One focus of the Ruckelshaus Institute's work is on exploring different ways to address the concerns and conflicts that surround environmental and natural resource issues.  Collaborative approaches that bring together people representing all points of view can offer a means for resolving differences and working together on creative solutions.  Presentations, Institute projects, and other information related to collaborative approaches are discussed below.

In May, 1997, William D. Ruckelshaus, the Institute's founding chairman, presented From Conflict to Collaboration: Restoring Trust in Government in which he spoke about the growing potential for citizens to become more involved in solving difficult environmental and natural resource issues. Along with describing the promise of using collaborative decision-making, he also cautioned that this approach is not ideal for every issue and that processes need to be designed to fit each situation.

Responding to the need for applied scholarship in the area of collaborative decision-making, the Ruckelshaus Institute sponsored several research projects including:

• Research by UW Geography Professor Deb Paulson focused on the development of Guidelines and Issues to Consider in Planning a Collaborative Process for resolving natural resource conflicts.
   
• Jason Shogren, UW Stroock Distinguished Professor of Natural Resource Conservation and Management, led another research effort to analyze the efficiency of collaborative decision making.  Results from this project are presented in The Efficiency of Collaborative Decision Making Protocols: Conclusions, Lessons Learned and Policy Implications from Economic Laboratory Testbeds.
   
• Andrea Brandenburg, private consultant, conducted an Assessment of Collaboration and Consensus Building Needs and Opportunities in Wyoming. As part of this work, she developed Guiding Principles for Successful Agreement Building and Building Agreement on Public Decisions in Wyoming: An Introduction to Collaboration and Consensus.

Also, the Ruckelshaus Institute has assisted with several efforts to bring people together in addressing issues, including:

• A collaborative approach to resolving issues surrounding open space and grazing issues in Teton County, Wyoming.
   
• Assisting the U.S. Forest Service with public involvement in addressing winter use issues in the Snowy Range.
   
• The Institute provided staff and facilitation support for the Landowner/Sportsman Rendezvous held in 2002.  The Rendezvous brought together landowners, hunters and anglers to begin discussing issues of concern and identifying areas of common ground.  The Wyoming Community Foundation convened the Rendezvous and it was co-sponsored by the Wyoming Wildlife Federation and the Wyoming Stock Growers Association.
   
• The Institute, along with the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution and the Meridian Institute, conducted a situation assessment in 2000 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on designing a public involvement process for the management of bison and elk herds in the area of Jackson, Wyoming. 

Conferences

During June, 2000 the Governor's Forum on Environment and Natural Resources -- Learning to Build Agreement for Wyoming's Future was held in Riverton, Wyoming.

Case Examples

Several groups are pursuing collaborative approaches to natural resource management and their experiences offer valuable insights into the process, the people, the successes, and the pitfalls. We have compiled brief case examples with contacts and sources of further information. Please follow the links below for the currently available summaries.

• The Malpai Borderlands Group, Arizona and New Mexico
• The Quincy Library Group, California
• San Juan National Forest Management, Colorado
• Applegate Partnership, Oregon

References

Selected references about collaborative decision making and natural resource management are part of the Institute's Community Toolbox.