Collaboration Program in Natural Resources

Building Collaborative Capacity in Wyoming and Beyond

Anyone working in natural resources today—whether they are in land management, industry, non-profit, advocacy, community engagement, or something else—has to regularly navigate a dynamic landscape of values, relationships, and policy to get their job done. 

The Collaboration Program in Natural Resources (CPNR) will equip you with the skills and tools needed to work effectively with a wide range of people in challenging, often contentious, situations. The program includes

• Leadership development, including navigating high-conflict situations, effectively designing and leading teams, working across differences of all kinds, public speaking, and adaptive problem-solving in uncertain, rapidly changing situations

• A tight-knit and supportive peer network that can serve as confidants, advisors, and future partners and collaborators

• A firm grounding in the principles of collaborative practice and active development of the hard and soft skills (from situation assessments to negotiation, emotional and social intelligence to building trust) necessary to better design, facilitate, and participate in collaborative processes writ large

• Mentorship and guidance throughout an applied project of your choosing, as well as field trips to explore local and timely natural resource issues 

CPNR is open to anyone working in natural resource and environmental management and policy. It may be particularly useful for people taking on new responsibilities, encountering challenges that they need an expanded skill set to overcome, or looking to strengthen their professional networks in Wyoming. CPNR participants must be committed to respectfully engaging in sometimes difficult conversations with their colleagues and collaborators