| Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals
Monthly Digest January 2026 |
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In this edition - President's Corner
- ANREP New Member Webinars Coming Up
- ANREP Member Biennial Conference Travel Scholarships
- 2025 ANREP Treasury Report
- Nominate yourself or colleagues for an ANREP award!
- Biennial Conference Update
- Joint Council of Extension Professionals Premier National Conferences
- Tools for Effective Facilitation Workshop
- Bridging the Gap
- Before You Buy: considerations for potential California forest landowners
- Prevent lead from getting into wildlife food chains
- New Oregon State University Extension Fire Preparedness Publication
- Happy Retirement, Chris Schnepf!
- ANREP Jobs Board Listings
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President's Corner... Leslie Boby ANREP President 2026 |
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Happy 2026! It is an honor to step into this role, and I’m thrilled to kick off the year by sharing my goals for my time as president. ANREP has long been a cornerstone of my professional life, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve this community. This year, I will focus on communication and growth. By refining how we communicate, we can better support our current members while opening our doors wider to new collaborators and partners. While we already boast a fantastic newsletter and a wealth of resources on our website, it’s a good time to assess what we have. A few items include:
- Calendar of events: We are launching a public-facing calendar of events on our website so you can easily track conferences, webinars, initiative and committee meetings, etc.
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Website Reorganization: Assessing our website and thinking about how to make it more intuitive and ensure that the right information—whether member-specific or public—is always at your fingertips.
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Fresh look: An ad-hoc branding committee is forming to refresh our logo and branding. It’s the perfect time for a modern look that reflects how much we’ve evolved since we were formed in the early 90s! Technically, it is our 30th year with the title- Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals, though the "it" is older than that.
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Grow the ANREP Family-With over 500 members and counting, ANREP is strong, but there is so much room to grow. I encourage you to reach out to your colleagues and invite them into the fold! All natural resource outreach professionals, Extension or not, can join ANREP, so reach out to all of your colleagues. We have ready-to-use recruitment materials you can adapt for your local meetings.
Get Involved! There are so many ways to make your mark this year: - Join a Committee: Help us with the logo/branding refresh, strategic planning, membership engagement, leadership and professional development
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Join an Initiative: Dive into specialized groups focusing on Wildland Fire or Native Plants.
- Quick Gigs: If you’re short on time, consider a "short gig" like reviewing ANREP awards or helping out at the conference.
If you’re interested in joining a committee or just want to share your thoughts on the logo, website, etc. please drop me a line. |
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ANREP New Member Webinars Coming Up
The ANREP membership committee is excited to invite you to our upcoming Welcome and Informational Sessions! These sessions are designed to provide information about our organization and upcoming opportunities for engagement within ANREP. New members and non-members who might be interested are invited to join and bring questions. Current members are also encouraged to attend! We’re offering two options to fit your schedule; click the link to register ahead of time: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 12pm ET/11am CT/10am MT/9am PST
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 7pm ET/6pm CT/5pm MT/4pm PST
Whether you’re brand new to ANREP or simply want to learn more about what’s ahead, these sessions are a great way to connect with colleagues and discover how you can get involved. If you have any questions, please contact Erin Trouba. |
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Deadline approaching Apply for ANREP Member Biennial Conference Travel Scholarships
Scholarship applications are now available to support ANREP members' attendance at the Biennial Conference. We encourage ANREP members, and students pursuing a career in natural resources, to apply. Approximately 20 scholarships are available. Applications are due January 23, 2026.
Scholarship awards will cover the cost of the early bird registration fee. No additional scholarship funds will be provided to an individual beyond these amounts, and any costs on top of the base registration fee is the responsibility of the scholarship recipient (pre-conference events that have additional costs, Wednesday evening special event, or any field excursions that have an additional cost). Recipients will be notified by February 18th, with the early bird registration closing on March 13, 2026. Please wait until you have been notified one way or another before registering for the conference.
To access the scholarship application, please log into your ANREP member account and visit this link. You may revisit your application until the closing date.
If you have any questions, please contact ANREP Scholarship Committee Chair Renee Strnad. |
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| 2025 ANREP Treasury Report |
By Renee Strnad
ANREP Treasurer
I began my two-year term as the ANREP treasurer in January, and though there was a steep learning curve at the beginning, it has been a great year of growth for ANREP and I am looking forward to continued progress in 2026! |
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| Don't Procrastinate: Nominate yourself or colleagues for an ANREP award! |
2026 ANREP Awards Program nominations are open. Before applying:
Check out the ANREP Awards page to see past award winners in each category. The nomination deadline is February 22, 2026.
We need judges! Sign up here.
Questions? Please contact Catelyn Turner, 2026 ANREP Awards Committee Chair. |
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Upcoming professional development opportunities
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ANREP 15th Biennial Conference Update
Get ready to immerse yourself in the natural resource extension world in Wilmington, North Carolina! |
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Registration is now Open!!!
Upcoming Plenary: Extension’s Vital Role in Disaster Resilience
As climate events and natural resource disasters become increasingly frequent, the role of Extension programs has shifted from supportive to essential. We are excited to announce a high-impact plenary session at our upcoming conference that tackles this evolution head-on. Session Details Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026 Time: 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Location: Cape Fear Community College, RM U170 (Wilmington, NC) Why Attend?
This moderated panel will explore the full disaster lifecycle, providing a roadmap for how Extension offices can serve as the "nerve center" for community recovery. From the long-term strategies required to build resilient infrastructure to the boots-on-the-ground response seen during Hurricane Helene, our experts will share actionable insights on: -
Collaborative Preparedness: How to build partnerships before the sirens sound.
- Rapid Response: Critical actions to take in the immediate aftermath of a crisis.
- Local Leadership: The unique role of County Directors as trusted sources of truth.
- Leveraging University Resources: Utilizing the broader university system to meet local disaster needs.
Meet the Panel We are honored to host a distinguished group of experts who have led recovery efforts through some of the most significant disasters in recent history: |
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Name Dr. Monty Dozier, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Jerry Moody, NC Cooperative Extension
Dr. Gavin Smith, NC State University Dr. Mike Yoder (Moderator), NC State Extension |
| Focus Area Disaster Assessment & Recovery On-the-ground recovery (Avery County) Environmental Planning & Resilience Emergency Program Coordination |
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Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to strengthen your county’s resilience framework. For more on conference details visit go.ncsu.edu/anrep2026. Registration is open!! Don't miss out on these essential sessions and the opportunity to network with colleagues. |
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| Joint Council of Extension Professionals Premier National Conferences |
Join Extension colleagues at one of the Premier National Conferences hosted by the Joint Council of Extension Professionals: the Public Issues Leadership Development Conference and the Extension Leadership Development Conference. Read more about these outstanding opportunities. |
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Tools for Effective Facilitation Workshop
Plainfield, Indiana
April 8-10, 2026
Have you experienced the value that skilled facilitation can bring to a community group or a work team? Would you like to build your facilitation skills to lead more effective and engaging meetings and group planning processes? If so, come to the workshop that many Extension colleagues have called one of the best and most practical trainings for Extension work.
Purdue Extension and Michigan State University Extension are pleased to be able to offer a special Tools for Effective Facilitation (formerly called Facilitative Leadership) professional development workshop exclusively for Extension Professionals from around the country. This intensive hands-on workshop will be held on April 8-10 near the Indianapolis International Airport. The workshop is open to Extension educators, specialists, faculty, program staff, and grad students in all Extension program areas who work in collaborative community and staff groups and teams. If you want to up your facilitation game, this is the place!
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| By Christian Fernandez
Southern Fire Exchange | Tall Timbers
With support from an ANREP travel scholarship, Christian Fernandez, Southern Fire Exchange outreach specialist, helped connect fire science with natural resource managers at the 79th annual conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in Biloxi, MS. |
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| Before You Buy: considerations for potential California forest landowners |
By Kim Ingram
University of California
The UC ANR Forest Stewardship Education Team, along with the UC ANR Fire Network, recently completed a 3-part webinar and newsletter series to provide potential forest landowners with information and resources they can use to ask relevant questions and make informed decisions ‘before you buy’. |
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| Resource Exchange
Prevent lead from getting into wildlife food chains |
By Sanford "Sandy" Smith
Penn State University
Hunters have long been stewards of wildlife. They have met conservation challenges in the past and turned them into opportunities to protect the natural world and wildlife. While doing this they have built traditions that connect people to wild places and things. This video presents a new challenge facing hunters to find opportunities and solutions to the issues that lead ammunition causes when it gets into food chains. |
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| Resource Exchange
New Oregon State University Extension Fire Preparedness Publication |
By Carrie Berger
Oregon State University
Community engagement in fire preparedness: It's how that matters is a primer that distills social science about working with whole communities, adult learning, and trauma-informed practices. It provides the busy practitioner with background and considerations for how they can effectively engage the communities they serve. |
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| Retirements
Happy Retirement, Chris Schnepf! |
Congratulations to University of Idaho Extension area educator Chris Schnepf and long-time ANREP member who retired December 31st after nearly 38 years of service to the University of Idaho Extension! Chris first joined UI Extension as an Educator in Clearwater County in 1988. In 1991 he was promoted to forestry area Extension educator serving Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai and Benewah Counties. He has received several awards, including the U of I faculty award for excellence in outreach, the Inland Empire Society of American Foresters Communicator of the Year and was inducted as a fellow in the Society of American Foresters in 2021. Best wishes for a happy retirement!
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New postings on the ANREP jobs board |
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