21 Partnership Success Factors

Brian O’Neill’s 21 Partnership Success Factors summarize best practices developed from two decades at Golden Gate National Recreation Area. As the Superintendent of Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Brian O’Neill (1941-2009) and his staff earned a reputation as a model partnership park where partnerships are a way of approaching how best to accomplish the park’s […]

Engaging with Communities in Public Land Stewardship, Bureau of Land Management

A Toolkit for Building and Sustaining Effective BLM Partnerships with Friends Groups (February 2020) Purpose of This Toolkit: Due to the challenges of multiple-use management on public lands, the BLM benefits significantly from a partnership approach. This toolkit seeks to address and clarify partnership issues and needs, encourage partnerships with friends groups, and provide guidance, […]

Partner Culture Awareness

Listen to this video as a podcast. Seek to understand the seven attributes of organizational culture: Mission, Practice, People, Governance, Financial Capacity, Tradition and Institutional History.  Consider how you introduce elements of your organization’s culture to new and long-standing partners as your organization changes over time.  Assess the gaps in your understanding of a partner’s […]

Human Dimensions: Foundations of Natural Resource Conservation

This course will foster a common understanding and application of human dimensions of natural resource conservation. It will provide an overview of key concepts, methods, and practical applications; historical context and “must have” tools for the natural resource professional’s toolbox. The course is based on a human dimensions framework and relies heavily on case study […]

Ladder of Inference

Listen to this video as a podcast. Discussion Questions: Think of a time recently when you ran up the ladder of inference. What data did you select to focus on? What assumptions, conclusions, beliefs and actions did that lead you to?  What are the benefits of “walking slowly back down the ladder”? What actions will […]

Partnership Network Life Cycle

Listen to this video as a podcast. Partnerships evolve and mature like the life cycle of a butterfly. Examine the Vision and Concept Stages of the partnership caterpillar. Create a firm foundation during the Research and Development and Implementation Planning Stages of the partnership chrysalis. Take flight with the Action and Evaluation and Recognition Stages of […]

US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Conservation Training Center

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) leads the nation with training and education for natural resource managers to meet the goal of conserving fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the benefit of the American public. NCTC provides training opportunities for the Service, DOI, and other Federal and non-federal partners […]

Collaborating Consciously: the Four Cornerstones

Author: Amy E. Mickel, PhD As we continue to face complex and difficult-to-solve problems at the intersection of society, economy, and environment, the need for collaboration is more pressing than ever. Multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) are touted as promising mechanisms to tackle these challenges; however, despite their promise, not all partnerships are successful in their collaborative […]

USDA Forest Service National Partnership Office

The Forest Service works to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. Our partners are vital to accomplishing our mission and increase our productivity through collaboration on shared goals. Partners of the Forest Service include nonprofit and for-profit entities; rural, urban, […]

Bureau of Land Management, National Conservation Lands Division

The BLM’s twenty-four year old National Conservation Lands currently includes 905 units covering over 37 million acres designated by Congress and the President to conserve special features, from winding rivers to mountain vistas. The National Conservation Lands offer the American people exceptional opportunities for hunting, solitude, wildlife viewing, fishing, history exploration, scientific research and a wide range of […]