Erin Witham is the RCP coordinator for the Downeast Conservation Network, which has been driving collaborative conservation and research projects throughout Maine’s coastal Hancock and Washington counties since 2010. Erin attended her first RCP Network Gathering in 2018 as a UMass graduate student in sustainability science and has attended nearly every Gathering since. Today she is a veteran of the annual conference and a member of the RCP Network Steering Committee.
What was your first impression of the Gathering?
I had already been working in conservation and had figured out that “partnerships” was my area of passion. I was like, “Wow, there’s this whole group of people who are already thinking about this!” It was so exciting for me! And a connection that I made (at the Gathering) got me the job that I’m still doing today.
I’m interested in hearing more about your passion for partnerships.
When I first started working in conservation, I had a very classic non-profit experience. I was doing a little bookkeeping, and administration, and surveying culverts for this grant, and doing data analysis for this other grant—you do a little bit of everything. But I had a chance to work on a restoration project and see what it takes to coordinate everyone: the grantors, the permitters, the Town, and the local community. It was gratifying to see all those people come together and it made the project so much better. It was really fun, and I thought, “I want to do this moving forward.”
What is so special about the RCP Network Gathering?
It’s a conference that’s on the leading edge of the conservation movement. I always leave so proud to be part of the conservation community. The Gathering is centered on justice and looking at conservation through that lens. How are we expanding how we think about conservation? It puts us where the conservation movement is going and of course, all that good work happens through collaboration.
Can you tell me more about the networking piece?
The conference has always done a good job at leaving big spaces for people to connect. I’ve been focused on how to build more relationships between municipal government and conservation, and this past year at the conference I saw some inspiring examples of that in other partnerships. Going to these conferences also gives me the opportunity to meet with other RCP coordinators, and that’s what led me to join the RCP Network Steering Committee.
What would you say to RCP members who may be on the fence about attending the Gathering?
The conference gives people the opportunity to understand their work in a broader context. RCPs are all so different in how they’re structured, the types of projects they’re focused on, and who’s a member. You’ve got to come see how all these other groups do it and get new ideas. And it doesn’t have to fall into a strict definition of an RCP; you get to learn about all sorts of collaborative efforts. You’re with a group of people who understand that.
