Oral Abstract Details

Author(s):
Nicole Wulff and L. Annie Hermansen-Baez

Affiliation:
USDA Forest Service

Presentation Type:
Oral

Topic Area:
Science delivery and exchange of information for natural resource professionals, policymakers, and private citizens

Abstract Text:
The Changing Roles: Wildland-Urban Interface Professional Development Program provides natural resource agencies with a set of flexible resources to build knowledge and tools to successfully tackle WUI issues. Changing Roles consists of four training modules: (1) Introduction to wildland-urban interface issues and their interconnections, (2) Tools for effectively managing natural resources in the wildland-urban interface (3) Strategies for understanding and influencing the development of land-use policies and plans that affect natural resources, and (4) Communication skills for working with interface residents and community planners and leaders. The modules are extremely flexible and can be modified and used in a variety of combinations to create training programs of variable lengths to address the needs of each agency/organization. The Changing Roles (CR) program was first introduced at a train-the-trainer (TTT) workshop in 2006, which was attended by more than 60 participants from the 13 Southern States and Puerto Rico. In 2008 a CR training coordinator was hired to further implement and coordinate the CR program. Her main priorities for the first year were to increase the awareness, capacity, and delivery of the CR program. To increase awareness, several outreach materials and tools were developed and/or improved, including a listserve, a quarterly e-bulletin, and an expanded web presence. To increase capacity, a second TTT workshop was held in April 2009, at which fifty new people were trained. Recent efforts have focused on program delivery and implementation through in-person presentations and workshops and webinar sessions accessible on-line. Priorities for 2010 include the development of a new module which will include fact sheets, case studies, exercises, and success stories address emerging issues in the wildland urban interface (WUI) and continued use and exploration of additional on-line learning environments. For more information contact Nicole Wulff, nmwulff@fs.fed.us, 352-378-2451, www.interfacesouth.org/changingroles.