Take a mental break: Exploring nature during self isolation

It’s no secret that spending time outside can reap benefits for your mental health. Regardless if we’re in the office or working from home, the WSA team takes quick breaks regularly to “get up and get out.” We find when we take a stroll around the block, or practice a 10 minute mindfulness routine outside, we feel less stressed and more focused when we return to work.

Below are a few resources to get you up and out! Check our Facebook page for more resources in the coming days.

Have kids at home?  Start training your own Junior Master Watershed Steward!

Tips for experiencing nature and de-stressing in the outdoors.

  • For more information on how nature impacts your wellbeing, check out this article from the University of Minnesota or this podcast from NPR.

  • If you’re interested in practicing mindfulness outdoors, this is a great place to start! While the resource is formatted for students, you can easily adapt it to practice alone or with your family.

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COVID 19: An update on our programs and projects

WSA Master Watershed Steward Certification Course  Class 12 Steward Candidates  have completed  2/3 of their coursework since last October, with 4 classes remaining this Spring.  While some of the content for these classes will be converted to online platforms (and thus also available for any Certified Stewards who would like a refresher!), the field based sessions including the Capstone Intensive and the Class Project will be reschedule when the “coast is clear”.  Capstone Project are being planned with the majority scheduled for fall installation.   

Backyard Buffers  Currently buffer bundling and distribution is scheduled for April 14-15, however there is a good chance this date will change.  Stay tuned for updates!

Replant Anne Arundel  Josh and Alyssa are hard at work developing outreach materials and fun tools  for Tree Troopers.  The initial Tree Trooper training will be rescheduled when the “coast is clear”.  A second training is planned for June 6th.  Most trees will be planted from September-November 2020.

Stormwater Success  This WSA short course for property manager and HOA leaders  is scheduled for May 4, 9, and 16th, but like everything else this spring, we are adopting a “wait and see” approach.  More information may be found at: http://aawsa.org/stormwater-success-event

If you have questions about any other WSA programs, please contact Noelle Chao, nchao@aacps.org. 

What is the WSA Staff doing these days anyway?

As you may have assumed, our staff is working remotely for a few weeks as Anne Arundel County Public Schools, and by extension, our office at Arlington Echo, are closed.  We have canceled all public programs and moved meetings to remote platforms for as long as the schools are closed and the state of emergency, with social distancing requirements, is in effect. This situation is so fluid that we are not making any predictions or plans for the near future, as we wait to see how things will unfold. For the latest on upcoming programs, please visit our website aawsa.org. 

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In spite of our office closures, our staff is working. As usual, the WSA “office” is a buzz with activity. Josh and Alyssa are working on the finer details of Replant Anne Arundel including the application process for communities to receive trees and educational content for Tree Troopers to use in their communities. They are also advancing several exciting community-based projects that are set to break ground in just a few weeks.

Noelle is busy planning online content for future classes, as well as keeping tabs on the 30 Stewards in Class 12 as they plan their capstone projects. Believe it or not, it is also time to start planning for next year’s Master Watershed Steward Certification Course!

Haley is wrapping up her last week of work for WSA before she transitions on to an exciting new job! She’s busy passing on her knowledge to Nan Henry who is stepping in to support Steward outreach and organize environmental literacy resources this Spring. She’s also digging into the WSA project database so the Monitoring Action Group can check on past projects later this Spring. Each year, the Stewards of the Monitoring Action Group visit WSA projects that are over three years old to assess their condition and provide maintenance or repair guidance to project owners.

Katie is writing grants, planning fundraising efforts, creating social media content and organizing our e-communications.

Trish is writing a human resources manual, updating our financial policies, cleaning our database and reconciling financial statements.

And me? I am excited to finalize our strategic plan. The WSA Board made some big decisions about new strategic directions last week, and next week the Strategic Planning Committee will finalize the draft plan. Between now and then, my job is to put together all of the pieces, draft progress indicators and metrics, and figure out how we are going to pay for all the exciting new work! I am so grateful for the excellent leadership of our consultant, Due East Partners. 

If you would like to connect with any WSA Staff, please don’t hesitate to send us an email:

Suzanne Etgen, Executive Director: setgen@aacps.org
Noelle Chao, Program Coordinator: nchao@aacps.org
Josh Clark, Restoration Coordinator: jyetterclark@aacps.org
Katie Foster, Development and Communications Coordinator: kefoster@aacps.org
Alyssa Brummitt, Restoration Technician: cont-abrummitt@aacps.org
Haley Denton, Outreach Coordinator: cont-hdenton@aacps.org
Trish Hennessy-Webb, Systems Administrator: thennessy-webb@aacps.org
Nan Henry, Interim Outreach Coordinator: nhenry@aacps.org

Here’s a sneak peek into our home offices. Can you guess which office belongs to which staff member?

Honoring Steve Raabe, WSA Board Chair

On behalf of the Stewards, Board and our staff, I want to thank Steve Raabe for his tremendous gift to WSA- the gift of time, leadership and passion. Steve has been one of the most important mentors to me- not only has he taught me everything I know about behavior change (a skill that has not yet worked on my husband, so clearly I still have more to learn), but also about leadership and bringing people together. 

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Steve often talks about WSA’s “secret sauce” that special blend of physical restoration science with social science and community engagement. As I reflect on Steve and what he has brought WSA, I can tell you that Steve has a little secret sauce of his own. First, when you are with Steve, your glass is ALWAYS half full. No problem is insurmountable, and there is no issue that can’t be turned into an opportunity.  When it's raining, there is always a blue sky with Steve.

The second part of Steve’s secret sauce is his humility. Whenever someone vehemently disagrees with him, or is visibly upset, Steve’s  response is ALWAYS “Tell me more about that, I want to understand.” Steve is never defensive or dismissive. This has served him and WSA so well over the last 9 years as he has brought together many diverse voices and deftly navigated some challenging situations. I have learned so much riding alongside Steve.

The last ingredient in Steve’s secret sauce is commitment.  Steve is honestly the busiest person I know, and he ALWAYS has time for me and for WSA. Whether it was mentoring me through leadership development or steering the Board through a difficult issue, Steve always makes the time  for the causes he is committed to, and he urges others to do the same. I don’t know too many people who can say “no” to Steve because his answer is always “yes” when others need him. 

Steve, thank you so much for nine years of dedicated service as the chair of the WSA Board.

Cheers to clean water,

Suzanne