User:MindyBlock

Mindy Block, Conservationist & Writer

I have a MS in Environmental Studies from Antioch New England, more than twenty years of public lands management experience, and have studied the ethnographic writing style. I founded Quality Parks, a 501(c)(3) and am currently it's President.

The Firefighter Story

• Central Pine Barrens, NY - active participation in fire management and emergency response practices of a large interagency wildfire task force. Specifically completed an organizational analysis of fire danger, wildfire suppression tactics and prescribed fire practices. Made specific recommendations and took actions to improve policy, operations and environmental performance. For example, standardization of fire danger classes, staff training, supervised and implemented rehabilitation of fire control line breaks, wrote fire management plans, conducted vegetation analysis and measured live fuel moistures. (98-2006)

• Suffolk County Health Department joint project to monitor a chigger/tick outbreak (05)

• NY Region - Suffolk County - active participation in wildlife management practices of state and regional programs. Specifically completed an organizational analysis of bobwhite quail conservation programs and participated in an educational raise and soft release program. Made specific recommendations and took actions to improve policy, operations and environmental performance. For example, made native seed selection recommendations to state wildlife managers, facilitated improved collaboration between state and regional bobwhite quail managers (03-04)

• Friends of Long Pond Greenbelt to review and make recommendations on management plan (10/03-6/04)

• NYSDEC, SC Parks, NYSParks to evaluate & improve recreational blueberry picking programs (90-04)

• Port JeffesonVillage and LISEC to coordinate coastal restoration and exotics removal (95-98, 03-04)

• Nassau Suffolk Horseman's Alliance to improve Brookhaven SP recreational access and build capacity for recreational voting rights (03-04)

• SC Parks & Farmingville Historical Society to evaluate park conditions with QA oversight (9/02-6/04)

• Hollywood Beach to evaluate various recreational safety issues (2/03-5/04)

• Central Pine Barrens & MSRM to build capacity for a US-Italian sister parks program (00-04)

• Suffolk County Parks & USFWS to evaluate and advice piping plover recovery programs (98-02)

• USFS to establish Long Island Pine Barrens September 11th Community Forestry Restoration Project, 2001

mblock@qualityparks.org