Extension Wildlife & Fisheries Specialists Conferences
Date of this Version
10-14-2006
Document Type
Article
Abstract
I developed an Internet-based, planning and communication system for professional and private users to make plans for their lands, which is branded as LandHelp (www.LandHelp.info). The project was funded by grants from the Renewable Resources Extension Act, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Wildlife Habitat Management Institute, Colorado State Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (USDA SARE) from the Western Region, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agro-forestry program with the NRCS. Currently, LandHelp contains links to 31 broad categories of information that then link to 2,613 more resources. Major topics include, but are not limited to, planning, water, forests, fire, range, fish and wildlife, livestock, rural community living, pests, emergencies, health and safety, recreation, tourism and value added enterprises, financial aid and programs, community assessment and management, education, and the green infrastructure and sustainability. This “first-stop-resource” for understanding and managing land, wildlife, and people has been reviewed 122,000 times in the past year without promotion by the university except through personal communications. LandHelp can be used by faculty, students, professionals, and all persons with access to the Internet. We want to encourage persons to help themselves to information and to practice conservation. LandHelp and the Internet simplifies communications. The Internet is the most convenient, uniform, and accessible place to house, edit, and to share important information. However, persons also need a helping hand to put information into action. Natural resources professionals have made inputs in the past and they will be needed in the future as needs broaden and questions become more thoughtful. The next step for LandHelp is to get natural resources agencies, organizations, and individuals around the world to store information and to communicate with their publics through the shared website. LandHelp could become the Internet voice for all Extension Natural Resources links, and I encourage interest and participation by Extension Specialists, Agents, Administrators, and their clients from throughout the country.
Comments
Published in Proceedings, 11th Triennial National Wildlife & Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference, October 14-18, 2006, Big Sky, MT.