A Strategy for Conservation Success
They urge us to build river accesses, to plant trees and to create wildlife food plots.
At its inception, the new plan consists of eight strategic goals. The goals are meant to provide general guidance and direction for the Conservation Department and its employees.
All eight goals are accompanied by a set of strategic issues, desired results and performance measures. The strategic issues are elements that we have identified as crucial to improving our ability to protect wildlife and habitat while providing service to the people of Missouri.
Desired results included in the plan answer the question, "What do we want to achieve?" Each desired result or set of results also includes a list of performance measures to help us measure or verify our progress.
Taken together, goals, strategic issues, desired results and performance measures provide a clear road map. The strategic plan isn't intended to be a comprehensive listing of everything we do. Instead, it focuses on current issues and areas of emphasis.
Continuously Improve our Business Management Systems
It may seem obvious, but improving the way we manage ourselves will keep us from becoming entrenched, stale or mediocre. The underlying philosophy of the first goal is that a diverse, satisfied, well-trained and well-equipped base of employees will help us generate innovative approaches to how we deal with conservation issues.
In the coming years, the Conservation Department plans to achieve a work force that more accurately mirrors the makeup of the state's residents with respect to gender, race and disabilities. Not only will this initiative provide opportunity to women, minorities and the disabled to learn about resource management and conservation recreation, but the resulting "representative" workforce would be in a better position to understand the desires and expectations of all the people in the state.
The Conservation Department helps support the Natural Resources Career Camp, which provides minority high school students exposure to the outdoors through conservation-related activities. The two-week camp allows students to interact with and learn from natural resource professionals. Hopefully, some of the participants will eventually embark on a career in environmental conservation.
Improving the business of conservation also depends on improving the skills of Department employees. The recently instituted Academy for Leadership Excellence requires that all employees receive training in management, supervision, and teamwork. In a sense, no one graduates from the program. Instead, employees must complete all the courses within a certain time frame. There will be no "grandfathering," which can lead