1. Competence & Commitment in Conservation Project Planning
Assess The Need
Competence & Commitment in Conservation Project Planning
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2. Conservation Project
A conservation project is a short-term event that occurs as the opportunity and/or desire to participate becomes available. For the purposes of this training, we will consider conservation projects to be short-term in planning and execution and are lower in capital and labor resource commitments. These events require little follow-up and reporting to be done and can generally be accomplished in a few hours.
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3. Conservation Initiative
A conservation initiative is a commitment on behalf of an organization to develop a habit of conservation with specific dedication to a particular conservation need. This form of conservation program is long-term in planning and execution and can be high in capital and labor resource commitments. This type of program requires a plan to follow-up and that more detailed reporting and monitoring mechanisms are employed; these programs consist of many small projects and can require many months of planning with continued development over many years.
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4. Conservation Project
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5. Conservation Initiative
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6. Understanding Your Lodge’s Competence and Commitment
is the combined ability and desire of a particular organization to provide both capital and labor resources to achieve a specified goal.
Competence:
is the level of relative understanding and experience regarding a particular aspect of conservation. Examples include specific knowledge for trail-building conditions in a certain geological climate, an understanding of invasive and native plant and animal species for a local ecology, and experience with tool maintenance and safety.
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Lodge Membership – With a HIGH level of commitment to the intended conservation program, your lodge membership at the beginning stages may find themselves with more enthusiasm then knowledge. The relatively LOW level of competence represents an opportunity for learning to take place but a need for conservation expertise.
Local Community – As an important part of the ACS curriculum, involvement of the local community is critical to the ultimate success and maintenance of a conservation program. The makeup of the local community (including your council membership) may have little or no conservation knowledge. At the same time you may find the community willing to support your lodge as you move forward.
Council Conservation Committee – If your council has a local conservation committee they can be an excellent resource to get started. The committee is a source of potential conservation expertise and materials; they may also possess knowledge of a specific regional issue that requires attention. The LOW level of commitment represents the inability to commit labor resources to a project.
Local Resource Manager – One of the best sources of high levels of regionally applicable conservation expertise and materials is a local resource management organization, such as the USFS, BLM and Parks Service to name a few. Their HIGH level of competence can be hindered by a LOW level of commitment to your program as the resources at their disposal are already in use elsewhere and stretched thin. Many land managers welcome volunteers, however are concerned that these groups may create more work then they accomplish.
Conservation Organization – The thousands of issue specific conservation organizations that are scattered about the country are one of the best inroads towards the development of an ongoing conservation program. These groups generally possess a HIGH level of competence with extensive knowledge of local and regional conservation issues. At the same time their HIGH level of commitment to a program usually includes a dedicated core group of volunteers and equipment; these groups are generally always looking for a more potent workforce.
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9. THEPOWEROFONE 2009NOACTRAINING Fig3 COMPETENCE COMMITMENT PROGRAM TYPE
WHERE TO START 4
LOW
HIGH
Project
If there is a large group of members who would like to pursue a conservation program however you lack sufficient expertise, seek to work with an already established conservation organization. Find a one-day project to which you can provide labor resources adding significant value which will start to develop conservation minded lodge membership. 1
LOW - MED
If there is a small core of people within your membership who would like to pursue a conservation program and you are uncertain of your conservation expertise, you should seek to work with an already established conservation organization. Team up for success by potentially recruiting from the local council membership to provide sufficient labor resources to the project. With increased local support you can start build a conservation base. 2
LOW – MED
Project → Initiative
If there is a small core of individuals with a high level of conservation expertise and the relative interest of the lodge membership is low – begin by planning a small one-day project to garner interest in conservation. The project should focus more on education and less on completion. From this base you can begin to build a conservation initiative around a certain conservation issue. 3
Initiative
If there is a sufficient level of conservation expertise and interest from within your own lodge membership, you can begin to develop a long-term conservation initiative made up of several smaller projects. Seek to involve the local community and council membership; work to partner with other third-party organizations that are dedicated to similar issues.
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10. ACS CONSERVATION PROGRAM CAPABILITY INVENTORY
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11. One Day Projects
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12. Conservation Related Dates
Spring > Fall
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13. Goals of a Continuous Conservation Project Effort
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14. Other Project Idea Resources
Schedule of Proposed Actions SOPA (USFS) - This is a document that every US Forest in the nation must produce on a quarterly basis. This document details all of the current activities that the local US Forest will be undertaking for the near future including the contact person for specific projects. Many times they are looking for volunteer support for these types of projects and would be happy to hear from you. You can request a printed version by calling the local US Forest Service office or it can be downloaded as an electronic file by going to their specific web site. To find your local US Forest Service web site visit the US Forest Service's main web site:
General Management Plans (NPS) - The General Management Plans of the NPS are all combined at one central web site: Similar to the Schedule of Proposed Actions document produced by the USFS, the National Park Service has a different management responsibility and therefore the General Management Plan will include information that might not be conservation project specific. This document is still a great source of information about potential projects and contacts within a local national park.
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15. National Volunteer Web Sites
- is an online resource for not only finding volunteer opportunities in your community, but also creating your own.
- a partnership among the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, State of New York Division of Veterans Affairs, the Corporation for National and Community Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S.A. Freedom Corps aimed at providing a single, easy-to-use web portal with information about volunteer opportunities. The site allows you to search for volunteer opportunities by keyword, state, activity, partner, and/or date range.
- Bureau of Land Management
- National Park Service Volunteer web site
- US Forest Service Volunteer web site
- U.S. Geological Survey Volunteer web site
- US Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer web site
- Take Pride in America is a national partnership program authorized by Congress to promote the appreciation and stewardship of public lands, including parks, forests, historic sites, and schools. Take Pride in America is active in all fifty states, has partnerships with public, private, and nonprofit organizations. There are even awards you can apply for after you have documented your volunteer hours.
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16. Questions?
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