Cortney White (far left) points to an interesting marsh feature during a Girl Scout adventure. (Photo: USFWS)

In one week my job with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will feel much different.

Instead of communicating the refuge story through leisurely hikes with groups of 140 first graders I will be among more than 1,000 dedicated conservationists who’ve come together to shape the future of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Rather than communicating the tranquil essence of a marsh I will be gathering the energy and inspiration blooming at the Conserving the Future conference. In one week I will transform from Visitor Services SCEP to mojo. Not the mojo Austin Powers is in search of, mojo as in mobile journalist, weaving through the buzz to capture conference news.

Teams of FWS professionals have been working hard behind the scenes for more than six months to prepare for the vision conference. We have been brainstorming ways to make the conference memorable and engage conference attendees both in person and virtually.

I am a member of the Communications and Engagement team made up of bloggers, i-reporters, social media gurus, photographers, videographers, mojos and more. We are a group of energetic individuals who have come together to tell the story of the conference and the new vision. We will be running from the opening ceremony to workshops and back to our home base, the news desk, to write, edit, and deliver conference news to all attendees, virtual and on-site. Watch for us capturing content for daily news reports and online messaging.

I invite you to follow my team members and me as we deliver the latest news about the conference on Americaswildlife.org. Take advantage of the opportunity to actively communicate with fellow attendees by joining in the conversation and responding to conference news through your choice of social media.

Cortney White, Visitor Services SCEP, Horicon National Wildlife Refuge