The West Suburban Conservation Council December Workshop

by Tempe Staples served as Regional Conservation Coordinator at Sudbury Valley Trustees 2017-2018

The West Suburban Conservation Council is an informal group coordinated by the Sudbury Valley Trustees (SVT). The group consists of land protection experts and advocates who annually gather to share conservation, stewardship, and engagement strategies. On December 8th, participants convened at the Assabet National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury, MA to discuss questions regarding the main goals of this group, common challenges for conservation organizations and the different visions of regional planning.

As the Regional Conservation Coordinator, I pulled the event logistics together,  but also had the opportunity to assist our workshop facilitator, Sarah Bursky of the National Parks Service. In that role, I learned how to interpret the group dynamic, guide the group to lead themselves (as opposed to herding), then gather and make sense of a multitude of ideas.

The WSCC plans to host a second meeting which I’ll be helping coordinate this coming spring. I look forward to planning an even better event by using the skills I learned from SVT staff and Sarah! I’ve particularly enjoyed that through this service project, I am able to help environmentally passionate people expand their community impact.