What do you think is the best membership benefit IECA offers to government employees?
I originally joined IECA and the Mid-Atlantic Chapter as a means to learn as much as possible about erosion and sediment control since West Virginia was starting to embark upon a state NPDES permit program. Since the Division of Highways is probably the largest land disturbing entity within our state, I had a need to learn as much as possible as quickly as I could. I attend my first MAC Conference in 1997 in Gettysburg, PA, and thought that I had just found a gold mine. The knowledge that I was able to tap into and the networking opportunities and friendships that were starting were priceless. I found out that I wasn't in this fight alone and had lots of friends from around the region that I could call on. This has and continues to be the most enjoyable organization that I have been a part of from not only a professional stand point, but a personal stand point as well. To make a long story longer, I guess the biggest benefit of my membership in IECA as a government employee is the networking (friendship development) and learning from the best from around the globe.
How do you apply this benefit to your work?
The networking aspects and the educational aspects are used almost on a daily basis in my job. Applying what I learn from attending conferences, conference calls and being able to call on someone to see if they have faced similar issues. I'm not sure I would even know where to start if it weren't for the MAC and IECA.
IECA membership costs less than $15/ mo. How has IECA membership earned its keep?
Many times over from what I mentioned above.
Would you recommend membership to one of your peers?
I would highly recommend joining IECA, which automatically puts you in your local Chapter. To anyone who has a need to develop their knowledge base when it comes to not only erosion and sediment control issues but stormwater management, stream restoration, wetland development, learning the legal requirements and wind erosion, just visit www.ieca.org to learn all of the potential opportunities that exist in one organization.
Top benefits for government employees:
- Discounts on educational events and products to help you keep you on top of your game and provide better service to your community
- Connections to other professionals through IECA's listserve
- Access to members-only website with thousands of archived articles
- One free IECA webinar per year
- IECA member logo for promotional use
- Membership in your local Chapter
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