The Color of Tomorrow

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Pro-active Initiative Ideas

special thanks to Doug Gentile and Kim Lambert, US Fish and Wildlife Service, for compiling these ideas from interviews with community leaders

The following is a list of positive, pro-active initiatives for developing informal partnerships with a multicultural community group. Diminishing resources in the Federal and State natural resources agencies often means that managers and employees have additional responsibilities during the work day. Thus, there is no expectation that the manager and employee will be able to do all or even most of these initiatives. This is a handy-reference list, and the person can choose one or more of these, time permitting. Also, given the tightening budgets, these initiatives can be accomplished with zero or minimal expense. A cost-benefit analysis accompanies the narrative for each initiative.

Attend Local Community Meetings

Grassroots groups have periodic meetings. They often develop agendas of interest to the members. After joining or partnering with the group, the person will be welcome at the meeting, and will often be welcome to talk publicly about natural science projects. It is a perfect opportunity to sensitize communities on ways they can help with different conservation initiatives.

Costs: Virtually none, except travel to the meeting location.

Benefits: Getting to know community members, establishing friendships, goodwill, and involving new friends and community contacts in important conservation projects.

Make Contact with Adopted Community Group During Government Travel

National community groups have contacts in various locations, so natural resources persons who travel during the normal course of their jobs have an opportunity to meet and greet a new contact with their adopted community group. A telephone call, e-mail greeting or even a brief lunch or after-hours meeting would be valued. Often when the person travels, it is to conference with established conservation groups, on one or more critical issues. Inviting the minority representative to the meeting would be a strong statement of inclusion, and would not entail any additional scheduling or time commitments for the person.

Costs: Virtually none, since travel, per diem, etc., are already factored in.

Benefits: More conservation education/recreational program education in nontraditional communities, and an investment in friendship, goodwill and future conservation stewardship.

Lead a Conservation Workshop or Symposium at a Minority Conference

Most national minority groups have at least one conference per year, to provide training, and to involve members and other persons in issues of importance to their community. Many national groups have regional or local conferences as well. After establishing membership or an informal partnership with the chosen community group, the manager or employee can approach the group leadership about an official presence at their conference. Most community groups are very open to discussions on the environment, and may be agreeable to the person either facilitating a panel or serving as a panel member at a conference workshop.

Costs: The average cost to attend a minority conference, including travel, per diem and registration, is less than $1000. It becomes less if the person conducting the symposium is stationed within easy commuting distance of the conference. In limited circumstances the minority group will defray the costs of travel for conference speakers.

Benefits: This is a great opportunity to meet several members and leaders of the adopted community group, and promote conservation to a significant audience. Even if the turnout at the conservation symposium is limited, the presentation can often be leveraged by video tape. It is a further opportunity for goodwill for the natural resource agency, and promoting awareness of key conservation and recreation programs.

Conduct a Public Meeting/Hearing in a Community Setting

Most natural resources agencies have occasional public meetings on various conservation issues, and this is a great opportunity to partner with the adopted community group to host the meeting.

Costs: None; the meeting was going to happen, anyway.

Benefits: A public hearing is a great medium to involve and educate the community in conservation/recreation initiatives at hand. It shows great concern for that community when natural sciences people actually go there, and it is a wonderful investment in future conservation awareness and collaboration.

Promote the Natural Resources Agency Mission/Agenda in Minority Media

The natural sciences person, after adopting the community group, can get contacts for minority media outlets. Some of these publications have extensive circulation, especially in their communities. There are several national minority journals as well. The person could offer to author or co-author an article in the journal. It is like free advertisement. It is also a tradeoff: the agency author doesn’t get paid for the article, but doesn’t have to pay fees for an advertisement, either.

Costs: None, except for a few dollars logistically for article preparation.

Benefits: Promoting conservation education extensively to a wide minority audience.

Ensure that the Community Group is Included in Distribution of Environmental Assessments/Impact Statements

Environmental impact statements, environmental assessments, conservation plans, etc., that go to the public should go also to the adopted minority group (and others impacted by any natural resources agency environmental decision).

Costs: Minimal (photocopying, mailing, etc., where e-mail distribution is not practical).

Benefits: The goodwill is tremendous, because the community will appreciate being included in discussions on conservation decisions, especially if they are widespread or potentially subject to legal challenge. It will be good conservation education in the identified community. It will be recognized as a good reciprocation of a partnership by many in the community group.

Include Community Groups on Advisory Boards and Review Panels

When the natural resources agencies create advisory boards and other panels, which often involve predominantly-White conservation groups, there is a great opportunity to include the adopted community group as well as other minority groups. Conservation initiatives can be brought to the attention of nontraditional communities, and the learning process will be expanded by the community groups giving honest feedback on agency initiatives.

Costs: None. The boards and panels would be formed, anyway.

Benefits: Conservation education, goodwill, potential coordination on critical conservation projects, while encouraging additional stakeholders/stewards to further the critical conservation initiatives.

Give Natural Sciences Presentations at Diverse Primary/Secondary Schools

Multi-ethnic schools close to agency facilities, including the headquarters offices and field stations, often seek outside experts to provide natural sciences awareness and education to these young students. School administrators and teachers are usually very supportive of outside expertise. It benefits the students, and even the teachers learn for their own information and career enhancements.

Costs: Virtually zero.

Benefits: Exposing multi-racial students to conservation at early ages, and getting them interested and involved in conservation issues. This is a tremendous investment in America’s future, and for the direct involvement of different racial/ethnic communities in long-term conservation for strategic purposes.

Teach a Natural Science Course at a Minority College

There are hundreds of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Asian Serving Institutions in the USA. Most are open to sponsoring classes from outside experts, as they use part-time teachers who don’t have PhD’s, because of unique perspectives they can give to the students.

Costs: Virtually zero, except travel to the school.

Benefits: Same as above, except the students are more advanced in life. Creating a strong presence for conservation and natural sciences at the minority universities is an investment in the multicultural communities, because students take their training, the awareness of conservation issues, and the goodwill of the natural resources agency, back to their neighborhoods and colleagues.

Facilitate Curriculum Consortium Agreements Among Colleges

Curriculum Consortium agreements are exchange agreements between colleges, whereby students who are enrolled at one college can attend a consortium college and transfer the course credit back to the original college. These type of consortium agreements are becoming increasingly accepted; encouragement by subject matter experts can help move these type of agreements along. A role for the natural resources agency would emerge where minority colleges, while strong in some academic fields, may be weak in natural sciences. Under a creative agreement, the students from the minority serving institution in question would attend a proximate predominantly-White college to take conservation studies which may not be available in their school of enrollment.

Costs: Virtually zero.

Benefits: Much goodwill for caring for the educational development of students. Also, many more multicultural college students equipped in conservation disciplines and and/or conservation awareness, to help instill in their communities.

Hire Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) Students

SCEP students are college students in a special work-study program, where they can work for the agency part-time while they pursue their studies. If they maintain a good grade point average, and demonstrate good work skills, they can be automatically converted to a permanent position, depending on the personnel rules of the agency. Some agencies are adjusting barrier-filled personnel rules to allow for more flexibility in meeting the hiring needs of the managers and the needs of the employees and communities being served. While the SCEP program is open to students from any background, agencies can often target minority students for recruitment based on workforce under-representation statistics. Although the natural resources budgets are becoming tighter, the projected rapid retirements of “baby boomers” during the next few years could open up increased SCEP hiring opportunities.

Costs: None. The SCEP program cannot mandate that the agency create a job vacancy where none already exists.

Benefits: An increased number of multicultural SCEP students in the agency helps synergize the connection between conservation and multicultural communities, as the newly-hired employees interact with their communities, help instill a love for conservation and recreational programs in their communities, and promote goodwill for the agency among different communities. The benefits to workforce diversity and equal access to Federally funded public programs have already been discussed.

Invite Well-Known Public Persons of Color to Agency Events

Many celebrities are willing to appear for free, for charity and good will purposes. They want to give back to their communities, and are encouraged when public officials seek their involvement, especially when the intent is to benefit traditionally underserved communities. The Federal and State agencies are often well-positioned; certain high-level Federal and State officials either know how to make contact with well known celebrities, or can find out who to call to reach the celebrity.

Costs: Virtually zero.

Benefits: Instant and extensive visibility for conservation and key recreational programs in minority communities. Further goodwill between the agency and these communities, for future conservation partnerships.

Sponsor Special Recreation/Sporting Events for Minority Communities

A good example of a sporting event targeted toward minority communities is the urban fishing events which take place around the USA (June is national fishing month), to promote fishing awareness. This program and similar ones have been used already in the Fish and Wildlife Service and other state agencies with resounding success.

Costs: A few hundred dollars, on the average

Benefits: These events spur a keen interest in the communities toward recreation programs and conservation. It is a great way for community members to meet key agency personnel, and vice versa. Conservation awareness, goodwill and even long term friendships are positive by-products.

Sponsor Conservation-Related Demonstration Projects between the Agency and the Community

Special projects to benefit conservation, initiated by the agency and/or the community groups, can be arranged. A couple practical examples: wetlands restoration, cleanup of polluted rivers.

Costs: Minimal.

Benefits: Agency personnel and community persons working together will help cement informal partnerships, conservation awareness in minority communities, and long-term tangible benefits for specific habitats and for ecology.

Distribute the Citizen Bulletins in the Communities

One-page citizen bulletins can summarize the most pressing priorities of the natural resource agency. These bulletins should accompany managers or employees when they interact with external stakeholders. The citizens bulletins are relevant information for previously-scheduled meetings, public hearings, conferences or other similar events.

Costs: Minimal.

Benefits: The citizens bulletins are a great introduction to various communities of the key conservation issues that the natural science agencies address. These advisories summarize the benefits of these agency-related conservation initiatives to the public. They would stimulate interest in conservation, and facilitate followup questions and initiatives from the community.