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America’s Wildlife Values: The Social Context of Wildlife Management in the U.S.

The purpose of the America’s Wildlife Values Project was to assess the social context of wildlife management in the U.S. to understand the growing conflict around wildlife management. It is the first study of its kind to describe how U.S. residents within and across all 50 states think about wildlife, and how changing perspectives shape […]

Elements of an Effective Apology

An apology is a powerful means of reconciliation and restoring trust. However, sometimes even well-intentioned apologies can exacerbate a conflict. It may be helpful to consider what elements to include in a statement of apology to make it most effective and constructive. © 1999 Marsha L. Wagner, Columbia University

Working at the Speed of Trust

Individuals can learn to “see” trust and its measurable impact, which allows them to build credibility, strengthen relationships, and work collaboratively to deliver essential results. When trust is low, people become suspicious, guard communication, speculate, and disengage. As a result, productivity grinds to a crawl, and the costs—whether social, emotional, or financial—increase. We call these […]

Strategic Stakeholder Engagement

In this course, students will identify stakeholder needs, conduct environmental analysis, identify stakeholder opportunities which align with USACE capabilities, determine the types of USACE assistance the stakeholder most needs, and create an account plan. This course helps students create account plans that help build and maintain productive partnerships. The course content focuses on stakeholders, their […]

Engaging the Public in Planning

Teri Tucker, NPS Planning & Compliance Lead (Environmental Protection Specialist) Mount Rainier National Park Washington   Engaging the Public in Planning (ArcGIS Storymaps): Fryingpan Creek Bridge Replacement Project Mount Rainier National Park: Nisqually to Paradise Draft Corridor Management Plan    NOTE: If you are asked to sign in to ArcGIS Online, select “cancel” to view […]

Understanding Collaboration

In her classic book, Collaborating, Barbara Gray defines collaboration as “a process through which parties who see different aspects of a problem can constructively explore their differences and search for solutions that go beyond their own limited vision of what is possible.” Collaboration contributes significantly to effective and sustainable public land management. Understanding the expectations, […]

Collaboration in NEPA Handbook: A Handbook for NEPA Practitioners

One of the primary goals of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is to encourage meaningful public input and involvement in the process of evaluating the environmental impacts of proposed federal actions. This once innovative feature of the 1970 landmark legislation has become routine practice for some NEPA review processes. However, the full potential for […]

Collaboration and Conflict Transformation in Multiparty Processes

Natural resource professionals involved in multiparty collaborative decision processes face increasingly complex decisions where underlying conflict can undermine their efficacy if unknown or inappropriately addressed. Conflict transformation encompasses managing and resolving conflict by harnessing the energy inherent in conflicts to motivate change and improvement, not only of the decision but also of the institutions and […]

Liberating Structures

Five conventional structures guide the way we organize routine interactions and how groups work together: presentations, managed discussions, open discussions, status reports and brainstorm sessions. Liberating Structures add 33 more options to the big five conventional approaches. When you feel included and engaged, do you do a better job? Do you think teams in which people work well together […]