The decisions Iowans make about their watersheds affect the people and the communities downstream. That’s why Sara O’Connell enrolled in the Master Conservationist Program delivered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
O’Connell is the Youth Corps coordinator for Polk County Conservation and depends on a strong knowledge base to educate the public. She wanted to learn more about all aspects of conservation, as well as connect with other conservation-minded Iowans.
“The Master Conservationist Program introduced me to people who are actively working in conservation, who are local and are members of my own community,” she said. “It’s very inspiring and it lifts my spirits to know that there’s so many of us out there and we’re all kind of in this together, gaining a deeper and better understanding.”
Her experience is exactly what extension educators, including wildlife specialist Adam Janke, envisioned when they revitalized the program seven years ago. By working with state and local conservation leaders, ISU Extension and Outreach offers the six-module course in counties across Iowa, with a focus on building local conservation leaders. To date, more than 800 Iowans have completed the program, advancing conservation on thousands of acres of Iowa land.
"I like to say conservation is a contact sport,” said Janke. “We need people out there talking to their friends and neighbors about what conservation is, what it takes, and why everybody needs to be involved. This curriculum then just brings people from a really diverse cross-section of Iowa’s society together in nature, in the classroom, to learn and build skills that they can use in conversations with friends and neighbors.”
Read the whole Impact Story from Iowa State University and Extension.