ANPR has scheduled two training courses during the upcoming Ranger Rendezvous in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Anyone may register for these courses, not just National Park Service employees. In particular, the Introduction to Resource Stewardship course could be particularly valuable to young people (either seasonals or college students) seeking future employment with the National Park Service.

You will receive a complimentary one-year membership in ANPR and full registration for the Rendezvous with your course registration.

The sessions are in response to what NPS employees told us, in a survey last year, may encourage them to join NPS employee support organizations like ANPR.

Situational Leadership • Dec. 10-11, 2008

If you are having difficulty successfully competing for work leader or supervisory jobs because you don’t have experience or training in supervision, then understanding Situational Leadership is a good place to start building your résumé.

Developed and distributed by the Ken Blanchard Companies, Situational Leadership provides leaders with a model and the tools for creating open communication and developing self-reliance in those they manage. It is designed to increase the frequency and quality of conversations about performance and development. As a result, competence is developed, commitment is gained and talented individuals are retained. The foundation lays in teaching leaders to diagnose the needs of an individual or a team and then use the appropriate leadership style to respond to the needs of the person and the situation.

The National Park Service has used the Situational Leadership course since the mid-1980s as a training standard in preparing supervisors and managers for the responsibility of leading people. The system is readily mastered and highly adaptable to everyday work situations that leaders face. Instructor Art Eck teaches from first-hand experience as a park supervisor and manager of more than 24 years. He has been a certified NPS Situational Leadership instructor since 1986, and has shared this training with more than 3,000 national and state park employees.

The course is scheduled for Dec. 10-11 in Santa Fe; the $235 tuition includes full registration for the Ranger Rendezvous. For first-time Rendezvous attendees, registration includes a one-year ANPR membership. PLEASE SIGN UP BY FRIDAY, NOV. 7, OR THIS COURSE ALSO WILL BE CANCELED DUE TO LOW REGISTRATION. Go to this page to register:

* CANCELED DUE TO LOW REGISTRATION *
Introduction to Resource Stewardship • Dec. 10-12, 2008

The Horace Albright Training Center and ANPR will host the first course of the Resource Stewardship and Protection curriculum, Introduction to Resource Stewardship, Dec. 10–12 in Santa Fe.

This 24-hour course focuses participants on the natural and cultural resource stewardship mission of the NPS. Participants will develop an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of employees in carrying out the agency’s fundamental purpose. NPS history, laws, management policies, principles and practices are covered through lectures, group discussions, case studies and field exercises.

This course can benefit those in all disciplines, job classifications, grades and lengths of service, including park partners. If you hope to become a career NPS employee, participation may help you be more competitive. Current career employees can gain a better understanding of the NPS mission, and this can impact career satisfaction and advancement.

Participants will learn how interdisciplinary approaches to resource protection and stewardship benefit the NPS; be able to define how each of their jobs contributes to resource stewardship; and display a broader appreciation of the range of resources associated with our nation’s heritage.

Participants also will gain a better understanding of how working beyond park boundaries promotes resource stewardship.

The three-day class will run concurrently with the Rendezvous. A minimum of 24 participants are needed. NPS participants will receive official credit on their training transcripts.

More information about the Resource Stewardship and Protection Curriculum courses and can be found at www.nps.gov/training/nrs/nrshome.htm Questions can be e-mailed to jeri_hall@nps.gov.