Collaboration and Multi-party Monitoring Stewardship Contracting Training Workshop

1. Collaboration and Multi-party MonitoringStewardship Contracting Training Workshop Karen Steer, Sustainable Northwest Marcus Kauffman, Watershed Research and Training Center

2. Topics • What is collaboration? • What is required in stewardship contracting and why? • Key aspects of collaboration (LOPIM) • Multi-party monitoring (what and how) • Discussion

3. Collaboration: a definition • Collaboration: • Working together to solve problems or seize opportunities • has broad-based participation that is open, transparent and inclusive • enhances understanding, encourages solutions, and develop common objectives

4. Collaboration vs. Traditional Decision Making • Is outcome and solution-based vs. process • Build mutual understanding of problems • Incorporate a broad set of values • Proactive rather than reactive • Identifies and shares resources

5. NEPA Collaboration NEPA and Collaboration:Different, yet Complementary • Proactive: Before any action is proposed • Formal NEPA process begins with proposed action. • Pre-scoping • Scoping (CE, EA, EIS) • Multi-party Monitoring process designed up-front • Comment on EA or DEIS • Administrative Appeal • Community involvement in non-NEPA decisions • Inclusion of regulatory agencies in the pre-NEPA process with local collaborative groups.

6. Collaboration: What is required? • Project Development • 61.1a “Projects shall be developed collaboratively with communities. • Line officer shall seek to involve the public • Local unit should seek early involvement of stakeholders • Stewardship projects should have considerable local support.” • Defining local • 60.42c.7: “District Rangers shall make a determination of the local community appropriate to the project and in collaboration with interested parties.”

7. Why is collaboration part of Stewardship Contracting? • Stewardship contracting is a tool to help meetthe needs of rural communities. • Environmental, social, economic • Collaboration is a process that is used to ensure that community needs are heard, understood, and can be addressed.

8. Collaboration is social process to: Define community needs Find common ground Build trust and promote learning Take action Promote accountability How does collaboration help meet community needs?

9. Community-based collaborative groups • Work on multiple issues that cross sectors • Diverse stakeholders • Combination of government and non-governmental • Focus on problem-solving

10. Meeting Community Needs: Some examples • Buck Stewardship • Integrating restoration, local employment and monitoring • Metolius • Forum for learning, providing community voice, finding common ground • Siuslaw • Integrating restoration of private and public lands, supporting 25 jobs, providing community voice

11. Collaborative Process:Key Phases • Learning • Operating • Planning Design and Selection • Implementation • Multi-party Monitoring

12. Federal Advisory Committee Act(FACA) • If your group is: • Managed by non-federal entity • Selected by non-federal entity • Provides information or opinions to the federal agency • Deals with many issues or general matters • Has no ‘selfish advantage’ to be gained You probably don’t need to worry about FACA

13. Learning • What are the challenges/opportunities and community needs • Start with the end in mind • Are there shared issues? Can we collaborate? • Is there a collaborative group? Or is there a need to form one? • Community-based nonprofit • RAC • Watershed Councils • Others

14. Operations • Roles • Facilitator • Member • Convenor • Information provider • Perspectives

15. Hi. I’m a contractor. I want contracts for local firms I’m a soil scientist. I provide data on techniques for improving soil fertility I’m a ballerina… and a woodworker! I hope that when wood is removed from restorative thinning that it can go to local processing As County Commissioner I want to see jobs created and businesses started. I work for a local environmental group. My role is to make sure that fish habitat and soils are improved

16. Operations, continued • Decision-making • Decision-making within Group can work by • Consensus, Majority, Hybrid • Agency does not vote • Overall decision-making authority is still agency • Information sharing, outreach and communication • Within and outside the group

17. Planning, Design and Selection • Identify projects that will meet group’s goals and outcomes • Identify local community Assess existing resource conditions and available data

18. Planning, continued • Explore project ideas with agency team, key leaders, collaborative group • Define decision-space with collaborative group

19. Implementation NEPA decision completed…now how will the project be implemented? • Develop and package contracts • Seek technical assistance, if necessary • Identify funding and partnership opportunities

20. Multi-Party Monitoring • A definition • A process to engage diverse groups to ensure projects are meetings their objectives and expectations of the public.

21. Multi-Party Monitoring: What is Required? • Handbook section 68 • Monitoring is an important part of stewardship contracting • It is not appropriate to conduct project monitoring through stewardship contracts or agreements with revenue received from a stewardship contract • Multi-party monitoring of individual project is encouraged but not required • Programmatic multi-party monitoring • We don’t know what it will look like yet

22. Types of Monitoring • Implementation • Effectiveness • Third-party • Multi-party (also called All Party or Collaborative monitoring)

23. Multi-party Monitoring: Getting Started • Who Monitors? • Members of the collaborative • Other stakeholders

24. Multi-party Monitoring: What does it entail? • Identify project objectives • Ecological, Social, Economic • Determine monitoring methods • Identify existing data and gaps • Gather data, collect information • Evaluate results • Present findings and recommendations • Ask for input • Promotion: field tours, etc

25. How does Collaboration work in Stewardship Contracting? Learning and Operations Ecological, Social, Economic goals/outcomes Project: Planning Selection & Design  NEPA  Contract Dev.) Implementation Multi-party Monitoring: Who, What, How, etc..

26. It’s not my job! Select internal project team Leadership support is needed It takes too much time! Reduces appeals & litigation It takes too much money! Costs diminish over time Not collaborating has high social costs Partners can bring money and resources to projects Collaboration violates FACA! No, it doesn’t…just follow the rules Public meetings are sufficient for collaboration No, NEPA and collaboration are different and can be complementary Collaboration and MPM:

27. Lessons from the Pilots: Collaborate early and often • Community and partners want to be involved in something positive and worthwhile • Reach out to community and partners early • Ex: Antelope and Siuslaw • Be prepared for mutual learning and education • Be transparent and maintain positive community and regional relationships

28. Lessons from Pilot Projects:Project Selection and Design • Start small and increase in scale and complexity • Bring contracting officers and regulatory agencies into the process early • Stewardship contracting is new for contractors too • Understand local capacity • Consider providing training in new contract formats • Maintain your sense of humor… • it will help you work through difficult times

29. For information and assistance: • Sustainable Northwest • Maia Enzer and Karen Steer: 503.221.6911 • menzer@sustaianblenorthwest.org • ksteer@sustainablenorthwest.org • Watershed Research and Training Center • Marcus Kauffman: 541.346.0661 • marcusk@uoregon.edu • Ecosystem Workforce Program • Cassandra Moseley: 541.346.4545 • cmoseley@uoregon.edu • Flathead Economic Policy Center • Carol Daly: 406.892.8155 • cdaly1@centurytel.net

30. Civil Rights Compliance • ·“The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202)720-2600 (voice and TDD). • ·To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202)720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity employer.