2017

Annual Report

A Quick Overview of 2017

This was the 18th year of operation for the Natural Areas Training Academy (NATA). We hosted 6 workshops that were attended by 145 workshop participants who represented 49 organizations. This effort represents 3,048 instructor-student contact hours. In addition, 27 instructors from 13 different entities (state, federal, county, and city agencies, private and non-profit organizations, universities, and military) provided their expertise as instructors. Unfortunately for NATA, one of our most ardent supporters and long-term contributors, Nels Parson, hung up his instructor hat after teaching Managing Visitors and Volunteers in Natural Areas a final time this May. We thank Nels for his many years of service and inspiration. Lastly, 3 participants completed the five-workshop series, earning their Certificate in Natural Areas Management (CNAM), bringing the total number of CNAM graduates to 151. Since its inception, 1,390 people have participated in NATA workshops.

NATA Milestone: Over 150 Individuals Have Earned their Certificate in Natural Areas Management!

The Certificate in Natural Areas Management is offered by NATA to individuals who complete a series of ‘core’ workshops covering the topics identified as most important by practitioners in the field. Three professional land managers earned their certificate during 2017, bringing the total number of participants who have earned a certificate through NATA to 151! Congratulations to our 2017 graduates, Casey Beavers (left; DEP), Laura Starkey (middle; Heartwood Preserve), and Michael Yustin (right; Martin County). To earn the certificate, core workshops may be completed in any order, and there is no time limit to complete the series. In fact, 12 years elapsed between Michael’s first and last workshop! Congratulations to all of our graduates.

THANK YOU to our INSTRUCTORS

NATA instructors are managers with many years of experience with public and private land management agencies. One of the virtues of our workshops is that seasoned managers teach folks at earlier stages in their careers to become even better at what they do. Knowledgeable, experienced instructors are the key to the success of the Natural Areas Training Academy. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of this season’s 27 instructors who generously offered their time, knowledge, and expertise. NATA would not exist if it were not for the contributions of these experts. THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR INSTRUCTORS! Instructors represented 13 agencies and organizations in 2017, including:

The Nature Conservancy

Wildland Restoration International

University of Florida

St. Johns River Water Management District

Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Avon Park Air Force Range

Camp Blanding

City of Gainesville

Audubon

Alachua Conservation Trust

Seminole County

Workshop Participants

Participants in 2017 workshops came from diverse backgrounds and varied experiences. They represented all levels of government agencies (state, federal, county, and city), private consulting firms, military, universities, non-profits, and the private sector. This mix of participants helps to enrich each workshop. This year we had 145 participants representing more than 49 organizations.

Workshop Highlights

We hosted six workshops during 2017, including three core* workshops and three National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) fire trainings. Participation in the NATA workshops represents 3,048 instructor-student contact hours.

●Managing Visitors and Volunteers in Natural Areas was held in May 2017 at Gold Head Branch State Park (GHBSP) near Keystone Heights. The objectives of this workshop are to increase understanding of how to plan recreation opportunities in natural areas, as well as to increase understanding of the benefits and challenges associated with using volunteers to manage natural resources. We first present essential foundational concepts in 8 hours of self-paced online training, prior to spending 2 days together at GHBSP. On the first day together, we discuss how resource-based recreation within a natural area is influenced by property size, proximity to urban areas, and motor vehicle access; identify issues to consider when planning a trail system; and demonstrate how to assess compatibility with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines. On the second day, we discuss characteristics of effective interpretive materials for teaching visitors; motivations people have for volunteering; and understanding how to properly recruit, train, and reward volunteers. Most workshop participants stay in the park’s cabins, and our annual campfire provides a lively opportunity for participants to network and form relationships. Many thanks to our dedicated lead instructors for making this an outstanding learning experience: Nels Parson (St. Johns River Water Management District) and Taylor Stein (University of Florida).

Workshops Date # of Participants

Managing Visitors and Volunteers in Natural Areas* May 3-4, 2017 + 8 hours online 13

Managing for Diversity Across Florida’s Landscapes* May 18, 2017 + 16 hours online 22

Firefighter Type I (S-131) June 13, 2017 31

Fire Operations in the Wildland-Urban Interface (S-215) June 14-15, 2017 40

Basic Wildland Firefighter Training (S-130/190) Aug 9-12, 2017 + 8 hours online 46

Collaborating to Manage Ecosystems* Oct 24-25, 2017 + 8 hours online 19

●Managing for Diversity across Florida’s Unique Landscapes was offered in May 2017 at a new location. We held the workshop for the first time at Morningside Nature Center and Longleaf Flatwoods Preserve in Gainesville. This workshop builds an understanding of management and restoration approaches for conserving and promoting biodiversity. Participants learn about the role of restoration in maintaining biodiversity over the long term; gain experience collecting data in the field to evaluate upland restoration success and assess wetland health; and learn how to prioritize which invasive species are most deserving of early treatment.

Many thanks to our instructors for making this workshop possible for the first time in the new location: Deb Stone (St. Johns River Water Management District), Geoff Parks (City of Gainesville), Jodi Slater (SJRWMD), and Jeremy Olson (SJRWMD). Participants raved about the opportunity to have the classroom portion of the workshop outdoors in the pavilion at Morningside Nature Center, and learned a great deal during the hands-on exercises at this location as well as during the field trip to SJRWMD land.

●Collaborating to Manage Ecosystems (formerly called Working across Boundaries to Manage Ecosystems) was offered in October 2017 at Wekiwa Springs State Park (WSSP) in Apopka. This workshop provides insight on how to manage natural resources that span property boundaries by training participants to engage with others to address threats that span property boundaries. Participants are introduced to a variety of types of inter-

organization collaborations that are currently being used to manage complex, large-scale issues in Florida; learn which types of situations are most appropriate for each collaborative approach; and get an opportunity to strengthen skills in listening, communicating, and facilitating. This workshop is taught in hybrid format, enabling participants to learn at their own pace from online materials during a 4-week period preceding the 2-day hands-on learning session. Most participants stay in cabins at WSSP

surrounded by beautifully restored longleaf pine sandhill, where we enjoy a campfire in the evening. New this year – the field trip included a stop at a landowner’s private property in an effort to showcase effective collaboration between various stakeholders of the Wekiva River Basin, as well as to highlight some of the natural resource issues affecting residents in the watershed.

We thank workshop instructors Deborah Shelley, Rafael Montalvo, and Sherry Williams. We offer an especially big thanks to Deborah, who was within just a few weeks of retiring from her many years of service to DEP when we held the workshop. We are very appreciative that she was able to squeeze us into her busy schedule, and have enjoyed all the years she has served as workshop coordinator for Collaborating to Manage Ecosystems. We hope she might continue to do so in the future, as she steps into her new role as Vice-President of the Aquatic Preserve Alliance of Central Florida!

●Firefighter Type 1 Training (S-131)* was held in June 2017, in Gainesville. This National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) approved fire training is designed for individuals with wildland fire experience and currently qualified as a Type 2 Wildland Firefighter desiring to be qualified as a Type 1 Wildland Firefighter or Incident Commander Type 5 (ICT5). Participants learn to use official fireline reference tools, maintain proper

lines of communication with appropriate personnel, apply approved standard operating procedures, and implement the ‘Risk Management Process’. We thank instructors Zach Prusak (The Nature Conservancy) and Evan Hall (Wildland Restoration International).

*This workshop has a prerequisite. Participants must take Basic Wildland Firefighter (S-130/190) to be eligible to enroll in this course.

● NEW Fire Operations in the Wildland Urban Interface (S-215)* was also held in June 2017, in Gainesville. This 2-day workshop is a National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) training course designed for individuals currently qualified as a Type 1 Wildland Firefighter with an interest in firefighting as it relates to fires in the wildland/urban interface. This course assists firefighters who will be making tactical decisions when confronting wildland fire that threatens life, property, and improvements, in the interface. Participants learn concepts such as interface awareness, size-up, initial strategy and incident action plan, structure triage, structure protection tactics, incident action plan assessment and update, follow-up and public relations, and firefighter safety in the interface. We thank course instructors Zach Prusak (TNC), Evan Hall (WRI), and Brent Saulsbury (WRI).

* This workshop requires 2 prerequisite courses. Participants must take Basic Wildland Firefighter (S-130/190) and Firefighter Type I (S-131) prior to enrolling in this course.

●Basic Wildland Firefighter Training (S-130/190) was taught in August 2017, in Gainesville. This workshop provides the basic NWCG-approved training and information necessary for participants to become qualified as a Type 2 Wildland Firefighter. Participants learn proper tactics to extinguish fire with or without the use of water; the importance of lookouts, communications, escape routes, and safety zones; the environmental factors that affect the start and spread of wildland fire; and how to recognize potentially hazardous situations.

Although this course can now be taken completely online, our in-person format is advantageous because instructors adapt the material to Florida-specific scenarios. Participants report on their course evaluations that they greatly appreciate the variety, experience, and knowledge of the instructors. Also, this course includes a

live fire exercise at Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS) in Melrose. Participants wear wildland PPE (Nomex pants/shirts, helmet, leather gloves, eye protection, leather boots) and acquire hands-on experience with the techniques they learn about in the classroom. We thank instructors Zach Prusak (TNC), Andy Rappe (UF), Wayne Taylor, Chris Kinslow (SJRWMD), Dan Smith (Gainesville Fire & Rescue), Nate Burmester (UF), Dan Cole (TNC), Richard Owen (DEP), Ryan Kennelly (WRI), Adam Cassavant (WRI), Hazen Mitchell (DOD), Ivor Kincaide (Alachua Conservation Trust), and the OSBS fire crew for providing instruction.

A Fond Farewell and Thank You

Nels Parson has been an integral part of the NATA family since its inception. He has served as one of the two primary instructors of Managing Visitors and Volunteers in Natural Areas since 2000. He and Taylor Stein developed the course content and improved upon it each year, thoughtfully taking into account the feedback provided by workshop participants. Nels taught the course over a dozen times between 2001 and 2017, teaching well over 300 people to think carefully about managing natural areas with recreation in mind. We are deeply indebted to the many years he has devoted to training participants about an aspect of land management that is vastly underappreciated. He has inspired many people to take a closer look at their agency or organization’s visitor management efforts. We thank him for his many years of service to NATA, and hope he will consider joining us for dinners and campfires at future workshops. We will miss you Nels!

Looking forward to 2018

We plan to offer all four of our core workshops during 2018, and also hope to offer 3-4 fire trainings. Visit the calendar on our website to register. We will announce specific dates for each workshops soon! The best way to stay up to date is to join our listserv.

Special Interest Workshops hosted by NATA Date Location

Wildland Firefighter Type I (S-131) June 2018: 1 day (date TBA) Gainesville, FL

Fire Operations in Wildland/Urban Interface (S-215) June 2018: 2 days (date TBA) Gainesville, FL

Basic Wildland Firefighter Training (S-130/190) Aug 2018: 4 days +8 hours online

Gainesville, FL & Melrose, FL

Introduction to Fire Effects (RX-310) NEW Possibly in Fall 2018 (TBA) --

Wildland Fire Chainsaws (S-212) November or Dec 2018 Ordway Swisher Biological Station – Melrose, FL

NATA Core Certificate Workshops Date Location

Conservation Site Assessment and Planning April 2018 Ordway Swisher Biological Station—Melrose, FL

Managing Visitors and Volunteers in Natural Areas May 8-9, 2018 +8 hours online Gold Head Branch State Park – Keystone Heights, FL

Managing for Diversity in Florida’s Unique Landscapes May 2018 +16 hours online Morningside Nature Center – Gainesville, FL

Collaborating to Manage Ecosystems Sept or Oct 2018: 2 days +8 hours online (date TBA)

Wekiwa Springs State Park – Apopka, FL

Florida Certified Prescribed Burn Manager Training (offered by the Florida Forest Service)

http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/Wildland-Fire/Prescribed-Fire/Certified-Prescribed-Fire-Acreage

Please contact the workshop coordinator with any questions or suggestions you may have about the NATA program: nata@ifas.ufl.edu or 850-875-7153

Website: http://wec.ufl.edu/nata Facebook: Facebook.com/NaturalAreasUF Twitter: nata_UF