Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne joined with the Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality to host listening sessions on cooperative conservation and environmental partnerships.  Held at a number of locations around the country during August and September 2006, the listening sessions gave citizens an opportunity to exchange ideas on incentives, partnership programs, and regulations that can improve results and promote cooperative conservation and environmental partnerships.  For transcripts and a summary of the listening sessions please visit http://cooperativeconservation.gov
These meetings were the latest in a series of discussions the Administration has hosted since the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation in August 2005. The conference identified three broad approaches to improving conservation results: promoting cooperation within the federal government, promoting cooperation between the federal government and others, and eliminating barriers to cooperation in existing policy. Some aspects of these ideas are reflected in the summary of new legislation (). Other aspects were explored in the listening sessions.
The meetings focused on issues, programs, and policies mentioned frequently at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation. Discussion topics included:

• How can the federal government enhance wildlife habitat, species protection, and other conservation outcomes through regulatory and voluntary conservation programs?
• How can the federal government enhance cooperation among federal agencies and with states, tribes, and local communities in the application of environmental protection and conservation laws?
• How can the federal government work with states, tribes, and other public- and private-sector partners to improve science used in environmental protection and conservation?
• How can the federal government work cooperatively with businesses and landowners to protect the environment and promote conservation?
• How can the federal government better respect the interests of people with ownership in land, water, and other natural resources?

Background and other Cooperative Conservation activities at Interior