Well, it’s been quite a summer.  A new state budget has brought many new challenges during a time that I am trying to come up with a zero increase in our Department’s budget.  All this comes at a time when we are handling a marked increase in work load coming from increased construction.  Add to that the increased confusion on the rules we guide our landowners by, and I’m sure everyone has felt the stress of our jobs this summer.  I guess no one ever said work life would always be fair or easy, right? 

 

It should go without saying that our fall conference is shaping up to be a must attend event.  We will discuss shoreland zoning at great length so we can all understand the rules and work to enforce them fairly and consistently across our state.  We will have wetland training to help insure that we recognize and work to protect that resource so valuable to our surface waters, groundwater, environment, and habitat.  

 

We will have a POWTs update to keep us on the cutting edge of developments in that field.  We will have legislative and legal updates so we can keep our constituents, committee and board members, and staff informed of recent developments and appropriate reactions to them.  We will have many other educational sessions, a business meeting, awards, and updates so we can further our professional goals. And we will have apprise you on the Executive Board’s and Committee’s activities over the summer.  Many of us have been meeting periodically and working to get the best information to our members as quickly as possible. 

 

And we will have some downtime to swap tales, commiserate, and trade stories of the more personal and fun things we have going on in our lives as well.  And of course that might include a tall cold one or two.  Remember it’s all about balance.  And heaven knows I need some fun and relaxation to balance the rest of the stuff, and I’m betting you do also. 

 

So, I encourage you to check out the agenda and the venue in Door County.  And mark your calendars for October 21st through the 23rd for the fall conference.  The Landmark is a suite resort and would work great for those of you looking to bring your family along too.  I think this could be our best conference yet thanks to Terry Ochs and all the great folks he has lined up to present.  So come along and join us for a balance of learning and relaxation, serious discussions and funny stories, updates and downtime.  It should be great.  See you there.  Terri