All Extension professionals are invited to attend the PILD conference April 20-22, 2026 in Bethesda, MD (DC). What is the Public Issues Leadership Development (PILD) Conference? The PILD conference was designed to provide Extension professionals an opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. and learn more about why it is important to advocate for Extension and how to do it! Extension has been called the best-kept secret- but that’s not a good thing- we need our stakeholders and representatives at all levels to know about the critical work that we do. PILD not only offers opportunities to learn about how it all works and how to do it, but also a chance to join colleagues from your state to meet your representatives and senators. Past conferences have included presentations on “Raising Local Voices,” “Social Media’s Crucial Role as Liaison to Key Policymakers and Stakeholders,” “Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport,” and “Federal Funding Lines,” among other topics. Registration opens January 2026. Abstracts for presentations due: January 21st. Find the conference website here. Submit an abstract by January 21st here. more info...
The National Extension Native Plant Initiative (NENPI) will be hosting a free weekly webinar every Tuesday in April from 12:00 – 1:00 pm (Eastern) to kick off the spring season. Topics will be geared toward natural resource extension professionals and those in related fields with an interest in native plants in the landscape, seed collection and processing, and the role of seed banks for local ecotypes. The webinars are open to both ANREP members and non-members.
Webinar topics
Native Plants: Teaching Tips and Tools for Adoption - Tuesday, April 7
Native Plants: Local Ecotypes and the Role of Seed Banks - Tuesday, April 14
Native Plants: Small Scale Seed Collection and Storage - Tuesday, April 21
Native Plants: Community Collaboration for Seed Conservation - Tuesday, April 28 more info...
The National Extension Native Plant Initiative (NENPI) will be hosting a free weekly webinar every Tuesday in April from 12:00 – 1:00 pm (Eastern) to kick off the spring season. Topics will be geared toward natural resource extension professionals and those in related fields with an interest in native plants in the landscape, seed collection and processing, and the role of seed banks for local ecotypes. The webinars are open to both ANREP members and non-members.
Webinar topics
Native Plants: Teaching Tips and Tools for Adoption - Tuesday, April 7
Native Plants: Local Ecotypes and the Role of Seed Banks - Tuesday, April 14
Native Plants: Small Scale Seed Collection and Storage - Tuesday, April 21
Native Plants: Community Collaboration for Seed Conservation - Tuesday, April 28 more info...
This year our webinar series theme is Leadership Development Skills for Science Educators and we will be kicking off the season in May. Since these topics can be quite in-depth sessions will be 60-120 minutes as noted below. This free webinar series is open to ANREP members and non-members through the Forestry Webinar Portal
May 28, 2026, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. EST The Key to High-Performing Teams
Discover how successful teams rely on flexible collaboration and ingenuity to overcome adversity, and the essential element to help your team win!
Karl Bradley, Leadership & Team Development Specialist, Extension Foundation more info...
