A county-level Master Conservationist Program educated many Iowans about conservation and sustainability in exchange for the participants volunteering both time and expertise to their communities

Pease, James L.

A county-level Master Conservationist Program educated many Iowans about conservation and sustainability in exchange for the participants volunteering both time and expertise to their communities.</p

Pease, James

Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)

Leopold Center Special Project FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE GRANT REPORT Principal Investigator: James L. Pease Animal Ecology Iowa State University Budget: $10,500 for year one $12,500 for year two $ 7,032 for year three Question: What does the Master Conserva­tionist Program do? Answer: It brings together a diverse group of people to learn about a broad range of conservation topics, including sustainable agriculture. While no single effort, even one of 32 hours in length like this one, can make one a “master” at anything, this program puts people on the road. The come to understand some of the functions of both natural and human-made systems, how they interact, and, in the process, create stronger and better communities. Iowa Master Conservationist ProgramAbstract: A county-level Master Conservationist Program educated many Iowans about conservation and sustainability in exchange for the participants volunteering both time and expertise to their communities. Background y Basic ecological principles;y Prairies, woodlands, wetlands, and streamsIn 1996, a group of Story County environmen- and the wildlife that inhabit them;tal educators met to explore ways to educate y Sustainable agriculture and land use; andothers on a broad range of environmental is-y Energy and waste management.sues and concerns. The Master Conservation­ist Program (MCP), based on the highly suc-	 The exact session titles varied from county tocessful Master Gardener Program, emerged as	 county, depending on local needs and inter-one way to offer training to the public.	 ests. All counties included a substantial amount of experiential outdoor learning and all hadA model program was tested in Story County sessions on sustainable agriculture. The pri­in 1997 and 1998. The program was intro- mary references for the course were environ­duced in three other counties in 1999 with the mental publications produced by the Iowahelp of grants from the Leopold Center and the Association of Naturalists and distributed ISU Department of Animal Ecology. In 2000, through ISU Extension.six new counties implemented the MCP. There were eight counties offering the MCP in 2001; four new counties (Black Hawk, Hardin, Iowa/ Results and discussion Johnson, and Pottawattamie) and four repeats (Story, Webster, Buchanan, and Linn) of pre- The programs have attracted an eclectic mix ofviously successful programs. The programs citizens interested in conservation. Local orga­were all co-sponsored by ISU Extension and nizers listed participants from many walks ofthe local county Conservation Boards and re- life: grocery store clerk, teachers, agriculturalceived assistance from other local groups and professionals, retirees, farmers, newspaper re­agencies. porters, students, nurses, bankers, landscapers, Natural Resources Conservation Service per-Approach and methods	 sonnel, postal worker, secretary, factory work­ers, computer programmer, lab technician, and stay-at-home moms and dads.The Master Conservationist Program consists of at least 32 hours of instruction for adults, In return for the benefits of the course, partici­usually offered at eight, four-hour, hands-on pants are expected to plan and carry out at leasteducational sessions. Each session has a differ- 32 hours of volunteer activity in the broad areaent presenter, and a variety of organizations of conservation during the year following theirand agencies are represented. Class sizes range participation in the course. In 2001 there werefrom 14 to 35 individuals. Topics covered 188 MCP participants who contributed moreinclude: y Iowa’s physical environment; Volume 11 (2002) 58 than 750 hours of work to date. Those counties repeating the program also report 3,941 hours contributed by MCP graduates from previous years. Volunteer activities conducted by the partici­pants covered a broad spectrum of conserva-tion-related interests. Some of the projects included composting demonstrations and ex­hibits; planting of filter strips, stream buffers, and field borders; wildlife habitat restoration; energy education presentations; birdhouse con­struction; parks and water monitoring; park maintenance; fish habitat installation; butter­fly garden construction; prairie restoration and management; and mussel surveys. Conclusions While no single course, including this one, can make a person a “master” at anything, the organizers believe that this course sets people on that path. Conservation is a series of lifestyle choices that each person makes. If people re­ceive accurate information from programs such as MCP, they will be more likely to make informed, intelligent choices about how to contribute to environmental sustainability. The course also was an important opportunity to teach non-farm residents about sustainable ag­riculture. Impact of results MCP Coordinator LeAnne Rohrberg has ana­lyzed data about those who attended MCP classes. Further analysis should be available in spring 2002. These were some of her initial findings: y MCP participants showed a significant gain in knowledge in surveys conducted prior to their participation and up to 12 months after completion of the program. y MCP participants’ knowledge scores from surveys were significantly higher than those of a control group of non-partici-pants from the same counties. y Scores from attitudinal questions indicated that while the course elicited positive (but not significant) changes in attitudes, they were significantly more positive than those of a control group of non-participants from the same counties on eight of 12 attitudinal statements. For more information contact James Pease, Animal Ecology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011; (515) 294­7429, e-mail jlpease@iastate.edu Leopold Center Progress Reports 59 

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Iowa Master Conservationist Program

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Iowa Master Conservationist Program

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