Clare M. Ryan

Collaborative Partnership Design: The Implications of Organizational Affiliation for Watershed Partnerships

Collaborative watershed partnerships are a common strategy for addressing complex natural resource management decisions. Despite a large literature surrounding their procedural strengths and weaknesses, little theory regarding collaborative partnership design is available to guide policymaking and implementation efforts. This study investigated the relationship between partnership structure and activities using interview data from 29 of Oregons watershed partnerships. Confirming previous research, partnership composition is related to outcomes. Further exploration reveals that organizational affiliation is related to both composition and activities. Independent partnerships were more likely to conduct scientific assessments or plans, while agency-affiliated partnerships focused primarily on restoration projects. Additional findings suggest that independent partnerships develop priorities internally, while agency-affiliated partnerships tend to adopt the strategies of their parent organization. Diverse participation, incentives, and capacity are identified as critical design considerations for collaborative partnerships.

Leadership in collaborative policy-making: An analysis of agency roles in regulatory negotiations

Regulatory negotiation is a process by which representatives of affected interests, along with the regulatory agency, attempt to negotiate a consensus agreement on the content of a regulation. This study represents an empirical effort to begin to identify and sort out the roles that an agency plays in a collaborative policy-making process such as regulatory negotiation. Three regulatory negotiation cases were examined to determine the perceived roles of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials and other participants, and the study suggests a number of findings. First, that EPA fulfills a number of different roles (Expert, Analyst, Stakeholder, Facilitator and Leader) in a negotiation process; second, that EPA is expected to be an active participant in the negotiations, not simply an overseer or facilitator of interests; and finally, EPA interprets its primary role much more narrowly – as that of an expert – than do other participants. Non-agency participants view EPAs primary role as a leader, which combines technical and substantive components as well as process components. Where previously and in the theoretical literature, agencies exercise leadership through statutory authority or technical expertise, this study suggests that there are additional dimensions to that leadership role. In a collaborative process such as regulatory negotiation, the agency finds itself in a realm that demands that they effectively merge the roles of expert, analyst, and stakeholder into a more complex leadership role than has been suggested in the past.

Collaborative Watershed Planning in Washington State: Implementing the Watershed Planning Act

In 1998 the Washington State Legislature enacted the Watershed Planning Act, which encourages local governments to develop watershed plans using collaborative processes. Objectives of the statute are to address water resource and water quality issues, salmon habitat needs and to establish instream flows. This exploratory study sought to examine two aspects of how local governments are implementing the Act: challenges and benefits associated with collaborative watershed planning and the capacity of local governments to conduct collaborative watershed planning. Using documents and interview data from four cases, it was found that all planning groups experience similar challenges, although newer planning groups experienced more challenges than groups with previous planning experience. Challenges include issues surrounding the collaborative process, interagency co-ordination and trust. Local governments struggle with building capacity to plan, particularly in the areas of funding, technical expertise, incentives for participation, adequate time to conduct planning and questions regarding appropriate scale and scope of their planning efforts. Despite the challenges, collaborative watershed planning is well underway, with more than 37 planning units conducting planning under the Act.

Managing Nonpoint Source Pollution in Western Washington: Landowner Learning Methods and Motivations

States, territories, and tribes identify nonpoint source pollution as responsible for more than half of the Nation’s existing and threatened water quality impairments, making it the principal remaining cause of water quality problems across the United States. Combinations of education, technical and financial assistance, and regulatory measures are used to inform landowners about nonpoint source pollution issues, and to stimulate the use of best management practices. A mail survey of non-commercial riparian landowners investigated how they learn about best management practices, the efficacy of different educational techniques, and what motivates them to implement land management activities. Landowners experience a variety of educational techniques, and rank those that include direct personal contact as more effective than brochures, advertisements, radio, internet, or television. The most important motivations for implementing best management practices were linked with elements of a personal stewardship ethic, accountability, personal commitment, and feasibility. Nonpoint source education and social marketing campaigns should include direct interpersonal contacts, and appeal to landowner motivations of caring, responsibility, and personal commitment.

Incorporating ecosystem-based management into urban environmental policy: a case study from western Washington

The worldwide growth of urban settlements affects the management of natural resources and has prompted scholars in the natural and social sciences to call for ecosystem-based approaches to the management of human settlements. While considerable literature exists on the definition, theoretical underpinnings and methods for applying ecosystem-based management (EBM), few studies have examined whether urban and regional planners consider elements of EBM when developing environmental policy. This study assesses the extent to which planners apply EBM principles when reviewing scientific information for environmental policies in western Washington State. Using a working definition of EBM based on existing literature, the study conducts a content analysis of interview data from 42 environmental planners working for cities in western Washington, and asks what elements of EBM are considered as they review scientific information. The results suggest that elements related to monitoring, inter-agency co-operation, ecological boundaries, values and to a limited extent, adaptive management, are considered when planners review scientific literature for environmental policy development. However, urban and regional planners struggle with, or do not explicitly consider, the elements of scale, ecological integrity and organisational change when developing local environmental policy. The paper concludes with a description of why some elements of EBM are considered and why others are not, and offers suggestions for improving urban environmental policy development through application of EBM principles.

Agency capacity for recreation science and management: the case of the U.S. Forest Service.

Cerveny, Lee K.; Ryan, Clare M. 2008. Agency capacity for recreation science and management: the case of the U.S. Forest Service. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNWGTR-757. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 78 p. This report examines the capacity of natural resource agencies to generate scientific knowledge and information for use by resource managers in planning and decisionmaking. This exploratory study focused on recreation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. A semistructured, open-ended interview guide elicited insights from 58 managers and 28 researchers about recreation issues, information exchange, and research-management interactions. Data were coded and analyzed using Atlas.ti®, a qualitative analysis software program. Results indicate that recreation managers seek information to address user conflicts and manage diverse activities across sites and landscapes. Managers do not always turn to the research community when looking for scientific information and are uncertain about the proper channels for communication. Managers consult a variety of information sources and aggregate various types of scientific information for use in planning and management. Managers desire greater and more diverse interactions with researchers to promote knowledge exchange useful for addressing recreation problems. Barriers to interaction include organizational differences between management and research, researcher responsiveness, relevance of information to manager needs, and the lack of formal interaction opportunities. Several structural processes were suggested to facilitate opportunities for greater interaction and information exchange.

Assessing new governance strategies for watershed planning

Over the last decade, new governance-style, collaborative approaches to environmental management have increased exponentially. What is not well known is how the structure of these partnerships, particularly the policies that foster their development, may contribute to theʼ ability to achieve either procedural or substantive policy goals. Our study investigated efforts in the States of Washington and Oregon to encourage the development of collaborative watershed management institutions. Thirtyfive watershed partnerships were examined to understand how the planning groups implement policy objectives and how partnerships are creating or modifying institutions for planning and implementation. Our findings suggest that both States face similar challenges in important respects. Challenges include obtaining adequate participation, developing and sustaining organizational capacity, and planning implementation. Together, these findings demonstrate that new governance strategies are not a panacea for water management.

Erratum to: Visions of Restoration in Fire-Adapted Forest Landscapes: Lessons from the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program

Collaborative approaches to natural resource management are becoming increasingly common on public lands. Negotiating a shared vision for desired conditions is a fundamental task of collaboration and serves as a foundation for developing management objectives and monitoring strategies. We explore the complex socio-ecological processes involved in developing a shared vision for collaborative restoration of fire-adapted forest landscapes. To understand participant perspectives and experiences, we analyzed interviews with 86 respondents from six collaboratives in the western U.S., part of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program established to encourage collaborative, science-based restoration on U.S. Forest Service lands. Although forest landscapes and group characteristics vary considerably, collaboratives faced common challenges to developing a shared vision for desired conditions. Three broad categories of challenges emerged: meeting multiple objectives, collaborative capacity and trust, and integrating ecological science and social values in decision-making. Collaborative groups also used common strategies to address these challenges, including some that addressed multiple challenges. These included use of issue-based recommendations, field visits, and landscape-level analysis; obtaining support from local agency leadership, engaging facilitators, and working in smaller groups (sub-groups); and science engagement. Increased understanding of the challenges to, and strategies for, developing a shared vision of desired conditions is critical if other collaboratives are to learn from these efforts.

Digging Deep: Managing Social and Policy Dimensions of Geoduck Aquaculture Conflict in Puget Sound, Washington

ABSTRACT Shellfish aquaculture can result in conflicts among stakeholders who perceive impacts and tradeoffs regarding sense of place, aesthetic, recreational, economic, and ecological values. Pacific geoduck clams (Panopea generosa Gould 1850) are grown in intertidal plots using gear- and labor-intensive techniques that result in a high value export product. A confluence of issues has resulted in on-going social and legal tensions surrounding geoduck aquaculture in southern Puget Sound, Washington (WA), USA. Using interviews and document analysis, we explored stakeholder perspectives and policy issues related to geoduck aquaculture in southern Puget Sound. Twenty-three stakeholders were interviewed, including state agency employees, representatives of the aquaculture industry, nongovernmental organizations, landowners, a tribal member, and an academic. Nine state hearings board decisions on challenges to aquaculture permits were also analyzed. Stakeholders articulated a variety of perspectives regarding aesthetic, recreational, land-use, ecological, political, regulatory, and economic aspects of geoduck aquaculture activities. Hearings board cases addressed similar issues (aesthetic, ecological, and recreational), as well as challenges to restrictions on aquaculture. Potential strategies for managing this conflict include emphasizing best management practices, identifying and incorporating best available science, joint fact-finding approaches, and initiating and improving communication among all stakeholders.

Nearshore Restoration in Puget Sound: Understanding Stakeholder Values and Potential Coalitions

Restoration of nearshore ecosystems presents many challenges for stakeholder involvement. Using surveys and interviews we examined stakeholder values, preferences, and potential coalitions surrounding nearshore restoration in the Whidbey sub-basin of Puget Sound. Most stakeholders in our study believe that Puget Sound nearshore problems are severe and urgent, and that it is worth investing in restoration. They do not agree on the causes of nearshore degradation, yet support stronger regulatory enforcement and increased public ownership as possible solutions to nearshore problems. Five potential stakeholder coalitions were identified based on shared values. These values reflect a varied spectrum of support for public sector solutions to nearshore problems and were labeled: No Government Intervention, Property Rights, Private Land Stewardship, Protect Undeveloped Areas, and Large Scale Restoration. The potential coalitions identified confirm the Advocacy Coalition Framework hypothesis that coalition members who share values do not necessarily share stakeholder demographics or preferences. This study demonstrates one method for understanding local stakeholders, and will help managers direct project resources, planning, and management, through reliance on both stakeholder and scientific input. In addition, managers can use information about stakeholder values and potential coalitions to more effectively frame communication products and stakeholder involvement activities.