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When Lara Milligan takes the reins as president of the Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals (ANREP) in January 2020, her top priorities include increasing membership and awareness of an organization few people have heard of.
“Our members include extension agents in every state – although by far, Florida has more members than any other,” says the natural resources agent for UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County. “Our goals are networking and sharing successful programs that promote natural resources across the country.”
Pinellas County residents may already be familiar with at least one of the ANREP programs – the Traveling Tree Walk which Milligan first saw at an ANREP convention. “It’s been one of the best programs we’ve done,” she said. Easy-to-understand signs put a dollar value on the ecological services that trees provide, like energy savings, erosion control, cleaner and water — plus the increase in property values.
And while ANREP is open only to professional extension agents, it offers a number of resources for groups involved in environmental education and sustainability. For instance, a Washington state study on the efficacy of rain gardens could make them more of a priority for residents concerned about the quality of stormwater runoff – even if the plants in their landscapes would have to be totally different to help achieve the ultimate goal of cleaner water.
Pinellas is one of the few counties in the state that has an extension agent specifically focused on natural resources and sustainability rather than the more typical agricultural and gardening agents, Milligan said. “The position was actually created after a listening session when the public demanded more information on natural resources. I thought I’d be doing a lot of work on wildlife but it turns out, I do a lot more work on water quality, including the Florida Waters Stewardship Program.”
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