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 Dear ARS Network:
2005 is off to a great start for the Alliance for Regional Stewardship. This is a very exciting time to be involved in ARS and regional initiatives. There is abundant evidence in news articles and energetic regional initiatives that people throughout America, and in fact around the world, are increasingly awareness of just how important regional approaches are to solving common problems.
Those of us in the Greater Washington D.C. region will be delighted to welcome you to the upcoming National Forum on Regional Stewardship, May 4-6, 2006. The theme of the Forum is ?The Next Generation in CollaborationLinking Economic and Social Issues.? Sessions will include discussions around multi-state regional issues, federal policy and regionalism, and ?stealth? federal practices encouraging collaboration. Other sessions will highlight the efforts of the Greater Washington D.C. region as well as regions around the country.
We are also very excited about a new program for practitionersthe ARS Regional Stewardship Boot Camp. We often hear practitioners asking the same questions: How do you start a regional initiative? How do you build a roadmap for regional stewardship? What are the best practices for encouraging regional stewardship? The Boot Camp is an opportunity to explore these issues with expertsand with others facing the same challenges. The Boot Camp is designed as an intensive, one-day session and 6 months of follow-up coaching aimed at showing participants how to launch a successful regional stewardship initiative in their region. Participants will learn how other regions got started, then design a ?Regional Stewardship Start-Up Plan? for implementation in their own region. The first Boot Camp will be held on May 4, 2006, in Washington, D.C., in conjunction with the National Forum.
Our commitment to helping youthe practitionersaddress the challenges facing your region continues to be the basis for everything we do. Over the next few months, we will be conducting a survey and holding focus groups of both ARS members and non-members. As we continue to grow, your feedback is invaluable in helping us strengthen our current activities and develop new programs that are the most valuable to you. Please take a moment to download the survey from the ARS website, fill it out and return to ARS by fax or mail. Also look for ARS-led sessions at upcoming national conferences around the country.
Sincerely,
Scott Fosler
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