Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences for this project include woodland owners, master volunteers including Master Naturalist and Master Gardener volunteers in Minnesota, Virgina, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon plus AIS Detector Volunteers in Minnesota. In addition to various regional decision makers in Minnesota and the Extension organziations that service similiar audiences across the US. Changes/Problems:COVID-19 significantly changeeddecision maker access and focus. As a result we were unable to complete Objective 3 had have unspent funds. Empowering volunteers and landowners to directly engage decision makers is likely a better longer term approach. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Team members attend: Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals (ANREP) 3-day Conference 2018 in Biloxi, MS; Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach & Service Programs (ANROSP) 4-day Conference, in 2018 in Columbia, MD; the Upper Midwest Invasive Species (UMISC) 4-day Conference in Rochester, MN; CitSciMN 2019 1-day meeting in St. Paul, MN; International Union of Forest Resource Organizations (IUFRO) Small-scale Forestry Conference 2019, 3-day conference in Duluth, MN; and National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals Conference 2019, 3-days in Asheville, NC. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?UMN Extension professionals presented an EmpowerU poster at the Association of Natural Resources Extension Professionals (ANREP) 3-day Conference 2018 in Biloxi, MS and gave presentations at the Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach & Service Programs (ANROSP) 4-day Conference, in 2018 in Columbia, MD; the Upper Midwest Invasive Species (UMISC) 4-day Conference in Rochester, MN; CitSciMN 2019 1-day meeting in St. Paul, MN; International Union of Forest Resource Organizations (IUFRO) Small-scale Forestry Conference 2019, 3-day conference in Duluth, MN; and National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals Conference 2019, 3-days in Asheville, NC. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic an EmpowerU presentation intended for the 2020 ANREP conference was postponed whoever, COVID-19 enabled a 1-hour webinar for the North American Invasive Species Management Association. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The Empowering Citizens project succeeded in engaging 152 woodland owners, master volunteers and natural resource professionals who completed a two-part training course to engage with decision-makers, elected officials and others who influence ecosystem management and resource allocations. Using principles and practices developed by University of Minnesota Extension's Leadership and Civic Engagement (CV) educators and content experts in Extension natural resources, the team developed an integrated program to engage learners to advance policy and action to address invasive species issues. Team members created two flipped-classroom training courses that are contextually relevant and include normative messaging. The program was piloted in Minnesota, at which time we trained partners from seven states. These partners then delivered the program in their home states. Participant evaluations suggest the training was satisfying and effective across the country in achieving educational and behavioral objectives. EmpowerU participants in Wisconsin and Virginia have already shared testimonials about on-the-ground impacts including invasive species policy changes in Door Count, WI; military cadets removing invasive privet along the Chessie Trail, VA; and a participant coordinating private and public land management to treat crown vetch in Wisconsin. After pilot testing and refinement of the invasive species curriculum through interstate field testing we created a parallel curriculum for natural resources including wildfire and water. The EmpowerU invasive species and natural resources curricula has been shared, with the understanding they'll use it, with 44 people representing about 20 institutions and 20 people and 9 organizations respectively. We also piloted direct engagement with decision makers in Minnesota. Objective 1: Adaptation of existing CV materials and creation of new materials into a flipped-classroom training that is contextually relevant for natural resources landowners and master volunteers. All major activities were completed for this objective. In September of 2018 the initial online pilot curriculum was launched for the 27 Extension professional, natural resource volunteers and woodland owners. On October 13, 2018 we offered the in-person portion of the training to 27 participants and on the following day gathered feedback from participating Extension professionals from Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Virginia and Wisconsin. This feedback informed changes to both the online and in-person training, resulting in 8 online modules about 1 hour each plus 1, about 6 hour, in-person workshop. During the in-person training in Minnesota we incorporated 360-degree images, 3D modules and augmented reality resources related to invasive species. The key outcomes of this objective are two full EmpowerU curriculum, each 8 online modules intended to take about 1 hour each plus a 6-hour in-person work for both invasive species and natural resources. Interestingly this course is very adaptable during the COVID-19 pandemic because much of the content was intentionally designed for online learning. Objective 2: Refining this training through interstate field testing to function well for a variety of master volunteer and woodland owner education programs. All activities for this objective were completed. Minnesota and the six state partners delivered 16 courses (2-4 per state) during the two-year program pilot. A total of 270 participants enrolled, 157 completed the online sessions, and 152 participants completed the entire training course. Online Session Content: The online session contained 8 approximately 1 hour modules. Participants were instructed to complete 2 modules per week on their own for 4 weeks, prior to the in-person session. In-Person Session Content: The in-person session occurred on a single day with all participants in the cohort. It included 4-6 hours of interactive instruction and small group learning activities to: deepen understanding of skills of framing, listening and questioning; review engagement plan and get feedback; practice speaking in front of a group or with another individual about your issue of concern and share what was learned and what it means for engagement going forward. We requested feedback from participants at multiple stages throughout the course. Overall, results demonstrated that participants were satisfied with the course; surveys indicated the information was valuable and the length of the sessions appropriate. Participants reported overall gains in all 15 intended outcomes. Between six months and one year after completing the entire EmpowerU training course participants were invited to take an online follow-up survey to share their progress in executing the engagement plan they developed during the course. Responses from 43 participants indicated many had at least started to identify an appropriate decision-maker to contact, select an effective strategy and summarize reputable information. The key outcome is substantial evidence that the "flipped" EmpowerU training is an effective design to support civic engagement that addresses social-ecological challenges. Completed courses in 7 states prepared volunteers with increased capabilities for engaging decision-makers and who subsequently took action on natural resources and invasive species issues. Participants reported the course as being extremely satisfying and worthwhile for learning and practicing civic engagement communication. We are optimistic that this innovative program will promote collaboration, social learning and stimulate civic engagement among extension audiences. Objective 3: Developing and piloting a synchronous half-day workshop for elected officials to improve engagement with interested landowners and volunteers. For this objective, we explored many options to directly engage decision makers in Minnesota. However, we were only able to achieve 4 of the intended 6 total engagements. These included presenting to about 75 attendees of the MN Association of Counties annual conference in Bloomington, MN in December 2018. This led to several discussions with county land commissioners, county staff and others about opportunities to reach and engage local leaders in a workshop environment. In March 2019 we met with the Hubbard County Board to discuss invasive species issues and with the Minnesota Association of County Land Commissioners. Both groups were interested and receptive. We delivered a successful workshop to local leaders at the 2019 Master Naturalist conference. We learned that decision makers are unlikely to attend a standalone workshop. We altered our approach to engage them in activities in which they were already committed. We found that the opioid crisis and ongoing budget challenges major committing issues. After receiving a 1 year no-cost extension to further develop this adapted approach, we targeted city leaders through the League of Minnesota Cities. The COVID-19 crisis eliminated any opportunity to engage decision makers at this annual meeting scheduled for June 2020. Sadly we were unable to complete the object and have unused funding as a result. Gathering meaningful session end evaluation was hard. Information was primarily gathered during one-on-one conversations with decision makers and their staff while preparing for and delivering invasive species education. It is difficult to attract the sustained attention of decision makers in Extension-like programming. We subsequently feel this makes empowering volunteers, landowners and natural resource professionals, as in Objective 2, even more important. These trained participants can engage their local, state and national decision makers personally using the skills and tools we developed and trained them to use. We subsequently recommend programs like EmpowerU focus on training volunteers and landowners rather than targeting decision makers directly.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Gupta, A. & Prysby, M. (2020) EmpowerU! Learn how to help your audience engage
decision makers, 1 hour NAISMA (North American Invasive Species Management Association) webinar.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Gupta, A. (2019) EmpowerU! Tools to engage decision makers. CitSciMN 2019
Symposium. St. Paul, MN.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Gupta, A. (2019) Empoweru! Empowering Citizens to Engage Decision Makers.
International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO). Duluth, MN.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2019
Citation:
Gupta, A. & Kallestad, E. (2019) EmpowerU! Empowering citizens to engage decision makers around invasive species management. National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals. Asheville, NC.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Submitted
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
Gupta, A., Meyer, N., Prysby. M, Johnson, S, & Epping Overholt, G. Designing Social-Ecological Programs to Support Extension Participants in Civic Engagement, Journal of Extension
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Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19
Outputs
Target Audience:Target audiences for this reporting period include woodland owners, master volunteers including Master Naturalist and Master Gardener volunteers in Minnesota, Virgina, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon plus AIS Detector Volunteers in Minnesota. In addition to various regional decision makers in Minnesota. Changes/Problems:This project was granted a one year, no cost extension to complete the direct engagement with decision makers. Initial plans with decision makers fell through and it's taking longer than expected to engage them meaningfully. During this extension we intend to target additional decision makers and possibly create engagement tools to help decision makers. Engaging decision makers directly has proved harder than anticipated in a large part because of the large and unexpected political change that has encompassed the US since our grant proposal, written in September of 2016. Today, Minnesota decision makers are focused on a major farm crisis and drug epidemic and it's harder to gain their attention to talk about invasive species. We're working hard to think creatively about how to get before them and help them better understand invasive species issues and how to help community members best engage with them. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?On October 14, 2018 in Rochester, MN representives from all seven states, Minnesota, Virgina, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon, completed a train-the-trainer workshop on how to use the new circulum. Angela Gupta presented this project at the NACDEP (National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals) national conference in Asheville, NC on June 10. Interestingly it's become clear this project is the only, or one of very few, that work to help citizens engage decision makers. Most CV programs seem to target decision makers to better engage citizens. Amy Rager, a Minnesota EmpowerU leader, and several other national partners presented about EmpowerU and next steps of professional utilization of the curriculum at the Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service Programs (ANROSP) in Columbia, Maryland, October 1-3, 2019 to 30 professionals. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Angela Gupta presented this project at the NACDEP (National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals) national conference in Asheville, NC on June 10. Interestingly it's become clear this project is the only, or one of very few, that work to help citizens engage decision makers. Most CV programs seem to target decision makers to better engage citizens. Amy Rager, a Minnesota EmpowerU leader, and several other national partners presented about EmpowerU and next steps of professional utilization of the curriculum at the Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service Programs (ANROSP) in Columbia, Maryland, October 1-3, 2019 to 30 professionals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?This project was granted a one year, no cost extension to complete the direct engagement with decision makers. Initial plans with decision makers fell through and it's taking longer than expected to engage them meaningfully.During this extension we intend to target additional decision makers and possibly create engagement tools to help decision makers. We also intend to alter the primary EmpowerU curriculum to be applicable for most natural resource management issues, not just invasive species. So our final deliverable will be two circula, not just one.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Completed version 1 of the EmpowerU online and in-person curriculum for a September 2018 online program launch and an October 13, 2018 primary audience in-person training (27 natural resources volunteers, woodland owners, Extension professionals both local and national) followed immediately by a one day train-the-trainer workshop on October 14 (19 Extension professionals both local and national). After feedback during the October 14 session we completed version 2 of EmpowerU online and in-person materials which launched in 7 states starting January 2019. This curriculum is 8 online modules about 1 hour each plus 1, about 6 hour, in-person workshop. Minnesota and other state partners delivered a total of 16 pilot workshops (2-4 workshops/state) for a total enrollment of over 270 volunteers and other participants (14-80 participants/state). Over 150 of these enrolled participants completed the online training (approx. 159) and the in-person workshop (approx. 154). There are many evaluation matrices but a few important, interesting, or impactful ones include: Nationwide participants expressed increased confidence in developing a plan, finding reputable information, identifying appropriate decision makers, selecting an engagement strategy and communicating persuasively (n=129, range 3.26-3.6/4). Unexpectedly about 70% of the nationwide audience was female. And in very early reporting from the 6-12 month follow-up evaluation one participant from Wisconsin reported, "My course project was to remove a healthy stand of crown vetch on private property next to a newly-planted prairie. Each year, quite a lot of crown vetch was found throughout the prairie, seeded in from the nearby property. I've just heard that the property owner has agreed to partnering with us and to have a restoration company treat the crown vetch. It's a wet area, so extra care is needed. Thank you so much for the great course and the opportunity to think through a plan that was successful." In addition to education for active citizens and volunteers, another important component of the project involves outreach and education targeting local leaders. To this end, Eli Sagor gave a presentation to about 75 people at the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) meeting in December 2018. Most attendees were either elected county board members or county staff. The presentation, entitled "Forestry and Natural Resources in Your Community," was designed to inform these local leaders about the value of natural resources and the threats posed to those resources by invasive species. On March 12, 2019 Eli Sagor presented to the Hubbard County Board on invasive species and natural resource management. The presentation highlighted both threats and potential solutions to emerging invasive species problems. Hubbard County, in northwest Minnesota, has had limited exposure to serious invasives, and the board was interested in learning more about potential threats and proactive means to address them. Board members were engaged and asked a number of thoughtful questions about invasives. While not a traditional workshop as originally envisioned, this was a highly targeted opportunity to engage local leaders around invasive species issues. On May 17, in Willmar, MN during the Gathering Partners in Natural Resources conference, we taught 5 decision makers about EmpowerU and invasive species. Participants reported many positive learning gains and a desire to learn more about specific invasive species and use the new technologies demonstrated during the workshop.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/17 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?A first workshop for the project's primary audience, mostly woodland owners and master volunteers, is scheduled for Saturday, October 13 in Rochester, MN. Participants are expected to have completed the online learning in advance of that in-person training. In addition, we will host a training workshop on Saturday and Sunday, October 13-14, 2018 in Rochester for our other-state partners. These partners are expected to attend a two-day train-the-trainer program so they can return to their home states to offer two additional workshops each during the second half of the granting period. In addition, we leveraged the small ($500) resources for video and 3D image production with Extension 4-H to do a joint invasive species augmented reality project in the 4-H building at the Minnesota State Fair, which opens Thursday, August 23 and runs until Labor Day, Monday, September 3. UMN Extension estimates that "One in five people who attend the state fair visit the 4-H Building. That's more than 320,000 in 12 days!" The main STEM, Science Technology, Engineering and Math, related interactive display in the building will be a campfire and shoreline scene with various invasive species educational components including 7 augmented reality items (think Pokemon Go) plus an invasive species scavenger hunt, expected to include at least 8 additional invasive species related learning opportunities connecting to online resources using QR codes, scattered throughout the whole 4-H building. Following use at the state fair, we plan to integrate these AR into our training resources, make these available for volunteer use in engaging their local stakeholders. We will also draw on lessons learned from developing these resources to more productively invest the $500 available in this project for additional imaging technologies. To help you better image the augmented reality, one feature is a firewood pile, one piece of wood is ash. When a participant points their phone, or a provided tablet, at that piece of firewood it activates the adjacent Zappar App code and then, on the device screen, the bark of the ash firewood peels back exposing emerald ash borer larvae and larval galleries. In another section of the display a 4-H youth (and State Fair project) constructed picnic table or bench will have a small piece of soft-sided velcro, representing a gypsy moth egg mass, on it. When the smartphone or tablet, using the Zapper App, points at this "egg mass" gypsy moth caterpillars will emerge from the "egg mass". There's also a boot brush affixed to an educational sign that will, in augmented reality, grow invasive plants. We're hoping to reuse some of this augmented reality pieces to help decision makers understand the hidden danger posed by many invasive species.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Following the project plan and timeline, UMN Extension staff have nearly completed development of the online component of the flipped classroom and the in-person workshop for the pilot in Fall 2018. CV educators have integrated existing and developed new content for these course components to empower community members, including woodland owners, master volunteers, natural resource professionals and other resource managers to engage with decision-makers, elected officials and others who influence ecosystem management and resource allocations. The content is now being transitioned into online platforms for the fall pilot and use by other-state partners in the coming year. Work to finalize the in-person workshop agenda and resources is the current priority. We are also working on developing the agenda and resources for the two-day train-the-trainer session for our project partners, who will deliver two or more sessions of the volunteer workshop in year 2 of the project. We received a high number and quality of other-state partner applications to field test the training in our second project year. We received: 38 applications, representing 24 States or districts. After a careful assessment and partner conversations, we are now working with with Extension staff in seven different states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Virginia and Wisconsin. Currently, we're working on how best to subsidize and support these partners in attending a first project year training, aligned with our pilot workshop in Fall 2018. This is proving somewhat challenging, but is moving along. We also created a basic website, https://z.umn.edu/empoweru to announce the program, and and host the workshop registration and online learning which will begin in a few weeks. This work was accomplished in part by an AmeriCrops volunteer working 25% on this project (listed as Other on the Participants form of this Progress Report).
Publications
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