Ashley J. Peters, Passionate Writer, Conservationist, and Servant Leader

Howard Fox [00:00:06]:

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Outdoor Adventure Series podcast, where we celebrate individuals and families, businesses, and organizations that seek out and promote the exploration, stewardship, conservation, access, and enjoyment of the outdoors. Ashley J. Peters is our guest on the outdoor adventure series today. Ashley is the communication manager at the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. She's an outdoor writer and conservationist. She's on the board of many organizations that are conservation focused. And I know Ashley because she's also a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, and she is also on the board as well. Now, Ashley has spent time at many organizations that you probably all recognize AmeriCorps. We have the state of Minnesota, department of Natural Resources, the National Audubon Society. She's been with Audubon Minnesota, and actually an organization that I had never heard of before, and I'm looking forward to learning more about it. The Ruffled Grouse Society. So, Ashley, it's a pleasure to have you on the Outdoor Adventure Series podcast. Welcome.

Ashley J. Peters [00:01:22]:

Hi, Howard. It's great to be here.

Howard Fox [00:01:24]:

Fantastic. One thing that came across as I was preparing the notes for the episode and what you shared with me, you've been in the outdoor space, conservation, stewardship, access, seems like your entire life.

Ashley J. Peters [00:01:40]:

It would seem that way based on my resume. Yeah. I did not grow up hunting or fishing or really hiking a whole lot as a kid, so this is definitely something that I took on late in college and early in my career as a passion. So happy to talk more about that, but, yeah, it's definitely been the focus of my career, for sure.

Howard Fox [00:02:03]:

Very good. Well, how did you get so interested? Because when you talk about in your early years, really didn't have that interest. And now when I look on your social sites, there's you walking in the woods with a hunting rifle and the camouflage gear or the orange yellow reflective gear that tells me you're pretty active in the outdoor space. So what was this transition between being at home and doing things that are not outdoor focused to the work that you're doing today?

Ashley J. Peters [00:02:41]:

Yeah, a big piece of it, honestly, was the AmeriCorps term I did right out of college. Now when we talk about the outdoors and accessibility and getting new people interested, I think it's important to point out that it's not a straight line, it's not a one time event, that there are a series of things that happen that introduce you and get you comfortable with the outdoors. It didn't hurt, but I worked in the fields as a teenager doing detastling, so I got used to really hot conditions and learning how to exist in that kind of a state. I also ran track in college, which helped me understand how to run outside in cold conditions. We ran outside year round, so there were pieces like that that laid a foundation for me. But really, the thing that got me interested and really excited and wanted to invest my career and my time in conservation was this AmeriCorps program I did right out of college. And so for two years I camped and worked in the woods, first in Alaska for a year, and then the Boundary Waters for the better part of a year, 2008 and 2009 respectively.

Howard Fox [00:03:51]:

Okay, now for our listeners could you in a couple of sentences, 30 seconds, whatever. What is americorp. I've heard of it. Yeah, but for our listeners who haven't, what is it and is it still around?

Ashley J. Peters [00:04:06]:

It is still around. It was a program that was started in the early ninety s, and you can think of it as a domestic Peace Corps, so a lot of the same support for communities looking at where volunteers are needed to help initiatives. In the case of the work I was doing, it was a lot of backlog land management work for the National Park Service, the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, so it just depended on what kind of work really needed additional support. And so we went in as volunteers and helped with that work. We also did volunteer projects in local communities related to that. So yeah, that was for a couple of years that I did that. And still available. You don't get paid a whole lot, you get a stipend, basically a living stipend while you're doing it, but you do get an education award at the end. And so that's part of the reason I did it, was to get ten grand towards my student loans. And that really helps you when you're starting a career and you're having to juggle all of these expenses. Having that to help with student loans was a huge support for me.

Howard Fox [00:05:16]:

I can imagine. And you actually were volunteering or not. You were in the Maricor in some wonderful places, the Boundary Waters. It's beautiful. Alaska. Well, nothing else needs to be said about Alaska except it's Alaska, and I would say an AHA moment, and we'll talk about that a little bit later. But was there this kind of an event that really spoke to you? Like, wow, I can't believe I get to do this. Plus you're doing wonderful work, you're meeting people, you're networking, you're outdoors, which is something that you've always enjoyed being any specific event kind of still hold that special memory for you.

Ashley J. Peters [00:06:08]:

Yeah, I would start by saying that when I was in college, I really wanted to be a full time writer. But this was early 2000s, blogs were coming onto the scene, we were seeing a lot of newspapers fold. It was a very tumultuous time right. For anybody who's doing communicating. And I knew that in order to be a communicator or a writer, I needed an area of expertise so I could communicate about communicating. But I wanted something to be passionate about. In college, there was a lot of sports. It was thinking about what communities need. I was a first gen college student, so thinking about access to college resources. But really, when I went to Alaska and I got to see firsthand what it meant to manage natural resources, what it meant to manage land, what it meant for a lot of these federal and state agencies to try to navigate the funding that they're provided and the mandates that they're provided against what is really needed on the landscape. I know we've heard a lot about forestry in the last few years in terms of what land management agencies need to do and how they need to do it versus the resources that they have available to do those things. And so I got to see that firsthand, and I got to be part of that challenge. And it was very clear that there was lots of work to be done. This was the kind of thing that I could sink my teeth into and continue to work on for the rest of my career. And there's a lot of job security there in terms of promoting the outdoors and talking about conservation. There will always be that need. So I'm never going to run out of things to talk about when it comes to this. And that was important, right? As somebody who thinks about conversations that need to happen and change that we want to see in the world, you have to have something that is going to take a bit of work and it's going to take a lot of effort. And it was clear to me that that's where our natural resources were in a great state for what they are compared to a lot of other places in the world. But at the same time, there's always room for growth. There's always more that you can do related to habitat and wildlife conservation and getting folks into the outdoor.

Howard Fox [00:08:34]:

Very good. And I'm curious when we speak of the word natural resources and conservation, when you are doing your work, when you're writing now, is there a focus that you have? Is there a focus that you are assigned? Is a little bit of both in your work?

Ashley J. Peters [00:08:57]:

Yeah, that's a great question. It really depends on where I am. So I have mostly worked full time. I do some side work, some blogging and writing and communicating on the side. But most of my work has been within an institution or an organization. So when I first started out, it was a lot of communicating and getting folks into state parks, introducing them to what state parks are, what you can do there, what you can see, what kinds of activities are available for you and your kids. So that was a big piece of my first three years. Once I got out of the field, then for seven years I worked for the National Audubon Society. And there's a mixture of talking about being able to go see birds in certain places but also why the birds are there. So what kinds of conservation initiatives are happening that ensure that we can see a lot of great wildlife, that there's a variety of birds? That those resources in that habitat is set up well, not only to be great for people, but to make sure that it's really there in perpetuity for the wildlife as well, which all ties in, right? To clean water, clean air, all of those things. I also worked for the rough Grouse Society. That was a lot of forest conservation related pieces. Same thing. What kind of forest conditions do we need in order to have roughed grouse? American woodcock. There are a number of other species, pretty much any forest species. If roughed grouse and American woodcock can be there, so can a lot of other wildlife species. And it's really an indicator of forest health. And now I'm at the University of Minnesota and focusing on a lot of different initiatives. So I work with a number of different researchers who all have kind of their own projects and focus. And that's really fun for me because it's basically a tasting menu of all the different things that are happening in the environment, natural resources, and getting to work with these folks that are digging in very deep to their area of expertise. And then I kind of get to take the exciting pieces of that and the highlights and get to promote their work and talk about what they're doing. So it's been a range of things and really I enjoy all of it.

Howard Fox [00:11:29]:

I love it. As you were sharing about this journey, one of the questions that was formulated in my head was, how does a very talented writer, communications manager hold these very scientifically laden topics and passions that scientists and researchers have and help not only to inform? So the public is more aware of why this is important, the politics, whether it's the local, the state, the federal politicians. And I know that's got to be a challenge. How do you inform them of why these initiatives are important? What are those challenges? As a communication manager? Do you have to help pull that information out? It seems to me you're just like digging in your own way to pull out those nuggets that are important for whoever the audience is right.

Ashley J. Peters [00:12:39]:

It is a lot of work because each project, each initiative has its own goals and has kind of preset ideas from the folks who are leading that initiative on what they want to see happen. So a lot of times the work that I do is built around almost more project management than it is communications. A lot of my time is spent talking with somebody about they might say, we want to do a news release about this project. And what I'll often do is say, is the news release actually the thing that you're trying to get out of this, or are you trying to attract more funding? Are you trying to attract donors to something? Are you trying to get people outdoor? What is the action that you're trying to create from the audience that you're speaking to? Who is that audience? Are they actually who you think they are? And that can be tough, honestly, because there are a lot of folks who they get very focused on their research and their project and they know that they need to get information out and they know that they're passionate about it. But the details of what that looks like down the road, how that happens, how we talk about it, the different audiences. And like you said, there can be politics involved, there can be navigating preconceived ideas about something. And so that's all part of this discussion about how you communicate science, how you communicate about the outdoor to folks who don't necessarily have a depth of knowledge. And one of my favorite things to do is talk about the fact that it has nothing to do with education level. You can have a PhD. And maybe it's in data science instead of the outdoor. The last time that that person with that degree and somebody who's maybe well advanced in, let's say, environmental conservation, the last time they both had the same education about certain things was probably early in college or high school. And so you have to think about speaking a language that cuts across all kinds of disciplines so that you're speaking in a way that a broad group of people can understand. Obviously, it depends. Sometimes you're talking specifically to politicians who know exactly what you're talking about when it comes to a certain bill, right? Or I have done communications where it's very specific to burgers. So depending on the audience, that changes. But I would say the biggest challenge over the course of my career so far has been helping scientists and experts understand how to think in terms that can be easily understood by a more broad set of folks. And that just takes a lot of questions. It takes a lot of what are you trying to achieve? And if you say this thing, is that actually going to achieve what you're trying to do? So, like I said, I feel like a lot of times it has more to do with project management and making sure that we're headed towards the outcomes folks want even more so than the fine details of communications.

Howard Fox [00:16:08]:

I love the way you share that because I was thinking even in my own work outside of the podcasting space, communicating to your week, I would call my ideal client who am I trying to attract into my world. I need to understand what they care about, how they speak so that I can tailor my work to attract them with the work that you do. And I really kind of envious of the variety that you must get because you're working with folks across a very broad section of science, even within the conservation and the environmental space, is everybody has their niches. And you're either helping them with a scientific paper or you're helping them get an article out to the Department of Natural Resources for the State of Minnesota or to an article in Field and Stream. Who knows? That's got to be exciting. Helping folks who are very passionate. It's got to be exciting for you to help them shape what that message is. So that's got to be very exciting.

Ashley J. Peters [00:17:24]:

It is. Yeah. And I think, for me, what I get out of this personally, right, there's always the altruism of I want to impact the world around me. But the thing that I get out of this also has a lot to do with gaining my own knowledge. Right. Like, I feel like I'm a very informed voter when it comes to natural resources. I'm very informed when it comes to making decisions at a state level and thinking about the kinds of habitat projects and wildlife projects that need to be done. But the other piece of this is just constantly going back and thinking about what I needed when I was younger in order to get more interested in conservation or get more interested in the outdoor. And so going back to that and thinking about what helped me as a young person and a young professional and knowing that the work that I'm doing now is getting information out there in a way that when people want to dig into a topic, when they want to get excited about something, there's plenty to choose from.

Howard Fox [00:18:32]:

Given that you kind of turn back the clock a little bit in your response of the younger self, what would the 2023 version of Ashley J. Peters say to her younger self? Anything different?

Ashley J. Peters [00:18:49]:

Honestly, I think when I think about me in the past, I often think about the fact that I only had so much information and I did the best I could with it. Now. Did I make mistakes? Absolutely. Did I take kind of a roundabout way to get where I am? Yes. I really didn't dig into the outdoors and science in college. And now, of course, I wish I had done more of that a little bit. But also it was great, like in college to lean into. I loved psychology classes. I loved art history. I loved sociology. Right. I obviously took a bunch of communications courses as that was my major. But it was important, I think, at the time, to just wander and discover. And so really, it's just keep going. Right? It's keep exploring, keep asking questions, keep trying to find the right question more so than trying to find answers for things. I feel like I'm just always upgrading the next question in terms of what comes next. So it's not as much about finding a finite solution to things. It's more what's the next best question to achieve what we want to achieve specifically now for the outdoors. But really that's mostly how I feel about it.

Howard Fox [00:20:13]:

I love what you just shared. I was just attending a continuing education webinar for my coaching profession and they were doing a conservation and the demonstration is on reading energy. So not necessarily being able to communicate verbally, but just reading the energy even virtually like you and I are doing right now for our listeners. I see Ashley, she sees me, and they were quoting Albert Einstein of E equals MC squared fame. And there's a very famous saying if there's a problem, I spend the first 55 minutes asking the questions and learning. And if I do that, then it'll take me 5 minutes to solve the problem. And you just basically share that same thing. And I love that. Just asking the questions.

Ashley J. Peters [00:21:05]:

Yeah. I think in conservation we will never run out of the questions. I think it's always about finding the right question to get the right resources, the right people have the right message. So yeah, I spend a lot of time thinking about what are the best questions to be asking right now so that the conversations that we're having, the discussions that are happening, the initiatives that I'm a part of, are all things that are actively moving towards something bigger. Because if you don't have the right questions, sometimes you get really wrapped up in what you specifically are passionate about, which isn't a problem. Right. Some people that's their whole career is really just focusing on the thing that they love that doesn't necessarily tie into something bigger. But for me, it's really important to feel like I'm a part of some bigger movement and some some future solution that we can start working towards now. And in order to do that, yeah, you have to have questions that may not be answered for 50 years, but if we start working on them now, then that 50 years is going to get here much sooner than if we put that off and we get distracted with things that are maybe not as relevant.

Howard Fox [00:22:30]:

Very good. Now, I learned from the notes that you shared and as I was doing my research, you were just given a new appointment by the Governor of State of Minnesota. Can you share with our listeners what that is?

Ashley J. Peters [00:22:49]:

Yeah. So I serve on the Lasar Sam's Outdoor Heritage Council, that is a council that was put together in 2008, 2009 to make recommendations to the legislature here in Minnesota on the Outdoor Heritage Fund. That fund comes from a tax that Minnesota voters voted in as part of an amendment. And last year, for example, there was more than $150,000,000 that went towards conservation projects.

Howard Fox [00:23:22]:

Wow, that's a lot of money.

Ashley J. Peters [00:23:23]:

It is. Minnesota is very fortunate to have taxpayers and citizens who are thinking very much about the future of the outdoors, the future of our natural resources, and they have chosen to invest in that very much. And so those funds are all there's a whole process that different organizations go through to apply for those funds to have proposals. So the council that I sit on gets to hear from a wide range of different organizations and agencies as to why that funding is something that they need and the urgency of the projects that they're looking at. And the focus of the council I sit on is mostly habitat, but there are a few other funding sources in Minnesota as well that there's one for parks and trails, there's one for clean water, there's another one that largely funds a lot of research and thinking about local problem solving. So we're very fortunate that in addition to some of the more traditional funding sources, like license fees and state park permits and that sort of thing, we also have these funding sources that help to supplement our future and conservation. So, yeah, the governor reappointed me to that position and last week I was actually voted as vice chair. So I'm excited to continue that work over the next four years, for sure.

Howard Fox [00:24:59]:

Fantastic. Well, congratulations on that. And I would say Minnesota is probably, from my perspective, my vantage point nearly at the top of the list when it comes to realizing we need money to take care of our resources, our scarce resources. And there's definitely that commitment that's there. And it's a testament to the living ethic, the work ethic, the personal responsibility in the state. So that's just great to hear. I'm curious if you could imagine you're in line at a store, could be Starbucks, could be waiting in line to sit at a restaurant, and some little child comes up to you and says, what do you do? And you tell them what you do. And then all of a sudden they say to their parents, I want to do what she does when I grow up. What would your advice be to a student? Could be an elementary school, a high school student, maybe a freshman in college. They want to follow in footsteps, not exactly what you've done, but to get to a place where you're at today and in your own way making a difference. What would your advice be to that youngster or that freshman in college about the work that you're doing and how they can do it?

Ashley J. Peters [00:26:33]:

Yeah, I mean, it's kind of tough, right? Because it depends totally on that person's passion and really as they grow, how their own passions and interests grow. But as a shorthand, always reading and writing. For me, it still always comes back to those things. That if I'm voracious in my reading and curious about what's happening in the world and then processing it in a way where I'm trying to write, inform, relate my own opinions, and think about how these things come together, from my perspective, that's been really important to me to hold close as I move through my career as a woman, in many cases, male dominated industries and as somebody who came from a small town in Iowa. Very rural culture, AG dominated. Understanding my own identity and where I come from and where I see the world helps me understand what I'm looking at when I read other things and when I write from my perspective as compared to what I'm reading somebody else has written about. So I think all of that, though, comes from this constant back and forth of reading as much as you can and then writing as often as you can, even if it's just journaling, because that expression of my opinion and my thoughts has helped me evolve over time. I wasn't always right in my perspectives, right? And I wasn't always clear on what something meant. But it's hard to uncover that if you're not expressing yourself and you're not constantly looking for new resources and information to gather to help inform that. So it really still all comes back to reading and writing for me.

Howard Fox [00:28:28]:

All right, fantastic. Let's talk a little bit about the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Now, I know you're on a lot of boards, and we probably could spend another episode talking about all of the boards and organizations that you have affiliations with, but you and I met via the Outdoor Writers Association of America. And for our listeners, I am very thankful and grateful, I should say to Ashley, because she came in at the last minute to help us out with some reviewing of articles for our annual Adventures and Craft contest. So, Ashley, thank you for that. But how did you get involved or learn about the Outdoor Writers Association of America?

Ashley J. Peters [00:29:14]:

So back in, I want to say, 2015, I was still in Louisiana working for the National Audubon Society. And finally I was at a point where my career was calming down a little bit to where I could think about having free time and then what I wanted to do with that free time. So I started looking for organizations to get engaged with, and at the time, I tried several different organizations. So like the Public Relations Society of America and Society for an Environmental Journalist and an Outdoor writers association. And what I can say is that when I attended the conference for the first time for the outdoor writers, I had the most specific connections with the folks that were there. I felt like people really wanted me to be there. They were very welcoming. There was a lot of outreach, not only during the conference but after the conference, and it's not a behemoth of an organization. And I actually found that to be very helpful, that it wasn't another institution or organization to get lost in or have to fight to be recognized in. This was something where after the first conference, I felt like I had a new group of friends. I felt like I had a new group of colleagues and people that I could confide in. And that's really important, especially as you're getting started in your career, to feel like you belong somewhere, to feel like there are folks you can go and talk to about how to navigate a lot of different challenges. And so that was really my introduction to the Outdoor Writers Association, and I highly recommend it for anyone who's looking for community because I think it's just full of really amazing communicators, a lot of writers, but also a lot of folks who do podcasts, a lot of folks who do broadcast media. And so when I first got to know Owaa, I thought it was mostly going to be writers. And then of course, I got in and realized that writing is kind of a foundation for a lot of the folks that exist there, but there is a broad swath of different communications expertise and that's been so wonderful to be plugged in and connected to all the folks that are part of that organization.

Howard Fox [00:31:45]:

Very good. Now you were appointed to the board or voted onto the board recently. This was in 2022?

Ashley J. Peters [00:31:56]:

Yeah, just last year.

Howard Fox [00:31:57]:

Okay, and what's the responsibility of a board member on the Owaa?

Ashley J. Peters [00:32:05]:

Yeah, so for the most part it is attending board meetings and helping to make some decisions about the direction of the organization, thinking about the information that needs to be distributed to the membership, and a lot of conversation honestly about the conference that takes a huge amount of work. And most of the folks that are thinking about that are volunteers. There are a handful of staff, but this is not a massive organization. And so the board does help a lot with thinking about speakers and thinking about who can attend, where to go, what kind of venues and locations are really going to be best for folks to attend. So there is a fair bit of work on the board just related to the conference. There are also a lot of other basic organizational board things, the bylaws and thinking about how the future of the organization is going to grow, thinking about how to support the funding and ensure that these things can exist in perpetuity the contests the Outdoor Writers Association has. So there's a host of things, but I really appreciate being in a position where I can help folks think strategically about decisions. And so that's what I enjoy about it.

Howard Fox [00:33:34]:

Very good, thank you for that. As we go towards the end of our time together today, and I know you've shared a lot about your background and the work you're doing today and what's worked, what hasn't worked, what perhaps you might change. On our episodes, we have what we call the AHA moment. And I would like to say AHA moments always lead to this massive transformation and growth and expansion. Sometimes they don't always do that. And I'm curious what your AHA moment might be like. I kind. Of asked you earlier, if you had a conversation with your younger self, what would you say? But as an adult and a professional and in the work that you're doing, what's your AHA moment that you could share?

Ashley J. Peters [00:34:35]:

It's a great question, and I mentioned this a little bit earlier that constantly thinking about me when I was leaving college, honestly, there's this real pressure on young people to make these huge decisions that can impact the rest of your life. And at least for me, I was very aware that I didn't have all the information, that I didn't know much about the world, that I didn't really know how I felt about going in a certain direction and thinking about who I was in that moment and what I needed to be able to discover the world and make decisions. That is kind of my constant AHA moment. So day to day, when I'm thinking about the work I'm doing, I want to be able to provide information resources, help organizations that can welcome young people, so that we're constantly welcoming in the next generation of leaders of conservationists, folks who are honestly, to some degree, even just looking to get outdoors for their mental health, to stay active. A lot of my first experiences in the outdoors and in conservation were related to things like going to state parks, paddling in the Boundary Waters, and camping and hiking, discovering local parks, and understanding learning the landscape here in Minnesota and finding out that I could go fly fishing here, I could go hunting here. I didn't need to go off to Alaska, I didn't need to go out west. I can do all those things here and have a really good time that there are birds right in your backyard that you may not know of. Rock climbing was a big phase for me for a while. And so just being open to discovery. I don't know if there was one moment in my life that I would pinpoint as an AHA, but I would say, for me, almost on a daily basis, the AHA, for me, is thinking about that person, who I was and what I needed, and trying to be there for the next generation of folks who are going to be encountering a lot of those same questions and a lot of those same struggles that I went through 1520 years ago.

Howard Fox [00:36:59]:

Very good. If you could share with our audience, and you asked me at the onset of our time together today before we hit record, Howard, who is your audience? And frankly, I said, I don't really know because I don't get those kind of metrics. But I do know when people download, I can see which episode. So I know they're into camping, they're into hiking, stewardship, conservation, fly fishing. So I have a sense of who they might be. And so I target many of my keywords when I publish the episode. If you were to share an insight with our audience, something it could be a quote, a book, an article that you would want to leave to the audience who's going to be listening to this episode. What would that be? What would be your insight to go?

Ashley J. Peters [00:38:03]:

My insight to go will go to the Outdoor Writers Association conference.

Howard Fox [00:38:09]:

Yes, I should.

Ashley J. Peters [00:38:10]:

That would be a key one because it's really honestly building community and having community as a communicator as a writer, I think it's really important. It's very easy to get lonely in this work in some ways because oftentimes you're working on a project that's very specific to you or your organization or the outlet that you're writing for. So make connections and really build a community for yourself because there's always going to be difficulties and it's always going to be a challenge, especially if folks are communicating about conservation. There are some really massive challenges that we're facing right now and some really sticky issues that have a lot of sides to them. Having other people to be able to talk to you about those things and think about them out loud and understand what they're hearing and what they're seeing. It just makes such a huge difference in terms of providing perspective and hope and helping you to see how you're part of something bigger instead of feeling like you're just alone in something.

Howard Fox [00:39:23]:

Thank you for that. Thank you for that. If our listeners would like to learn more about you and your work, Ashley, where would the best places for them to go be?

Ashley J. Peters [00:39:32]:

Sure if folks are on social media, I am on social media. I would say LinkedIn, TikTok, and Twitter are the three where I am most active. I am on Instagram and Facebook, but just not as active. And then, of course, for any of the organizations that I've mentioned, they can go to their websites. Like I said, I work for the University of Minnesota right now, and so there's a profile page there. If you go to the Institute on the Environment, you can see all the different kinds of projects that are happening right now. And then, of course, the Outdoor Heritage Council has its own website as well. So yeah, any of the organizations I mentioned, though, I'll have websites that folks can find more resources and information about.

Howard Fox [00:40:17]:

Very good. Well, we will definitely provide the backlinks to your social sites LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok. We'll leave Facebook and Instagram to your own personal cadre of admirers, friends, and family, and we're going to provide the backlinks to the many organizations that you introduced to us today. Ashley, it's been a pleasure to meet you virtually other than via emails, and I don't even think we chatted before, so it was email. But today, virtually, it was a pleasure to get to know you and learn more about you and your work and look forward to seeing you down in Gulf Shores in September. And it'll be fun just to have a conversation with you in person. So thank you for taking time out of your what I have no doubt is a busy schedule to join us on the Outdoor Adventure series.

Ashley J. Peters [00:41:15]:

Thank you very much, really appreciate it and hope you have a good day.

Howard Fox [00:41:19]:

Fantastic. Listen, stay in the line. We'll do a quick close, and you and I can have a final chat, okay? All right, folks, we have just been chatting with Ashley Peters. She is the communication Manager at the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. She's on the board of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, many boards for that matter, and her recent appointment as co chair for the Lessard Sam's Outdoor Heritage Council. Lots of great information today, and I think if any of our listeners, if you ever were interested in conservation, environment stewardship, just given Ashley's background, there's a lot of directions you can go to learn more and to be curious. And just a reminder, we're going to provide backlinks to her social profiles as well as to the organizations that she mentioned. As for us, you can find us on our website at the Outdoor adventureseries.com. We are also on Facebook and LinkedIn. We have our pages there, the Outdoor Adventure Series, and you can find this and all of our other episodes. Wherever you listen to your podcast, just search for Outdoor Adventure Series. In fact, if you go to our website, we have links to many of the most popular podcasting directories. And on our website, as well as some of the directories, there are comment features. So please, like this episode, share, hear it, comment on it, let us know what you think. We would love to hear that from you as well. Okay, folks, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, go out there, have a phenomenal day, and we will see you on a future episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series podcast. Take care now.