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Friday, April 19, 2024

How Do They Do It?!

(good conservation, that is) 

Volunteer scientists, advocates, and "people persons" thrive on diversity.

Human communities, like ecosystems, need diversity to function well. "Diversity" in this case includes a number of different kinds of folks with varied abilities and roles. Given our culture as it is, some may come easiest to some extroverts, or some introverts, or some women, or some men, or to seasoned elders, or to impassioned youth.

A thriving community is powerful and self-sustaining. People contribute what they’re best at and most want to do. For an eco-stewardship community, or a religion, or institution to succeed - many types of leadership are needed. The skills needed for saving biodiversity and planetary health (see Endnote 1) are worth studying and cultivating.
Somme stewards. Diverse skills and interests. 
Photo by steward Eriko Kojima    
Four skill sets (or four types of people) are described below. Our species evolved as hunter-gatherers – not as rugged individualists. Only groups survived. One member had to be a good hunter, another a good tool-maker, another adept at maintaining group harmony, another at plant identification skills (for food and medicine), another for remembering where the group needed to travel to find food or safety. Is that not why we are born today with such different potentials?

All four of the following abilities can be present, to some degree, in one person. But to work at full throttle, groups need to recognize complementary potentials in many people who join forces compatibly.

There are many variations on how this works. We need to get better at it. Many important Nature Preserves badly need help. Often some dedicated person will have the idea and get the word out, and the various divisions of labor will emerge as other people see need and opportunity.

1. People with Science skills: Botany Buffs and other Nature Enthusiasts  

Many “science types” can’t lead well but readily team with those who can. Some experts on technical matters are inexpert (to put it mildly) at interpersonal dynamics. Many become professionals. Others are so autonomous that they thrive best in their spare time as brilliant photographers, or horticulturalists, or taxonomists on sedges, beetles, mushrooms, birds, or whatever. About independent amateur scientists, the respected psychologist Oliver Sacks wrote:

“This sweet, unspoiled, preprofessional atmosphere, ruled by a sense of adventure and wonder rather than by egoism and a lust for priority and fame, still survives here and there, it seems to me, in certain natural history societies, whose quiet yet essential existences are virtually unknown to the public.”

Then Dr. Sacks (in On The Move, Knopf, 2015, page 330) treks off with a volunteer fern group, all of them happily finding and identifying rare ferns.

Volunteer stewards have helped create a new field, with the advantage of being pre-professional in an important discipline as it comes into existence. And yes, we knew that, in time, the purity of the passion would be challenged by egotisms, competitions, and ultimately bureaucracies and hucksterisms. But in communities, the fervor survives. 

Many types of expertise and perspective best inform our decisions.

Other posts on this blog are rich with accounts of inspiring volunteer leaders like John Navin  Lisa Culp Musgrave, and Robert Betz. Professor Betz, professionally he was a biochemist. But he is not known for accomplishments in that field. He lives today as an exemplar of passionate volunteer leadership.   

2. People with Practical Skills: “Let’s Get Things Done!”

A plant expert may consult with an animal expert when goals are translated into actions. 

These folks seem easier to describe. Everyone automatically depends on them to assure that we have practical plans, that we don’t waste time on dead ends, that everyone stays safe. These folks are often the best ones to coordinate with landowners and bureaucrats. They’re down-to-earth problem solvers.   

Often these people are good at facilitating others so that they will:

  • Keep tools in good repair
  • Teach skills
  • Send reports to landowner staff
  • Get media coverage to attract more folks
  • Bring treats
  • Identify questions where practical research could improve results. Design the experiments and keep the needed records to make it happen. 

We put doom and gloom in the past ... and then celebrate. 

3. Advocates 

Easy to go wrong here. Early environmentalism was big on protest. Long term biodiversity conservation depends on positivity and even (brace yourself) compromise. 

Some advocates can sometimes usefully be protestors. Challenging authorities is often important and good (consider Rachel Carson). But as a general rule, protestors are short-term and on the losing side. They may promote the beginnings of change, but – from national to local levels – in the long run the the ecosystem and the planet needs lasting effort “at the table” where decisions get made. 

Ecosystem recovery is typically not amenable to quick fixes. Forces of good care need staying power – at least for many years – ultimately for centuries. From global to village questions, grass roots buy-in is key. At some level, all groups need strategy, politics, consensus building, and timing. The “consensus building” part is key throughout.

The advocate is someone who sees potential roadblocks and opportunities, and then acts. How do we change counterproductive statewide herbicide regulations? How do we stop fly-dumping in this prairie? Is there some dramatic initiative that would result in the general public prizing biodiversity? A consensus of love for and understanding of the planet and our future is needed.   


4. People persons. 

Human potential facilitators. Glueballs. There’s got to be a better name for this category. 

Facilitators of team spirit? A group needs one or more people who everyone wants to be with. Many times such people stay in the background and are little noticed for their profound impacts. Other good leaders are wise to appreciate them, learn from them, and chip in some of the same kind of work.

These people do what they do because they appreciate or love other people and are committed to the cause. Sometimes their job is to notice that two possibly-a-bit-shy people would hit it off productively ... and just introduce them with a few words that could point them in the right direction. Sometimes they’ll notice a potential for misunderstanding and clear it up. Often they know their power, but don’t let on, because they know that would work against their valuable purpose. At other times, such people become the principal leader – although they try to minimize the “big leader” dynamic. 

And how about the people who don’t fit any of these categories but make substantial contributions? See Endnote 2 for them.  

We learn and exchange ideas ... as we gather seeds to broadcast ... after we cut malignant brush. 

Summary

In midwestern North America, agencies (government and not-for-profits) own the land most important to biodiversity. Thus, conservation volunteers and professionals must work together well. To do that, the volunteer organizations need to maintain their independent strength. (See Endnote 2.) Volunteers who “sit around waiting for someone to tell them what to do” will not by themselves have the creativity or leadership needed. This post tries to define some of the components necessary for volunteer communities to flourish effectively. Learning to be good at this may be crucial to the future of the planet.  

End Notes

Endnote 1. Examples from Audubon, Jefferson, and Mandela.

Saving the planet's biodiversity may be the most crucial and irreversible challenge of this age. To succeed, we need not-for-profits, government institutions, local volunteer communities, and more. National conservation organizations discover opportunities, change directions, rise and fall. One of this post's authors (Packard) has held leadership roles in The Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society. The Conservancy may change direction based in part on the views of super-wealthy board members (whose huge support allows the Conservancy to do huge things). State and National Audubon Societies may change direction based in part on unruly local chapters (with internal battles sometimes seeming to benefit from inspiring passions). Local organizations, untrammeled by national ones, may sometimes be the consistent "heart and soul" of the mission. 

Most of the members were then volunteers when we began the Natural Areas Association (NAA) (1974) and the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) (1988). That changed. Bill Jordan, editor of an influential early journal (Restoration and Management Notes), warned us at the time that his dad had seen what happened to idealism, decades earlier, during the formation of the societies of foresters and ecologists. He compared the process to the American Medical Association. It started as a few generous and visionary medics working toward public health and inexorably evolved into a self-interest vehicle for rich doctors. That’s not to say that it doesn’t do much good. But it’s no longer mostly about generosity, vision, and public spirit. And it does some bad. Both SER and NAA began with the loftiest of ideals and have become something like labor unions, which have a valuable place in society, but may focus narrowly. In some ways, we volunteers can do more. 

For a sustainable and healthy Earth, the changes needed may be as fundamental as those faced by future Americans in 1776 when they chose to separate from England. Establishing a new culture was a crucial part of that "revolution," and new culture is needed now. So we study.

We don't want to look too much for guidance to slave-owning politicians. But, as a builder of national community, Thomas Jefferson accomplished a lot. The skills needed for success at planetary health may be different, especially at the local level, but we need regional, national, and global change too. An insightful contrast below between Presidents Jefferson and Madison is worth some thought:  

 

“The most decisive difference between the two presidents lay in their approaches to party leadership. Jefferson cajoled his ... allies into doing what he wanted, sharing secrets and demanding loyalty. Madison did not have this ability. To put it indelicately, only Jefferson knew how to seduce. He courted the faithful and sought out the young, the suggestible. His skill as a letter writer enabled him to convince his associates that their ideas and services were important. He knew how to soothe wounded egos – a political skill not sufficiently appreciated.”

                From the book Madison and Jefferson

                by Andrew Burstein and Nancy Isenberg. Page 478  

 

Perhaps there’s a dishonesty implied above. That is certainly not what biodiversity needs. Perhaps for our purposes, Burstein and Isenberg’s passage could be rewritten this way:

 

“What abilities are most needed in building constituency and community for conservation? Good leadership helps many of us to pull together in the same direction. It’s helpful to recognize receptive people, to share insider secrets and visions, and to promote mission loyalty. While being true to yourself and honest, it’s key to recognize that some words will be meaningful to “the already faithful,” other words to young people deciding where to invest themselves, and others to the general (not yet much interested) public. Skill with language is key – as is ability to recognize differently expressed but compatible (or ultimately superior) themes in other people’s words. If your associates have ideas and abilities that are potentially important, not only is it imperative to hear them, but at least equally so to facilitate the ability that other person to recognize what they can achieve. And lastly, it’s crucial to know how to soothe wounded egos – a skill not sufficiently appreciated.”

Jefferson and Madison, as slave-owners, are no longer inspiring as individuals. In more recent history, Nelson Mandella inspired many as a courageous, wise, effective leader. But the challenges South Africa continues to face remind us how many devils are in how many details. Good change needs more than a leader. A creative consensus on saving biodiversity and the planet needs to be global - and local too. 

Thus, at the local level conservation volunteers and professionals must work together wellFor that, crucially, the volunteer organizations need to maintain their independent strength. Volunteers who “sit around waiting for someone to tell them what to do” will not have the creativity or leadership needed. That's why this post tries to define some of the components necessary for volunteer communities to flourish.  


Endnote 2. Celebrating everybody.

What about the hard worker? The come-and-goer? The rank-and-file?

In addition to the above “keystone” characters, others in a community seem less central, as they may drop in and out of as life allows. Or they’re “regulars” who inspire us with quite dedication. Or people who may have been leaders during their careers but want to relax by spending a bit time outdoors and not think quite so much. Some may in time, unexpectedly to themselves, become great leaders, given tactful mentorship and inspiration. But some may simply show up week after week, ask what to cut or pull or gather, and go home, having contributed. 

Often, it’s not easy to know who, among new volunteers, will become a nature nerd, a people person, or whatever. (That said, sometimes it’s obvious in five minutes.) But even those who don’t fit neatly into any of the above four categories make up an important part of a group. Perhaps they’re not quite a social engineer – but, over a snack, they might bond with a future leader, inspired by friendly conversation. Or they’ll show up and work tirelessly to eliminate buckthorn in an important area, without asking why or talking to anyone. A thriving community has many leaders, but also many people who join for a day, a month, a decade – and experience a relationship with the ecosystem that may enrich their lives. And whether they fully know it or not – they also enrich the lives of co-workers, plants, animals, and the Earth. 

Other Communities

For the perspectives of a varieties of communities, check out: 

Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves

The Prairie Enthusiasts

The Stewardship Network

Wangari Maathai and the Greenbelt Movement 

Saint Kateri Conservation Center

Wangari Maathai enlisted women throughout Kenya to plant trees. The men were more interested in knocking her unconscious, putting her in jail, and charging her with "spreading malicious rumors, sedition, and treason," for a while. But in the end, consensus came, along with her Nobel Peace Prize.

Do you have other good examples to suggest? Make suggestions through "Comments" (below).

Acknowledgements

This post was written by many: first draft by Stephen Packard, with many edits and new directions by Jonathan Sabath, Amy Doll, Christos Economou, Eriko Kojima, and Rebeccah Hartz. All of us and many others have been working with Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves to develop much-needed biodiversity conservation communities as described above including the Plank Road Prairies, Langham Island, Shaw Woodland and Prairie, Short Cemetery Prairie, Kishwaukee Fen, Middlefork Savanna, Pilcher Park, Morton Grove Prairie, the Somme Preserves, Illinois Beach, and many others. 

Both ecosystems and people have evolved for diversity.
Only people have evolved for parties!

9 comments:

  1. When I first became involved in restoration, I did not give historians the credit they were due. My opinion was since they don’t collect seed or remove invasive species they were not directly helping. After trying to document work that is being done, results of herbicide applications, and the improvement (or decline) of natural areas I have a much greater appreciation for people who make and keep records. Documenting can take much more time than how long a volunteer spends at a workday.

    Considering the above, I suggest adding restoration historian/record keeper to the “Four skill sets (or four types of people) …” that you describe. The Poplar Creek Prairie Steward is a good example of a group that has done a good job of recording their history over time. Each time they get together they look at scrap books and reminisce.

    In the end, only by keeping detailed records will restoration practitioners know what is working, what is not working, and where effort needs to be directed on improvement.

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  2. A big challenge is where do we find such people & how do we move them emotionally to join us when they have so many options? It would be great to collect stories about what has worked & what hasn’t. One way to start is for each org to interview all their current members to find out how they learned about this work & what compelled them to attend their first work party or event. There is some excellent information in “A Healthy Nature Handbook” edited by Pepper & Parker.

    Ideas for where to find volunteers might include large & small companies who encourage their employees to do community work, colleges, garden clubs & groups dedicated to birding, fishing or hunting. Technology companies would seem to be the last place to look, but techies are good problem solvers, are unfazed by failure, love to get out of the office & keep good records.

    It’s not enough to talk about giving back or to say this is the right thing to do, etc. We need ways to positively communicate how ecological restoration can solve human problems that are created by our current culture, especially to young people who hunger for a life with meaning. Problems such as the degradation of community, lack of physical exercise, decreased attention span, lack of time & space to think clearly. For me, a psychological benefit of restoration was starting to learn the meaning of equality, of not being judgmental & non-attachment. All living beings are welcomed into an ecosystem to give it a shot using their unique traits. There is no judgement or bias in nature, no silos, no gatekeepers-in other words, freedom. And there is no room for attachment to outcomes. If an individual or species succeeds & tries to hang on to that success, they will soon fall. If they fail & give up, they will miss an opportunity to succeed next time. Survival depends on adapting to what is. I could not have learned this by reading or observation, because it would become a concept soon forgotten. I had to participate in order to understand and I’m still learning. Sharing stories like this may help attract new practitioners.

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    1. The question "How do we find such people?" is such an important one. In addition to Don's good comments, above, one dynamic that I've noticed is that it's often hard for one person alone to do the "finding." In many instances, instead, established groups have "budded off" new groups, with some of the existing leaders helping get the new group started.

      Example1: When the North Branch Prairie Project visited Bluff Spring Fen and fell in love with it, two people who were then professionals (Steve Byers and me) led at first. But then North Branch volunteer Leon Halloran with Doug Taron moved to Elgin to provide a major part of the group's leadership. Doug became a professional in time, and Leon stayed a volunteer leader.

      Example 2. The Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards began "with a bang" when Dr. Betz and I gave compelling talks and tours, and a dozen people volunteered to lead the first day and, together, divided labor and learned fast, some original members subsequently contributing to the group for their lifetimes.

      Example 3. The "communities" part of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves budded off from the new-ish Somme Woods zone stewards. In twos and threes, they've helped start some of the efforts linked to above. The hope is that all the new groups in time will thrive locally, while people keep in touch and continue to teach and learn from each other. Of course, every site and are different. New challenges. New discoveries. New victories. All add up.

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  3. Yes, spot on! It does take a diverse dedicated team leveraging individual strengths to make a difference! Having engaged team members also helps when times ‘get tough’. It is amazing how one individual can inspire another – emotions are contagious.

    As mentioned previously, finding and engaging volunteers to take action is challenging. I especially appreciate Don’s comments. What stood out for me is to help volunteers discover why they want to help and “what they’re best at and most want to do”. And then, get out of their way and let them thrive. Which aligns with what I’m learning about restoration work – remove the non-natives and step back to observe how nature responds. Both require patience and understanding.

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    1. Yes, indeed. Many volunteers thrive most on hard work and good results.

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  4. Reading this reminds me of my wonderful osmosis like enthusiasm and wonder being on a few field trips listening to the scientists like Steve Packard. And being one of those off and on grunt workers, I retain by appreciation and wonder for each experience and touch of nature. Somewhat like the man who went to Alaska and lived alone blind for years and when asked how he felt about never seeing the Liberty Bell and things like that, he said it was good enough just knowing it is there.

    And the works of restoration then can connect to great thinkers and actors like our present Pope. Having for a long time, our churches, seemed at odds with God's creation, but now we can see the restoration at work in his writings of Laudato Si and the many fans and tools of the young being enlivened. And he much traces back to Pierre Teilhard De Chardin and our Universal Consciousness and our evolution that is unfolding of making heaven on earth.

    I know the early pioneers of restoration and conservation were and may still rightfully have a few bones to pick with our religions and God, but seeing the tide turn and the need to enhance and connect all the people and dots makes for a pretty good feast of nature and even a place for some of us to escape worldly affairs and tensions. And for that nature always calls us not just for islands of native species but for more and more connections to the islands and closing off that which disconnects people from people and nature that has never failed. I'm a big fan and old grunt of Bluff Spring Fen.

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    1. This comment seems especially appropriate as perhaps this blog's first recognizing the importance of religion(s) to biodiversity conservation. The planet needs reverence and dedication from people of every background and creed.

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    2. Very often while reading this blog, I'm reminded of Mark 4: 26-27

      "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how."

      It applies not just to the seed we broadcast in our restorations, but to the efforts of good people everywhere working to make the world a better place.

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  5. The blog reminds me of the early days of the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission and the follow-up of the Natural Areas Inventory with Steve, George Fell, and me teaming up to save the natural areas found during the inventory. We each had our skills and let the others do what they were best at. This important work is still going on.

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