NRDP-BLM Partnerships
Here are some of the successful partnerships that State Councils have had with the Bureau of Land Management. For more information, contact Office of Community Development Desk Officer Ella Ennis.
The Colorado Rural Development Council,in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, The Partnering Institute, the National Park Service-Rivers & Trails Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Sonoran Institute, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, created the Conservation Assistance Tools (CAT) database. Launched in March 2000, this searchable database has information on available grants, cost-sharing, and technical assistance for natural resources projects in the western United States. It is designed to help local communities identify the information, potential partners, and financial support needed to undertake conservation projects.
The Idaho Rural Partnership presented "Collaboration on Trial" at its annual meeting in 1998, held at BLM's high-tech center in Boise. The courtroom drama was complete with judge, defendant, prosecutor, defense attorney, witnesses and jury. Phil Choate, 1998 IRP Chair, was found guilty of working in a collaborative way across organizational boundaries for the betterment of rural people. The mock trail was followed by a substantive, interactive discussion of collaboration, its limitations, and where and how collaboration can be used effectively. The discussion included three BLM examples. The benefit of participating in the "Collaboration on Trial" presentation and discussion is that BLM representatives and IRP members gained a more complete understanding of what it means to be a partner, to be collaborative, and how far you can take the collaborative model.
The Utah Rural Development Council improved the quality of life in rural Utah by brokering an implementation plan for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument acceptable to local communities and the federal government. This plan included an agreement on the contentious issues of the location of visitor centers, headquarters, education centers, roads and utility corridors in the monument. The result was a Memorandum of Understanding involving the Bureau of Land Management and the Counties of Kane and Garfield. After the MOU signing, the Council continued to work with the local communities involved helping them to respond to the draft management plan. The Utah RDC received a Rural Impact Award for this effort in 1999.
The Utah Rural Development Council, serving as the Vice Chair for the Southwest Utah Planning Authorities Council (SUPAC), helped develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among the US Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the State of Utah to deal with Wild and Scenic Rivers designations in Utah. This MOU formalizes the cooperative relationship among the parties to conduct studies of Utah's rivers for potential designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. It confirms commitments to coordinate Federal processes conducted for planning activities; to share data and planning resources between State and Federal agencies; and, where appropriate, to coordinate public education and information outreach programs. This MOU eliminates duplication of effort and reduces the likelihood of conflicting goals among agencies on this issue in Utah.
The SRDCs in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho teamed up in November, 1996 to sponsor a training workshop, designed to build the skill of participants in communication and consensus building. This workshop kicked off an effort by the three councils to spread similar training activities, designed to encourage consensus building and dispute resolution skills related to land use decision-making, around their three rural states. Thirty-four participants from the three states attended the training session, including representatives from Cooperative Extension, the Economic Development Administration, and the Bureau of Land Management. Participants completed four modules to enhance their knowledge of collaboration and effective communication. The group explored ways to bridge differences by working through an actual conflict, then created common goals and an action plan. Wyoming Rural Development Council developed a pool of individuals trained in this process to form teams to provide training in these skills to persons throughout their state.
The Wyoming Rural Development Council, at the request of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture assisted with developing a State Mediation program for natural resources. This program was enacted by the State Legislature. WRDC provided training on communications, served on the mediation advisory committee and assisted in developing rules and regulations. In April 1998, WRDC, NRCS, Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming Department of Agriculture, and the University of Wyoming, held mediation training for 17 potential mediators. The Governor appointed an advisory group that includes BLM and a board for the natural resources mediation program. The Advisory group is currently working on a marketing strategy for the program.
