Browsing by Author "Geissler, John"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Community Service Initiative: Strengthening Environmental Education, Stewardship, Program Support, and Citizen Science with Master Naturalist Volunteers
    (Center for Community and Regional Research, 2009-07) Geissler, John; Zoellick, Erin
    Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center enhanced the environmental education, stewardship, program support and citizen science occurring within the Arrowhead region by building the capacity for community learning and service and taking action through community service. Boulder Lake Environmental Learning Center conducted a Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer Training, matched these volunteers with host organizations and collaborative projects, and supported the volunteers once they had completed the training by connecting them with various opportunities to continue their education and to volunteer their services.
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    Making Connections and Producing Results: The Woodland Advisor Program
    (St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota Extension Service, 2009-10) Baughman, Mel; Geissler, John; Gupta, Angela; Miedtke, Julie; Reichenbach, Michael Russ; Sagor, Eli; Wilsey, David; Wyatt, Gary; Zamora, Diomy
    The Woodland Advisor Program is an educational program for private forest landowners. In 2003, changes were made to the program allowing landowners to register for any or all of the 10 core classes or electives rather than commit to three or four weekend sessions. Some of the most popular topics include invasive species, property and income taxes, GPS, trail design, tree identification and non-timber forest products. Over 75 local landowner workshops were held through this program in 2008. Program graduates complete 10 core and five elective classes to become Woodland Advisor Volunteers. These volunteers help their neighbors learn about options and opportunities for their forestland. A concept map of the Woodland Advisor Program will be used to show the networks created as a result of this program. The key elements of the program include strategic planning, tactical planning, curriculum development, marketing, budgeting, external relations, class offerings, volunteer management and evaluation. The Woodland Advisor Program is a partnership between University of Minnesota Extension, Minnesota Forestry Association, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts and other local partners.
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    Stormwater Planning Initiative Project – Stormwater Management Planning Guide and Landowner-friendly IMS website tool
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2007-06-30) Host, George E; Hale, Cindy; Collins, Pat; Geissler, John; Axler, Richard P; Schomberg, Jesse; Granley, Mindy; Sjerven, Gerald; Brown, Terry
    Individual landowners in rapidly growing areas of the North Shore Community are increasingly required to create stormwater management plans (SMPs) prior to building. Planning development with stormwater runoff in mind is particularly important on the North Shore of Lake Superior, characterized by shallow clay-rich soils over bedrock, steep slopes, and delicate wetland complexes. While numerous organizations exist with pieces of the information required to complete a SMP, the process of collecting expertise from multiple agencies is daunting for landowners. Duluth Township recognized the environmental importance of stormwater planning by passing new zoning ordinances mandating stormwater planning in some land use zones. However, they recognized the difficulty that landowners face in creating a SMP and are committed to finding solutions. The objective of this project was to connect Duluth Township landowners to tools and resources necessary to complete a Stormwater Management Plan for their property. This pilot project features development of a user friendly Internet Map Server (IMS) tool that allows landowners to easily generate working base maps of their property. To date, IMS website tools have been largely developed by GIS professionals who are familiar with the GIS interface. When the general public tries to utilize these same tools, they typically become frustrated with the complexities of these programs, and cannot obtain the valuable information they need. This project was unique in that it was driven by extensive landowner input before, during, and after development to ensure that the tools developed achieved our objectives. Township administrators were also involved in development of the IMS tool and companion step-by-step guide so that the resulting landowner SMPs satisfied the regulatory and reporting requirements of the township. With the user-friendly IMS interface, the landowner is able to easily obtain base maps of their property containing multiple layers of the best existing data, including aerial photographs, topography, and wetlands for developing the SMP's required by the Duluth Township zoning ordinance. While there are resolution limitations to the existing wetland data, the website guides landowners on how to elaborate on this base layer of data as they conduct a site evaluation of their property. For instance, the website illustrates how to identify a small unmapped wetland and add these features to the base map. While the SMP Guide and IMS mapping tool was specifically designed and tested on Duluth Township, the project serves as a model template easily expanded to other townships along the North Shore.