Speaking for Wildlife: A Refresher for Volunteers

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A photo of two men in the woods. The man on the right is wearing an orange jacket and hat and is pointing to an informational handout; the man on the left is wearing a dark jacket and hat and an orange vest and is looking at the map the other man is holding.

Welcoming a new group of volunteers is a good opportunity to remind folks of some important steps in the Speaking for Wildlife process. Remember – getting your event on the calendar, making sure the kit is full of supplies, and filling out a self-evaluation all goes into making your walk/talk and this program successful!
 

  • Make sure your event is on the calendar! Whether you’re a volunteer for one of the requests for a talk that I send out in an update, or you’ve scheduled a talk on your own with a group/organization – you need to be sure to contact your county forester to have the details of the talk put on the Speaking for Wildlife calendar. This is the only way you’re covered by insurance, and it’s how we know what’s going on! It’s also how you reserve the County Kit for your presentation.
  • Check the Kit! The County Kits are the responsibility of volunteers (that’s you!). We rely on you to tell county staff when something is missing or needs to be refilled. Be sure to check the kit before you leave the office to make sure it has the materials you need. A list of Kit Contents can be found in the lid of the kit, and also online.
  • Fill out a Self-Evaluation after the talk. Within one week of your presentation, complete the Presenter’s Self-Evaluation online. It’s how we evaluate the success of the program and assess if we need to make any changes to the presentations.
  • Follow your Presenter’s Checklist & remember that all resources are available online! Information on the entire procedure is available in the Presenter’s Checklist. It’s a good idea to review this document every time you have a presentation scheduled, to ensure you don’t forget anything. Additionally, all of the resources (with the exception of the actual PPT presentations) can be found on the Speaking for Wildlife website under Resources for Volunteers. If you need a copy of the actual PPT presentation, send me an e-mail and we’ll get one to you!

Thank you to all of the volunteers who have trained in the Speaking for Wildlife program, for giving presenations all over New Hampshire.

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