uniqueness but also binds us together in countless similarities. As leaders, we aim to appreciate the complexity of stakeholders involved in natural resource issues, using tools at our disposal to better understand individuals' perceptions of reality, hopes for the future, and concerns of the present. In doing so, we may not only identify the underlying factors that cause conflict, but perhaps even bring stakeholders together to work toward common goals. While this process is rarely easy, the work is easily justified:
It will take all of us working together to effectively manage Florida's complex natural resource systems.
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Knitting Our NRLI Networks
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For the past two years, the NRLI Project Team has offered a customized intra-agency 4-module training to Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) professionals from across the state. The 48 NRLI-DEP alumni from
Spring 2018 and 2019 cohorts gained skills, tools, and approaches for "Effectively Engaging DEP stakeholders."
We are now experiencing an exciting moment in our Institute as we connect some of those alumni with Fellows in our 8-month program.
During Session 3 in Fort Myers, Frank Powell (below, second from right) and Marjorie Karter (below, second from left) - both current Class XIX Fellows - introduced three of their intra-agency program DEP peers to their NRLI 8-month program cohort.
Aside from resulting in valuable networking opportunities across cohorts, the Project Team also appreciates session planning help and stakeholder panel support from our expanding DEP network.
From left to right: Alyssa Freitag (DEP - Environmental Specialist, Office of Ecosystems Projects), Marjorie Karter (DEP & Current NRLI Fellow, Program Consultant), Jennifer Carpenter (DEP - Assistant Director, South District), Jon Dain (NRLI Director), Melynda Brown (DEP - Aquatic Preserve Manager, Office of Resiliance and Coastal Protection), Frank Powell (DEP & Current NRLI Fellow, Assistant Deputy Secretary of Ecosystems Resotration), Wendy-Lin Bartels (NRLI Instructor)
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Lisa Krimsky (Class X) rocked it as guest speaker for our 3rd session in Fort Myers, giving Class XIX a comprehensive (and comprehendible!) overview of water quality & qu
a
ntity issues of the Caloosahatchee.
Not to be outdone by Class X,
Gene McAvoy (Class XIV) participated in session 3's stakeholder panel.
We were also thrilled to have a brief visit from Derrell Jones (Class XVIII) during our stay in Fort Myers. While Derrell's visit was short, we were able to snap this great pic (left) of him with Wendy-Lin.
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Getting to Know Class XIX Fellows
Frank Powell
Assistant Deputy Secretary of Ecosystem Restoration, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
As
the Assistant Deputy Secretary of Ecosystem Restoration for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) I'm responsible for playing a key role in administering five divisions at the FDEP and for overseeing the largest environmental restoration project in the world - restoring America's Everglades. In addition to other ecosystem restoration projects throughout Florida, the offices ensure effective implementation of FDEP's policy, programmatic, technical, and regulatory responsibilities to ensure the state of Florida's interests are represented through policy and program development, which includes legislation, funding, project scheduling, and integration of priorities across the plans referenced above to ensure a holistic approach to Florida ecosystem restoration. I'm a Certified Public Manager, Registered Environmental Manager and Project Management Professional.
On a personal note, I enjoy spending time with my wife (an elementary educator) and daughter (an eighth
grade scholar athlete). Together, our family has been restoring a 13-acre pine/hardwood parcel over the past two years for future homestead.
Andrew Rappe
Assistant Director, UF/IFAS Ordway-Swisher Biological Station
Andy Rappe is the Assistant Director of the University of Florida IFAS Ordway-Swisher Biological Station where he manages Station operations and coordinates research. His background is in ecological restoration and he has worked in natural resource management for the last 14 years. Andy holds a M.S in Forest Resources and Conservation and is passionate about fire management. He serves as a Burn Boss and has trained wildland firefighters from around the world. In his free time, Andy enjoys science fiction, traveling and hanging out with his elderly greyhounds.
Rachael Reichenbach
Independent Community Food System Consultant
Rachael holds a Bachelor of Arts in international affairs from The George Washington University with concentrations in sustainable development, anthropology, and human services. A connector and facilitator at heart, Rachael's work primarily focuses on community food systems and group processes for change makers. Since 2015 Rachael has held various roles in the Florida food system, including farmers market manager, value chain coordinator, and coordinator of Fresh Access Bucks, Florida's statewide nutrition incentive program. In 2018 Rachael served as the co-chair of the Florida Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival and is currently an active participant in the Wallace Center's Food Systems Leadership Network. Rachael also serves as a consultant with the Vibrancy Network, a network of systems thinkers, strategists, and facilitators who support groups in choosing greater vibrancy in their experience and greater impact resilience in their outcomes. When she is not engaging in food systems transformation or supporting groups to live into their highest potential, Rachael can be found adding tools to her facilitation toolkit, playing outside, practicing any number of mindfulness modalities, and reimagining how the various communities she belongs to can be more resilient and equitable.
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Class XIX Fellows
Chris Cason
Equipment Operations/Engineering Tech/Law Enforcement Officer, U.S. Forest Service
Matthew Chopp
Regional Public Hunting Areas Biologist, Wild Hog Issues Specialist, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Ben Christ
Researcher, UF - SPARC USDA
Katelyn Cucinotta
Environmental Analyst, Office of Resilience, Palm Beach County
Ben Glass
Community Affairs Manager, Suwannee River Water Management District
Kathleen Greenwood
Environmental Consultant, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Elizabeth Guthrie
Stewardship Director, North Florida Land Trust
Cacee Hilliard
CARES Coordinator, Florida Farm Bureau
Marjorie Karter
Program Consultant, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Mark Lotz
Biological Scientist III, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Katrina Moseley
Owner/Operator, family cattle & hay farm
Mulit-family Housing & Loan Specialist, USDA Rural Development
Melissa Nasuti
Biologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Planning Division
Sara Owen
Deputy City Manager, City of Lake Butler
Scott Pearce
Law Enforcement Captain, Marine Law Administrator, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Frank Powell
Assistant Deputy Secretary of Ecosystems Restoration, Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Zachary Prusak
Central Florida Program Manager/Florida Fire Manager, The Nature Conservancy
Andrew Rappe
Assistant Director, Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, UF/IFAS
Rachael Reichenbach
Independent Community Food System Consultant
Norma Samuel
Extension Agent IV, Florida-Friendly Landscaping & Urban Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tiffany Trent
Environmental Scientist IV, St Johns River Water Management District
Matt Warren
Environmental Manager, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Office of Agricultural Water Policy
Ana Zangroniz
Extension Agent, UF/IFAS Sea Grant
Class XVIII Schedule
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Dates
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Topic |
Location |
| August 21-23, 2019 |
Impacts of Port Expansion |
Fort Lauderdale |
| September 25-27, 2019 |
Beach Renourishment |
Niceville |
| October 23-25, 2019 |
Water Quality & Estuary Health |
Fort Myers |
| November 20-22, 2019 |
Wildlife Management: Florida Black Bear |
Ocala |
| January 22-24, 2020 |
Agriculture & Water Quality |
Okeechobee |
| February 19-21, 2020 |
Lake Istokpoga Management |
Sebring |
| March 18-20, 2020 |
Forestry |
Marianna area |
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April 15-17, 2019
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Graduation & Practicum Presentations |
Gainesville |
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#NRLI #NRLIrocks #NRLIalum
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