In the last blog post I wrote about the wonderful connections I have made so far in this fellowship with Hispanic Access Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and that trend has continued. I recently attended the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association (NMFWA) conference in March and finally was able to meet all of the other fellows in the same program as me. It was also fascinating to hear about all the work that is going on to make conservation a priority within the perspective of the military.
This was my first time attending a work conference, and I learned a lot from both my other fellows and the military installation managers who I am writing climate profiles for. I was able to briefly present our work thus far to those who work within the military installations, and we received feedback and comments from them. It was great to hear about what they are looking for to better tailor our work to help them prepare for and mitigate climate change impacts. I also learned so much about how projects work within this setting and was able to explore potential future options for my career path.
I feel that I have made some great connections to move progress on the climate profile forward. While it is still a work in progress, I have begun to see the document as a whole and how it can make an impact on management within military installations. I am excited to see how our hard work turns out, and how the connections I have made play a role in the success of it. Attending conferences, such as NMFWA, is important in this field of work to gain new perspectives and continue making progress towards conservation goals.
