UW Now Accepting Applications to the Collaboration Program in Natural Resources

The 2014 Collaboration Program in Natural Resources (CPNR) offered by the University of Wyoming’s Ruckelshaus Institute of Environment and Natural Resources is now accepting applications to its second training.

Mid- and upper-level professionals or any individual whose work involves land or natural resource management and decision making in Wyoming and the surrounding region are welcome to apply.

CPNR entails a series of six rigorous, hands-on sessions where participants will develop collaborative problem-solving skills to address natural resource issues.

Jessica Clement, research scientist in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at UW, directs the program. She brings expertise in collaborative governance and collaborative learning related to forests, wildlife, recreation, public lands and other resources. Steve Smutko, professor and Spicer Chair in Collaborative Practice, also at the Ruckelshaus Institute, will co-teach these training sessions.

“Through collaborative approaches, we can discover solutions that we might not have otherwise found,” Clement says. “When people collaborate, they buy into solutions and see them through to fruition.”

The sessions will involve training in self-awareness, leadership skills, collaborative problem solving for regulatory and landscape-scale natural resource issues, facilitation skills, and other related subjects. The learning also will involve analyzing real-world case histories and exercises for participants to practice collaborative approaches and leadership styles. Find the program curriculum online at www.uwyo.edu/haub/ruckelshaus-institute/collaborative-solutions/cpnr.

CPNR is supported by a diverse advisory board of natural resource professionals in Wyoming including Bob Budd, executive director, Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust; Cheryl Chatham, government relations, USDA Forest Service; Mark Konishi, deputy director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department; Jim Magagna, executive vice president, Wyoming Stock Growers  Association; Lisa McGee, National Forests and Parks program director, Wyoming Outdoor Council;  Kevin Meenan, land manager and attorney, Wold Industries; Rita Meyer, vice president, Rocky Mountain Power; and Randy Williams, executive director, Teton County Conservation District.

Participation in CPNR requires attendance of six sessions as follows:

-- Self Discovery and Introduction to Concepts, April 23-25, Lander;

-- Group Processes: Negotiation and Leadership Skills, June 16-18, Lander;

-- Collaboration for Communities and Landscapes, Aug 11-13, 2014, Lander;

-- Collaborative Problem Solving at the Federal, State and County Level, October 2014, Casper;

-- Practicum Review and Facilitation Training, Dec. 3-5, Casper; and

-- Practicum Presentation and Graduation, March 2015, location and date to be determined.