Forest ThreatNet
At NACD Meeting, Cups and Beads Reveal Data and Opportunities
The Center-hosted Southeast Regional Climate Hub (SERCH) sponsored a booth at the National Association of Conservation Districts annual meeting in Nashville, TN, in January. Center biological scientist Michael Gavazzi and SERCH Fellow Sarah Wiener used the booth to interact and share resources with Conservation District employees from across the country. The pair tried a new method for engaging meeting-goers by posing a "question of the day" each day of the meeting. Participants could respond to the question by dropping a bead into a cup labeled with their answer, using colored beads representing their region of responsibility. "The question of the day was not only a great conversation starter, but also gave SERCH some data to bring home on the needs and concerns of Conservation District employees," says Wiener. "An interesting finding was that the majority of Conservation District employees who participated believe that fewer than 20 percent of land managers in their district are equipped to deal with climate and weather stressors, indicating opportunities for information development and sharing in partnership with SERCH."
Pictured: Sarah Wiener and Samuel Green, Jr. (NC Soil and Water Conservation District) engaged around a "question of the day" at the SERCH-sponsored booth at the NACD annual meeting in Nashville, TN. Photo by Michael Gavazzi, U.S. Forest Service.
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