Natural Resources Leadership Institute

Hunter Birckhead
NC Forest Service - Raeford, NC

LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING FOR TIMBER HARVESTING AND ENDANGERED SPECIES PROTECTION

Debbie and Hunter convened a group representing wildlife interests, timber and other commercial interests, and neighboring landowners to develop a management plan for a large tract of state-owned forest that currently provides habitat for at least one endangered species.

The stakeholders successfully negotiated a plan that not only improved habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker -- an endangered species, but increased income from the sale of timber and pine straw.

Steve Brown
US Army Corps of Engineers - Wendell, NC

COLLABORATIVE LAND MANAGEMENT FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERY

Half of the known North Carolina population of the endangered smooth coneflower occurs at three sites near Falls Lake in northcentral North Carolina. Populations are found on lands owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers, private lands, NC DOT right-of-way, and lands owned by the NC Department of Corrections. Although the various land holders have communicated with each other about their own management efforts, there has been no coordinated effort to manage the species.

Steve has brought together land managers from government and private industry, regulatory agencies, private landowners, and special interests to develop a management and recovery plan that is both inclusive and collaborative. Representatives of each group have met and have begun to share information. It is expected that the working group will reach an agreement on management options sometime in 1997.

NEGOTIATING USE OF ABANDONED RAILWAY CORRIDORS

Al negotiated the purchase of abandoned railway easement by a rails to trails land trust for use as a public trail. Al, who represents the North Carolina Rail-Trails in the negotiation, convened meetings with area property owners and government officials.

Because of strong opposition on the part of property owners, and the timing of the negotiations with respect to the framing of the issue, Al was unable to successfully negotiate the transfer of the easement to the land trust.

Sam Cooke
International Paper Company - Wilmington, NC

COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING IN FORESTRY PRACTICES

Sam worked with timber suppliers and loggers to identify ways to ensure that all loggers that supply timber to International Paper facilities are trained in sustainable forestry practices by the end of 1996. His work covers the following counties: Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Bladen, Pender,Sampson, Duplin, and Onslow.

Ashley has brought together a diverse group of stakeholders in Jones County to deal with water quality issues in the Trent River basin in eastern North Carolina. The group will work to make recommendations to municipal and county government for water quality improvement, and serve as a coordinating committee to the Jones County representatives on the Neuse River Basin Council.

NEGOTIATING FOR SUSTAINABLE FOREST PRACTICES

Lislott's interests have long been in changing forestry practices on private, non-industrial forest lands. Her goal is to promote ecologically and aesthetically balanced timber harvest approaches suitable for smaller tracts. All too often, lack of communication between the landowner, the loggers, and the timber buyer impede the application of "non-traditional" harvest practices.

For her practicum Lislott facilitated a negotiation between a forest landowner, loggers, and a sawmill to harvest hardwoods on the tract in a way that met the interests of the landowner to protect the environmental qualities of his property, as well as the interests of the loggers and sawmill to derive a fair income from the harvest. The project successfully met each of the stakeholders objectives and opened lines of communication between the landowner, the loggers, and the sawmill.

INTEGRATING COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING PRACTICES INTO AGENCY DECISION MAKING NEGOTIATING FISHERY REGULATIONS

Mike integrated collaborative processes into the decision-making framework of the NC Division of Forest Resources. He facilitated several key meetings on controversial issues involving supervisory personnel, agency employees, and clients external to the organization.

Mike met with positive results on his facilitation attempts, and will continue working on this project.

NEGOTIATING FISHERY REGULATIONS

Bob brought together fishermen and the staff of the NC Division of Marine Fisheries to negotiate regulations governing peeler crab harvesting. At issue is the use of certain configurations of harvest gear.

Bob facilitated the discussions to help the parties develop rules that meet the intent of the regulations -- protecting crab nursery areas, while at the same time allowing fishermen to use the most effective and efficient gear configuration available.

NEGOTIATING THE CLEAN UP OF A SUPERFUND SITE IN
MOORE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

A federal superfund site in Moore County is scheduled for cleanup by the US EPA over the next few years. Since 1988, a community group, Moore for a Clean Environment (MooreFORCE) has been acting on behalf of the community to monitor the cleanup process. Early on, MooreFORCE maintained that proposed cleanup procedures were inadequate. But communication channels between the US EPA, the potentially responsible parties (PRPs), and the community were not open and so the interests of local citizens were not being heard.

The goals of Harry's practicum were to: (1) bring all of the stakeholders together and work out an agreement on the extent of the cleanup process; (2) improve communications between the public and the PRPs; and (3) create an opportunity for the community to have significant input in cleanup decisions. Overcoming several obstacles along the way, Harry finally convened an initial meeting of all PRPs, representatives from local governments, and other stakeholders to negotiate a clean-up plan. A structure for future meetings was developed, with MooreFORCE representing community interests in ensuing negotiations. The parties have since been able to communicate their interests, and the PRPs and community representatives have begun to put together a cleanup plan.

OPENING COMMUNITY DIALOGUES ON LAND USE PLANNING IN
CHATHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

Craven has been working with a county task force to develop land-use guidelines in Chatham County, a rural county in North Carolina's Piedmont region. He has organized and led several small community dialogues centered around land use planning. The dialogues were designed to: (1) provide opportunities for citizens to gather and deliberate issues related to growth and development; (2) increase public understanding of complex issues; and (3) help residents discover -- rather than persuade or advocate -- and see issues from different points of view.

The second phase of the project will be to convene a working-group comprised of key stakeholders to recommend future land use planning actions to be undertaken by the county.

NEGOTIATING WETLANDS MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT IN
MECKLENBURG COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

This project involved negotiating the transfer of wetlands from NC DOT to a local conservation fund, and then working with stakeholders in the eventual management of the property. Tom convened meetings of representatives from the two parties and served as facilitator. The transfer negotiation was successfully completed. Tom has remained with the issue, facilitating meetings of stakeholders to develop a plan for managing the site.

A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT IN
CRAVEN COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

Catherine worked with stakeholders in Craven County, a rapidly developing coastal area, to develop a county-wide wastewater management plan. Catherine worked with community leaders to develop a process where people could express their concerns and desires for the future, become educated in various management options, and reach a consensus on the option that best met the interests of the community.

Once the working group was formed, she organized and facilitated group meetings, using her skills to settle conflicts as they arose and guide the participants through the decision-making process. Through Catherine's efforts, and the work of her team members from NC State University, the local working group evaluated, debated, and finally agreed on a set of management options that will best suit the county.

PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
IN THE LOWER ROANOKE BASIN

Margaret 's project brought stakeholders together in an effort to identify sustainable development activities in a five-county region in the lower Roanoke Basin in northeast NC. Through her role on the steering committee,

Margaret worked to enable meaningful citizen involvement in the planning process. As a result, local citizens -- people with a stake in economic development decisions -- have worked together to draft a development plan for the region.

A MUTUAL GAINS APPROACH TO NATURAL AREA PROTECTION

Walker's Millpond, a unique natural area of swamp forest in Carteret County, North Carolina, is home to several species of rare plants and animals. The site is located in a rapidly developing area of the county. The pond itself is owned by a group of investors who use it for recreation and hunting. Weyerhaeuser Company owns much of the surrounding land and produces commercial timber for its facilities in the area. Nearly 300 acres adjacent to the pond is suitable for residential development. Charlie's objective in this project was to permanently protect the area as a natural heritage site, while preserving ownership and management rights that are compatible with protection.

Charlie organized discussions with landowners, Weyerhaeuser Company, and the NC Coastal Land Trust to develop a vision and strategy for protecting the area. Charlie brought the groups together and represented his company's interests in the negotiation. Although the landowners eventually declined to participate, a settlement was reached between the timber company and the land trust to secure conservation easements on over 1,100 acres surrounding the main water body. In future actions Charlie will work with the Coastal Land Trust and other stakeholders to develop a plan for managing the area.