The Office of International Affairs hosted a brainstorming session on February 24, 2006 to discuss possible future international training initiatives. Representatives of the National Park Service, other U.S. agencies and conservation organizations convened to discuss the role of the Park Service in providing training to international protected area managers.
Participants at the International Seminar strategy session listen as OIA
Chief Stephen
Morris gives a presentation on NPS International Activities.
This session brought together close to 40 participants representing U.S. government agencies, non-governmental organizations and foundations involved in international protected area management issues. The session focused on training opportunities and needs for international protected area managers.
NPS is interested in facilitating training and capacity building for protected area management internationally in a way that would benefit NPS as much as our international colleagues. The brainstorming session was a first step in identifying potential partners, recognizing the strengths and weaknesses in the current offering of training programs, and determining the appropriate role for the NPS in international protected area management training.
See below for additional information on the session.
Download Menu | Agenda | Participants
Summary Report of the session: MS Word format; PDF format.
Power Point Presentations
1. Mike Soukup, Natural Resources and Science (1.76 MB, Adobe PDF file)
2. Who We Are and Where We Have Been (2.13 MB, Adobe PDF file) - Shawn Norton, Environmental Leadership; Dave Larsen, Interpretation; Dave Reynolds, History of the NPS International Seminar
3. Training Needs Survey and Existing Training Programs (5.6 MB, Adobe PDF file) - Gary Machlis, Summary of results from World Parks Congress Survey on PA Manager training needs; Overview of Existing Training Programs Serving Park and Protected Areas Staff Internationally (Peter Newman, Colorado State University, Jim Burchfield, University of Montana, Brent Mitchell, Quebec-Labrador Foundation)
Materials
1. Draft Training Directory (701 kb, MS Word file; 623 kb, PDF file)
2. Form to Suggest Addition to Draft Training Directory (41 kb, MS Word file; 22 kb, PDF file)
3. Form to Propose an International Training Initiative (41.5 kb, MS Word file; 23.6 kb, PDF file)
Greetings and Introductions
Welcome - Don Murphy, Deputy Director, National Park Service, Paul Hoffman, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Department of the Interior
Goals for the Day – Jamie K. Reaser, Facilitator
Group introductions
NPS – Who We Are/Where We Have Been
Brief Overview of NPS International Programs (Stephen Morris)
Natural Resources and Science (Mike Soukup, Assoc. Director, Natural Res. Stewardship and Science) [Download PDF of Mike Soukup's presentation on Natural Resources (1.76 MB)]
Environmental Leadership (Shawn Norton, Environmental Leadership Program Manager)
Interpretation (Dave Larsen, Training Manager, Interpretation)
History of the NPS International Seminar (Dave Reynolds, Northeast Region Associate Director, Natural Resources and Science)
[Download PDF of these presentations: NPS Who We Are and Where We Have Been (2.13 MB)]
Wilderness Management (Rick Potts, Wilderness and Recreation Manager
Where We Are Going/Getting Our Bearings
Setting Our Intent for a New NPS International Training Initiative
Training Need Survey Results/Existing Training Opportunities [Download PDF of the presentations in this section: Training Needs and Programs (5.6 MB)]
Summary of results from World Parks Congress Survey on PA Manager training needs (Gary Machlis, University of Idaho)
Overview of Existing Training Programs Serving Park and Protected Areas Staff Internationally (Peter Newman, Colorado State University, Jim Burchfield, University of Montana, Brent Mitchell, Quebec-Labrador Foundation)
Working Group Orienteering
Facilitated by team leaders, 4 groups will each address the following questions:
Who should the primary audience for training be?
What high-priority training needs have not yet been identified?
What are the most important training needs that can be addressed by NPS?
Of these priorities, how are these training needs best addressed (e.g., what course format, instructional tools, etc. are needed)?
What resources already exist to support these new training initiatives?
What resources are needed to support these new training initiatives?
What are the initial steps toward program implementation?
Report from Working Groups/Discussion
Group designates present results
Reviewing the Map and Setting the New Course of Direction
Response & Panel Discussion - NPS Staff
Group Discussion
Closing – Jamie K. Reaser and Jon Putnam
National Park Service
Don Murphy, Deputy Director
Mike Soukup, Associate Director, Natural Resources Stewardship and Science
Costa Dillon, Superintendent, Albright Training Center, Grand Canyon
Dave Larsen, Training Manager, Interpretation, Mather Trng. Ctr., Harpers Ferry
Gary Machlis, Visiting Senior Scientist & National Coordinator, CESUs
Steve Morris, Acting Chief, Office of International Affairs
Shawn Norton, Manager, Environmental Leadership Program
Rick Potts, National Wilderness Program Manager
Jonathan Putnam, Office of International Affairs
Dave Reynolds, Assoc. Reg. Director, Natural Resources & Science, Northeast Region
Outside of the National Park Service
Hugo Arnal, Tropical Andes Program Director, American Bird Conservancy
James Burchfield, Associate Dean, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana
Antoinette Condo, Program Officer, Oceans and Int. Env. and Scientific Affairs, State Department
Laura Cornwell, Environment and Natural Resources Advisor, USAID
Kate Dodson, United Nations Foundation
Hannah Fairbank, Biodiversity and Natural Resources Specialist, USAID
Tracy Farrell, Director of Strategic Projects, Programs and Sciences, Conservation International
Jeff Flocken, International Affairs Specialist, Fish and Wildlife Service
Marlon Flores, Senior Advisor, Conservation Finance and Policy, The Nature Conservancy
John Griffin, Griffin Consulting
Richard Huber, Principal Environmental Specialist, Organization of American States
Todd Koenings, Conservation International
Brent Mitchell, Vice President, Stewardship, Quebec-Labrador Foundation
Alex Moad, Assistant Director, International Technical Cooperation, U.S. Forest Service
Elizabeth Moore, Chief, Conservation Policy and Planning, National Marine Sanctuaries, NOAA
Peter Newman, Center For Protected Area Management and Training, Colorado State University
Paul Pritchard, President, National Park Trust
Jamie Reaser, President, Ecos Systems Institute
John Reynolds, Executive Vice President, National Park Foundation
Viviana Salas, Executive Director, Parkswatch
Jennifer Sevin, Education and Training Coordinator, SI/MAB
Maury Sterns, Director, QSD International
Ana Villegas
Phil Voorhees, Vice President, Center for Park Management, National Parks Conservation Association
Mike Watson, Retired, Superintendent of Stephen T. Mather Training Center
John Waugh, Senior Program Coordinator, IUCN