Recently, 35 active volunteers including our board and staff came together to attend a Wilderness Workshop. Our primary goal was to increase our ability to work with effectiveness and enthusiasm both individually as well as a group.
The half day session was intense but enjoyable. A Wilderness Workshop can take many forms and formats. For the Friends of Scotchman Peaks, a primary focus was on how grassroots volunteers can really make a difference, especially in building the public support critical to successful lands management decisions.
We also wanted to make sure that there was a common understanding of our core tenants, philosophies and facts. With our wide variety of outreach tools, publications, maps, website and social media platforms, it was a good time to make sure our volunteers felt comfortable with the resources available. Our hope was that everyone would leave feeling that they had the knowledge of key skills and message points to be able to feel like they would have the resources and knowledge needed to be an effective part of our efforts.
This workshop was also a way to bring together the various individuals working on these from across all three counties and both states so that they will feel connected to each other. Our unique geography could easily lead to isolated communities; we wanted to bridge that gap and bring all our local advocates together to build commaraderie.
We will stand together and one day gaze upon a Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, as designated by congress!
