(9/30/24)

By Blake Podhajsky, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Blake Podhajsky, ACI President

As I sit down to write this, the echoes of our annual ACI Conference are still fresh in my mind. It’s always a whirlwind of inspiration, learning, and networking, and this year was no exception. Every moment reminded me of why I love being a part of ACI. But as the awards ceremony on the final night wrapped up and the last goodbyes were being said the next morning, a familiar feeling washed over me: the bittersweet reality of having to wait another year to attend the conference. It’s like my 10-year-old self on Christmas morning opening my last gift.

While the conference may be over, the momentum generated from our time together doesn’t have to fade. As we settle back into our routines, let’s keep the conference spirit alive. Reach out to a colleague you met, take inspiration from something you learned and dive into a new project, or continue a conversation you had during afterhours dinner. For those that were not able to attend this year, I hope to see you in Atlantic City, New Jersey in July 2025! Outside of the conference, I encourage you to stay connected with ACI, and also consider getting involved on one of many committees that help shape who we are. We have an awards committee, grants committee, auction and fundraising committee, communications committee and soon to be conference committee. If you would like to become more active, email me anytime at blake.podhajsky@odwc.ok.gov.

I am pleased to announce we have several initiatives lined up over the next 6-7 months! On behalf of the ACI Board of Directors, I am happy to announce that plans are underway to rebuild our website www.aci-net.org. To keep in line with our mission, a modernized and more efficient website will serve as a hub to inform and provide a resource for not only our members, but the natural resources community at-large. There is not a target date set, but we anticipate a new site to be up earlier next year.

We also felt this would be an opportune moment to also rebrand ACI with a new logo that better reflects who we are as an organization. Over the next several months, we plan to hold a competition for ACI member graphic designers and artists to submit their ideas for a new logo. Please stay tuned in the coming weeks for more information.

So, while I’m already looking ahead to New Jersey in 2025, I’m equally thrilled about what’s to come in the meantime. ACI has great momentum going and I invite you to join in my excitement.