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Welcome to the Washington Conservation Network, nicknamed WCN. This is a public group for conservation district folks and partners, a place to share information and discuss issues that affect our conservation community. You must have an account to post information but you do not need an account to read posts. That means that any topics and discussions posted here are available to the general public as well as to group members. Posts are not moderated but they will be monitored for civility and accuracy. Basic rules and guidelines are available in the Files section. WACD Officers and Directors are cautioned to be mindful of avoiding a quorum when participating in discussions. WACD staff will also monitor conversations so that we can avoid accidentally holding a public meeting in this group! We will appreciate any suggestions that will produce a better experience for the people in our conservation community. -- Tom Salzer, Executive Director Washington Association of Conservation Districts exec@...

WACD publishes a newsletter (usually weekly) called the Five Things to Know (or just the Five Things) for members. During legislation session, WACD also publishes a Legislative Updates briefing. Subscribe to the Five Things: https://hub.wadistricts.org/resources/newsletters/weekly/ Subscribe to Legislative Updates: https://hub.wadistricts.org/resources/newsletters/legislative/ We also provide a publicly available archive of past newsletters. Find the archive at https://hub.wadistricts.org/resources/newsletters/.

Hi folks. This group might see an uptick in usage at the end of April as WACD helps numerous conservation district folks to move their email accounts from one service provider to another. We need a way to provide support that is not dependent on someone being able to read their email and this group communication tool is one way to do that. The larger story is that Google is shutting down the free GMail system that the Commission started up in 2007. A very brief explanation by Google is available: https://support.google.com/a/answer/60217 As this gets closer to the moment when we switch from Google to another provider, we'll add information to a special page on the WACD Hub: https://hub.wadistricts.org/district-email/ More info coming when it crystallizes! Best, Tom

Why a hub? Our conservation district members gave us conflicting feedback: make our information shorter but keep providing lots of it. Our solution was this information hub, called the WACD Hub or just the Hub. Find it at https://hub.wadistricts.org. Our hope is that the Hub will become a central information source for all of our members, partners, and supporters. The name was crafted by conservation districts That statement from the Washington State Conservation Commission’s marketing toolkit inspired us to create an information hub to serve the needs of WACD’s member conservation districts and partners. We call it the Hub in honor of the work done by folks from conservation districts and the Conservation Commission around marketing conservation. When we surveyed our newsletter subscribers, we learned that a portion of our audience wanted much more brevity in what we send to them. Conversely, another group wanted us to retain in-depth coverage and commentary, finding that content useful. Those opposing points of view presented us with a conundrum. How we arranged the home page and menu Many topics are on the Hub home page We reconciled those two perspectives by building an information resource that divides content into topics, making it easier for those who are only interested in a few topics to stay informed on those areas. And by presenting several topic areas on the Hub’s home page, we simultaneously expose folks to a broader range of content and ideas. The Hub’s home page is a collection of many topics, starting with five most important items in the Featured section. Next to that is the list of the most recent articles which we call posts, and below that are upcoming events. Then “below the fold” we present multiple topic areas with the two most recent post titles in each. It’s an easy way to scan for something that may catch your eye. Job announcements are always popular so that topic is included on the Hub home page. All of the topics are available through the main menu under Topics. Learn more by visiting the Hub today: https://hub.wadistricts.org. -- Tom Salzer, Executive Director Washington Association of Conservation Districts exec@...

In case you are more comfortable with an email-based system like Groups.io, I want to remind you that this group for Washington conservation districts still exists. Some folks are not comfortable with Slack and that's why I've kept this Groups.io system going. Do feel free to use it. For more on why email-based groups are a good choice, visit /static/why

If you haven't already made the jump to the Washington Conservation Society/Washington Association of Conservation Districts Slack account, please do so now. We have approximately three times as many people using Slack as use this Groups.io service so make the jump today! Ask for an invitation at https://bit.ly/waslack Thanks much, Tom -- Tom Salzer, Executive Director Washington Association of Conservation Districts exec@...

Good morning to Washington Conservation Network members. It's Tuesday morning, March 31. It's a challenging moment in time for all of us. This week marked the one-month anniversary since the first death due to COVID-19 in the State of Washington. That's a grim marker. My, how our world has changed in such a short time! I encourage you to reach out to others and share how you are doing. This is a time when we need each other more than ever, and it is made ever so much more difficult to express that need because we are physically distanced from others. Write an email, make a call, post something here...but do reach out. We are all feeling the strain of being separated so your note or call will be welcome, I assure you. On a more technical note, I did look at using Slack for this forum. Slack is a very popular online forum system that is easy to use and simple enough that it isn't confusing. However, messages and files are not retained on the free Slack offering, and that would make responding to a public records request very difficult. The paid plans start at $6.67 per user per month, a price point that is way out of our league if it scaled to a statewide system. There is a free nonprofit offering available to 501(c)(3) organizations like the Washington Conservation Society, but WACD is a 501(c)(6) trade organization (like a Chamber of Commerce in some ways) so we don't directly qualify for the free-for-nonprofits Slack plan. We are open to any and all ideas of how WACD can better support our members and partners during this time. What we haven't yet talked about is the long-term impacts from COVID-19. It's clear that it is going to have a major impact on the state budget for years to come. That means more challenging conversations about advancing the mission of conservation districts in their local communities and providing the funding districts need to fully implement their mission. This is just one of a suite of long-range concerns that are bouncing around like a slow pinball machine in my mind. Underlying these concerns is my worry for our members and partners. We are with you and want to help support you. Don't be a stranger. Do reach out. We look forward to hearing from you. -- Tom Salzer, Executive Director Washington Association of Conservation Districts exec@...

Good morning. The State Auditor's Office has just published a brief compendium of things to be aware of for local governments during this crisis. Find it at https://www.sao.wa.gov/tips-guidelines-and-more-for-local-governments-managing-through-coronavirus/ And our always stalwart and deeply capable Conservation Commission has collected a number of resources to help you. Find it at https://scc.wa.gov/covid-19_resources/ Do feel free to add to this topic if you come across additional resources. Your Regional Manager is probably your best place to start if you have questions! Best always, Tom -- Tom Salzer, Executive Director Washington Association of Conservation Districts exec@...

Good morning! It is a drizzly day in Olympia on Monday, March 23. I write to let you know that WACD is with you as you deal with the COVID-19 situation. I know quite well from my time in the trenches that this is going to particularly challenge conservation district employees. CD staff pride themselves on the great service they provide to private landowners. Those trust-based relationships are built through personal interactions, multiple follow-ups, and following through on promises. COVID-19 will make it more difficult to have those interactions. And CD staff are on the front lines when it comes to meeting specific grant contract requirements. I foresee that deadlines and deliverables may become difficult to achieve as we delay in-person meetings and visits, and as group activities are curtailed. I encourage you to talk with your grantors as soon as possible to determine where some flexibility may exist in your grant-funded projects and programs. Meanwhile, conservation districts still need to hold board meetings. WACD can assist with access to a meeting folder on our Box.com account, and we can provide access to our teleconference line or our Zoom account in a pinch. We're also here to talk with you when needed. The PMC continues to wrap up harvest and to ship plants. Our PMC staff are available for your plant sale questions. Ryan and I in the WACD office in Olympia are also available, but with this twist: we are largely working from home, so please use email or the mobile numbers on the WACD website to reach us. Above all, remain in frequent contact with your Regional Manager and your WACD area directors. You can find your area directors on the WACD website at https://www.wadistricts.org/about-wacd/meet-our-area-directors-2/ With social distancing and working more in isolation than we are used to, we will all be stressed. We'll all feel some fear and anxiety. Please know that you're not alone. Our conservation community wants you to remain well, and part of being well involves you reaching out to maintain contact with others. You are part of us and we are part of you. We look forward to talking with you soon. -- Tom Salzer, Executive Director Washington Association of Conservation Districts exec@...

This thread provides a place to start a discussion about COVID-19. Solid information sources about COVID-19 and what businesses and organizations ought to consider are in the following list (and I do not purport that this list is thorough or complete): * https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html (and the more general link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html) ( https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html ) * https://www.cms.gov/medicareprovider-enrollment-and-certificationsurveycertificationgeninfopolicy-and/guidance-infection-control-and-prevention-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-nursing-homes * https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus * https://www.k12.wa.us/about-ospi/press-releases/novel-coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-resources * https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/communicable-diseases/disease-control/novel-coronavirus/protection.aspx A few maps are instructive for those of us who like visualizations: * Johns Hopkins has a worldwide COVID-19 tracker at https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 (and the more general intro to this mapping system: https://systems.jhu.edu/research/public-health/ncov/) ( https://systems.jhu.edu/research/public-health/ncov/ ) * The World Health Organization has this interactive dashboard: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd * Additional visualizations compiled by BuzzFeed: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/coronavirus-updating-charts-maps-us-states And for those folks who are at higher risk of infection: * Guidance for Persons Who are at Higher Risk for Serious Illness: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/NovelCoronavirusOutbreak2020/HigherRiskforSeriousIllness (State Department of Health) Good local government guidance has been created by MRSC: * http://mrsc.org/Home/Explore-Topics/Public-Safety/Emergency-Services/Public-Health-Emergencies.aspx I know that some folks will perceive the public fears about COVID-19 as perhaps overreactions or even hysteria, but being safe is rarely a poor response. (It's hard to view guidance from the CDC as being based on hysteria.) Consider that we wear seatbelts against the unlikely event that we'll be in a life-threating vehicle accident. Being proactive about protecting ourselves and those we come into contact with is a responsible acknowledge of our obligations to the people in our communities. It's like wearing a seatbelt to protect ourselves and others. -- Tom Salzer, Executive Director Washington Association of Conservation Districts exec@...

We invite comments and concerns from our Washington conservation community about COVID-19 in this topic thread. If the novel coronavirus continues to spread, it will undoubtedly affect some of the people in our conservation district community. And we *are* a community! The Washington Conservation Network is a good tool to use to help connect us in difficult times like this. -- Tom Salzer, Executive Director Washington Association of Conservation Districts exec@...

(Sent out today to the Association from Ryan Baye) Good morning to the Association, After a recent scam attempt from someone claiming to be President Jeanette Dorner asking for information from supervisors and staff, we thought it would be a good time to remind folks about the latest scam attempts. Known as “phishing”, these are emails appearing to be from people or organizations you know and trust. These are increasingly sophisticated and growing harder to detect. They are even starting to send text messages claiming to be from someone you trust who’s “borrowing a phone”. They do this by tricking your email system into showing false information, that an email from x7k73as@... is actually from a trusted individual like “Ryan Baye”. They will ask for personal information, purchase gift cards, or to open a file attached to the email. These attempts try creating a sense of urgency and encourage you not to call or contact the supposed sender. Fortunately, they cannot hide their actual email. So when something doesn’t look right, you should always immediately check what email account is actually sending you this message. When in doubt, trust your instincts. If something doesn’t seem right, it usually isn’t. Below are some general tips recently put out by the Commission, as well as an attached photo courtesy of the Washington State Office of CyberSecurity with what to look for in an attempted phishing scam. ** *General tips to avoid becoming a victim:* * Be suspicious of any emails that urge you to take action and try to create a sense of urgency. * Never click on links or open attachments without first making sure the request is authentic. * Call the sender by looking up their phone number independently. * Never call a phone number included in a suspicious email, or reply to the sender. *Common types of attachments seen in phishing campaigns:* * Malicious files with innocent names, such as “invoice.” * Office products such as Excel and Word can have malicious macros (programs that run inside of programs). * PDF files may have a malicious link or a macro embedded. * Files that emulate a DVD drive or a USB drive (extension .iso, .ism) can be used to automatically run a script once opened. ** *Common ways bad actors try to trick you:* * New cat video. Can you believe this? * Your organization just received an award, or you were recognized in a staff meeting. * A popular band is coming to town, are you going? * You have an imminent deadline for sexual harassment training. * Sense of Urgency: Your password is about to expire, a deadline is approaching for mandatory training, overdue bill, we have not received your payment, a delivery attempt was made, your mail is on hold, your account credentials have been compromised, there is a warrant out for your arrest.