Former UP RC&D Council Coordinator, Marilyn Shy, has received the 2010 McCarty Award for Outstanding Coordinator from the North Central Association of RC&D Councils. The award was presented to Marilyn at their annual conference which was held in Stevens Point, Wisconsin in September. The North Central Association of RC&D Councils serves the 72 RC&D Councils in seven states - Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The award recognizes a coordinator who empowers their council to utilize the RC&D program to its fullest extent, by training council leaders (including underserved groups) and enabling them to operate the organization through good non-profit management. Marilyn was nominated by the UP RC&D council because we felt she possessed the skills and personality qualities that the award criteria were based on. The qualities that nominees were evaluated on included:

Facilitates and empowers the council in carrying out its area plan and helps find innovative ways to overcome barriers to implementation of council goals and objectives
Provides opportunities for council members to strengthen and develop their full leadership potential
Recognizes the special perspectives and skills offered by members of underserved groupsand supports their inclusion in council work through council composition and project implementation
Facilitates access to various USDA agency programs for utilization by the local RC&Dcouncil
Encourages the council to form partnerships (with community groups, professionals, andgovernment authorities) to implement projects

These qualities were very apparent during 2010, when under her leadership and direction, the Upper Peninsula RC&D Council made significant progress towards their goals of completing projects to satisfy the conservation priorities of their members and partners, while at the same time building the capacity of the Council through implementing progressive non-profit management policies and building sustainable partnerships through their RRIP-IT-UP (Rapid Response Invasive Plant Intervention Team for the UP) project. Marilyn's accomplishments included:

1) Writing a grant that was competitively funded by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation in the amount of $150,000 for an area-wide Invasive Plant Project

2) Assisting the UP RC&D Council in their efforts to become a member of the Circle of Diamonds for the first time

3) Facilitating the development of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Cooperative Weed Management Area (EUP CWMA)

4) Co-facilitating the development of the Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area (KISMA)

5) Increasing the visibility, financial stability, and capacity of several struggling conservation districts in the region by passing-through invasive plant project funds

6) Ensuring that all five federally recognized tribes in the Upper Peninsula played a significant role in a region-wide invasive plant project

7) Being instrumental in the Council receiving the "2010 Partnership Award" from the Marquette County Conservation District and also a Certificate of Congressional Recognition from Senator Debbie Stabenow

The Resource Conservation & Development Program is authorized by congress, but lost funding in 2011 and therefore Marilyn and all other RC&D Coordinators nationwide had to immediately stop assisting local councils. This was a great loss for the UP RC&D Council, but we feel that we were fortunate to be able to take advantage of her skills and abilities for the five years that she worked with our council.

Congratulations Marilyn!

2011 Annual Report Now Available

The UP RC&D Council is very proud of our accomplishments during the past year. This Annual Report will give you a better idea of the kinds of projects our council is involved in, the partnerships that we help to facilitate, and the grant funds we have been able to secure to deal with the conservation and development opportunities and problems that exist in the Upper Peninsula. The UP RC&D Council is one of 375 RC&D Councils in the country. As you are probably aware, RC&D Councils are non-profit entities with volunteer boards, which work in partnership with county commissions, conservation districts, state and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations helping to create jobs and effectively leveraging financial resources to support economic development and resource protection in rural areas. Together we're - Making Things Happen!

UP RC&D Council 2011 Annual Report